Iowa Public Radio expands Studio One

Fans of Iowa Public Radio's Studio One can now tune in 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via the Internet.

Studio One, which offers a variety of music programming, is on the air over the weekend and weekdays after 7 p.m. on IPR's News/Studio One stations.

But it will now also be continuously available online at iowapublicradio.org or through the new Iowa Public Radio app for iOS and Android. IPR executive director Myrna Johnson said the expansion has been in the works for a while, and the timing seemed right.

'There's a lot of great energy around the music scene of Iowa right now,” she said.

In addition to existing programming, four shows will join the Studio One programming lineup. 'Gas Money,” a spotlight on local and regional talent, and 'Rust on the Dial,” a show dedicated to Americana/roots music, are new and will be produced by Studio One staff. 'The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn” will be syndicated, and 'Jazz Department” will feature jazz music.

Those online-only offerings will complement IPR's original on-air shows like Backtracks, Studio One Tracks and the Folk Tree.

Johnson said the station is not planning to hire any new staff with the expansion. Some weekend and evening shows will be replayed during the week to round out the schedule.

She said she's excited for people to be able to tune in anytime, anywhere.

'Streaming can be accessed anywhere,” she said. 'It's very accessible anywhere in the state, or anywhere in the world, honestly.”