Curbed by the pandemic, the documentary about rock station WBCN is now hitting the movie theater circuit.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: September 10 2026
Host: A documentary film on the early days of a legendary Boston-based rock station is coming to Burns Court Cinemas next Wednesday. WBCN redefined radio’s relationship with its listeners and helped fuel the various movements that transformed America in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ramon Lopez has the story.
Programmer 1: And now it’s time for a revolutionary new experiment in radio.
Programmer 2: This is WBCN in Boston.
[Rock and roll music]
Voiceover 1: There wasn’t any radio station at all that played any of this kind of music.
Voiceover 2: It was clearly ours. Older people didn’t like it—didn’t understand it.
Ramon Lopez: If you haven’t heard, Burns Court Cinemas in downtown Sarasota will be screening an award-winning documentary film throughout the day on Wednesday. It’s called The Airwaves Belong to the People: WBCN and the American Revolution.
The flick chronicles the early days of the legendary rock station in Boston. It swapped traditional 1960s rock and roll tunes for progressive rock music, while at the same time redefining radio’s relationship with its listeners. It also helped fuel the political, social and cultural movements that transformed America in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The film shows how a community of young people, musicians, journalists, activists and listeners could make the airwaves belong to the people. And the documentary reminds us how media, dissent, music and collective action can bring about social change.
We hear from Robert Sennott, the film’s executive producer.
Robert Sennott
Robert Sennott: We are very honored to be able to screen this film in Sarasota at the Burns Court Cinema. We’re going to have multiple screenings that day, and we’re looking forward to having the people of Sarasota be able to watch this beautiful piece of art.
We’re on a 104-city tour. We’re showing the film in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we’re showing the film in Woods Hole—a number of different varying locations. We’re dispersed across the country.
In the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, there was a lot of turmoil in America, not unlike what’s happening today. People that are seeing the film are really happy that they get to see the film and compare what’s happening now and then.
RL: The film enjoyed a successful film festival run in 2018. It was shown on PBS stations nationwide. But a theatrical release was cut short in 2020 by the COVID pandemic. The producers say the time is now right to re-release the film nationwide, beginning with theaters on the east coast, including Burns Court in Sarasota.
RS: The story of BCN is really a history lesson of that period of time. It’s very valuable to look back on that, sense what that was about and see what’s happening now. The movie was built from rare photographs, previously unseen footage and never-before-heard broadcasts. It features unforgettable stories and remarkable early moments like Bruce Springsteen’s very first radio interview ever, Patti Smith going live on the radio, Jane Fonda—actually, she was a reporter from BCN. Abbie Hoffman would always drop in.
RL: Sennott said making the movie was a labor of love.
RS: It’s fun as a producer to be able to work hard on getting the film done and placing it in places like the Burns Court Cinema and then knowing that the audience really enjoys the film. It’s funny; there’s a ton of one-liners that are really funny. This is really interesting: When people come see this film, they form a bond.
RL: This all happened at WBCN, which became a voice for people and movements rarely heard in mainstream media. The film’s re-release comes as questions about independent media, democracy and dissent are again at the center of American life. The station’s history feels critically relevant now more than ever.
[Upbeat percussion music]
This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
Contact the theater for showtimes and to book tickets.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.