Hearts of Space

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hearts of Space is a popular radio show featuring "space" or "ambient" music. It was first broadcast as a late-night San Francisco radio show in 1973 on KPFA in Berkeley and entered syndication on public radio in 1983, quickly growing in popularity. The weekly show focuses each episode on a different theme of ambient or atmospheric music, and starts with an introduction by the host Stephen Hill, the show's founder (who on KPFA called himself "Timotheo"), originally accompanied by co-producer Anna Turner, introducing the theme and the music, followed by almost an hour of uninterrupted music and then some closing words. On KPFA, it was a two hour show, but was shortened for syndication.

The show also spawned a number of projects, including its own record label in 1984 which has released nearly 150 albums, and as of 2001 an online music streaming service. More recently the show can also be heard seven nights a week on XM Satellite Radio.

The show was parodied on MST3K, Episode 303 Pod People. A running gag during the film, which sported an ambient noise soundtrack similar to the music typical of the show, was to imitate the announcer of the program. One of the host segments featured a direct parody of the show, "Music from Some Guys in Space." According to the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, the staff was sent several albums from the producers after the episode aired.

A complete list of programs can be found on the Hearts of Space website.