106.5 FM “The Tank” is the latest radio station encouraging prisoners in Texas to tune in. The show is hosted by Ramy Hozaifeh aka “Megamind.”
Allan B Polunsky Unit has its own prison radio station. The show offers a variety of different programming and the opportunity for prisoners to belong to a community. The studio is located in the prison and has a room full of supplies that was mostly donated by churches.
Here’s how it works:
It provides segments such as heavy metal, self-improvement, TV soundtracks from popular 90s sitcoms like Martin or Sanford and Son, and news updates about the prison-like lunch menus.
The prisoners get to be involved as well. Prisoners are able to send in poems and essays to Hozaifeh and the radio staff of things they’d want to listen to on the show. Apparently, the most common genre is “rom-com” to listen to.
Jedidiah Murphy has been on death row for 20 years and writes to Megamind’s conspiracy theory segment often. He admits the main attraction is the audience isn’t judging him for his past.
He says, “When you have people in prison that don’t even really CARE about the crime or the situation, that is something that many of us have not seen,” he wrote to me. “This is inmate-run for INMATES.”
The station gets the prisoners engaged especially those in isolation or solitary confinement.
The Guardian says, “There are also religious services, a Biblical rap show, suicide prevention programs and stock tips from death row. Sometimes, the men interview each other, and once they interviewed the warden.” It helps the prisoners feel involved with their community.
