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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Re-Imagined Radio will premiere “Frequency 43” by Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose at 1 p.m. Oct. 20. Just in time for Halloween, this chilling story offers a suitable taste of terror with a side of science fiction adventure.

Originally broadcast in 1980 as “Transformer,” the story has been re-titled, re-booted and re-broadcast by Re-Imagined Radio. “Frequency 43” follows a researcher who discovers a parallel universe where dream and nightmare merge, challenging the boundaries of reality itself. Should we explore this strange, haunting dimension? Can dreams connect us to the Great Unknown—and if so, how much connection would we truly want? Listeners will find hints of answers in this eerie tale of science, sound and imagination.

“Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose have been crafting immersive audio stories for more than forty years,” said John Barber, producer and host of Re-Imagined Radio and faculty member in the Digital Technology and Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver. “Their work combines cinematic sound design with provocative storytelling. We’re thrilled to reintroduce this piece, now re-imagined as ‘Frequency 43.’ It’s a perfect feature for October.”

The premiere will air on KXRW-FM (99.9) in Vancouver and KXRY-FM (91.1 and 107.1) in Portland, with subsequent broadcasts and streaming by local, regional and international partners.

McQuen and Rose, founders of Ensérné Media, first created “Transformer” as part of a planned radio series following their acclaimed “Farawan” and “Dry Smoke and Whispers” story worlds. Though the series was set aside, the story persisted—now, four decades later, it returns in a new form, continuing their exploration of sound-based storytelling and speculative audio fiction.

Re-Imagined Radio premieres new episodes on the third Monday of each month on KXRW-FM and KXRY-FM. Each episode is streamed globally and later available as a podcast and on YouTube. Previous episodes are released monthly on YouTube. Information and listening links are available at reimaginedradio.fm, where all episodes are archived.

The website also features Re-Imagined Radio EXTRA, providing additional sound-based storytelling between monthly episodes.

Community partners Re-Imagined Radio collaborates with community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, the Electronic Literature Lab at �鶹��ý, Marc Rose of Fuse Audio Design, Rylan Eisenhauer, Holly Slocum Design and Evan Leyden.

About Re-Imagined Radio Created in 2013 by Barber, Re-Imagined Radio explores sound-based storytelling across genres — from drama to comedy, from documentary to sound art. Through performances, broadcasts, streaming, podcasts and social media, the program re-imagines radio storytelling for contemporary audiences.

About �鶹��ý As one of six campuses of the WSU system, �鶹��ý offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, �鶹��ý helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses, industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.

�鶹��ý is located on the homelands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Peoples of the Lower Columbia Valley. We acknowledge their presence here. �鶹��ý expresses its respect toward these original and current caretakers of the region. We pledge that these relationships will be built on mutual trust and respect.

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MEDIA CONTACT(S)

Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu