Peabody Filmmaker, Former DJ To Screen WBCN Documentary On North Shore

PEABODY, MA — Peabody filmmaker and former WBCN-FM DJ Bill Lichtenstein will screen his documentary on the legendary Boston radio station "The Airwaves Belonged to the People: WBCN and The American Revolution" on the North Shore next week — six years after its original run was cut short amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

The screening will take place at Cape Ann Community Cinema, 37 Whistlestop Mall on May 28 with a Q&A with Lichtenstein to follow.

Lichtenstein was a teen DJ during the initial heyday of the staton. He said he saw firsthand the power of the station to create and galvanize a community of listeners to make actual political and cultural change.

"There couldn't be a better time or place to share the story of WBCN and the listeners who, together, brought powerful community pressure to help end the war in Vietnam, drove an unpopular president from office, and provided a platform for the civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights movements," Lichtenstein said.

Lichtenstein also said recent screenings have shown how audiences are responding to the story.

"At this moment, when many people feel powerless, the example of how media, dissent, and collective action can bring social change is having a palpable impact on audiences," he said. "I've been thrilled to witness their reaction and I'm excited to bring the film's inspiring energy to Rockport."

The documentary first had a film festival run in 2018. It was later distributed to PBS stations nationwide and was accompanied by the book "WBCN and the American Revolution: How a Radio Station Defined Politics, Counterculture and Rock and Roll."

A publicity tour for the film and book was cut short amid the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis in 2020.

The film draws from more than 100,000 audio and visual items from the era, according to the source, including never-before-exhibited footage shot by Andy Warhol. I

t also includes Bruce Springsteen's first radio interview and live in-studio performance, Patti Smith’s first live radio broadcast with her band, and archival material from Jane Fonda, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Garcia, David Bowie and Lou Reed.

Lichtenstein started at WBCN as a volunteer on the Listener Line at age 14 and later became a newscaster and announcer with his own program.

His previous film, "West 47th Street," aired on PBS's P.O.V.

His upcoming film, "Broken," explores the Massachusetts child welfare system and the death of Harmony Montgomery.

A full trailer for the documentary can be found here: