This article appears in Uplift Chronicles April 2024 International District Edition.
For nearly a decade now, 99.9 FM The Beat has transmitted adult contemporary R&B—spanning old-school classics of the 1970s to hits from the latest SZA album—along with local news, music and community programming over Albuquerque’s airwaves
Future Broadcasters founder and CEO Byron Powdrell has been immersed in broadcasting—from radio to television and back again—in Albuquerque since the late-1980s. What differentiates Powdrell from many in the industry is his combined experience in radio’s technical and engineering side alongside front-of-house programming. In April, Future Broadcasters launches its high school radio pilot project at Highland High School, to which Powdrell brings industry experience plus what he learned literally building low-power FM radio station 99.9 FM The Beat from the ground up.
The mission of Future Broadcasters is mentoring youth in the art of radio through hands-on opportunities for them to learn and gain experience. Employing science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) as access points guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking, the high school radio project is about igniting creativity and creating new media and educational futures right here in New Mexico.
Powdrell’s family migrated to New Mexico from West Texas in the 1950s and he worked at his father’s venture, Powdrell’s BBQ, until he transitioned into the world of broadcasting. Throughout the decades, Powdrell has served in a number of volunteer roles and appointments in Albuquerque. In the 1990s, Powdrell served on the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund Committee. More recently, Powdrell served as Chair of the City of Albuquerque’s Head Start Policy Council and Co-Chairman of the City of Albuquerque Community Policing Council for the Foothills Command.
Powdrell also competed in campaigns to represent District 9 on the Albuquerque City Council in 2017 and 2021. No stranger to community volunteerism and the political arena, Powdrell has hands full with Future Broadcasters, 99.9 FM The Beat and the Highland High School Radio Project. Powdrell assisted New Mexico Black Leadership Council Founder and CEO Cathryn McGill with applying for and obtaining an FCC license for the Council’s future low-power FM radio station, 91.1 FM. With that FCC license now granted, the Council has three years to build a radio tower and plan its programming.
Stay up to date on Powdrell’s projects by following 99.9 FM on Facebook and Instagram @thebeatabq. Follow Future Broadcasters on Facebook @Futurebroadcasters and Instagram @wild99hd3. Check out The Beat by tuning your analog or digital dial to 99.9 FM or visiting https://99thebeatfm.com.
