T-Radio clears the air

Parent company says it doesn’t want to put buskers out of business

BOSTON. The founder of Pyramid Radio, which is producing T-Radio, spoke out yesterday against allegations the company is trying to push subway performers out of the train stations, saying they have offered artists a sweet deal to help them promote their music.

According to Richie Balsbaugh of Pyramid Radio, the performers are part of the fabric of Boston and they want it to stay that way, despite the fact he’s pushing for T-Radio to be broadcast at all underground stations.

“The last thing in the world I want to do is to have a situation where I’m pushing these guys out of the stations and taking away their livelihood,” said Balsbaugh, a veteran radio executive who founded the company three years ago.

Pyramid and the MBTA recently launched the radio format at three T stations as a pilot program. A decision on whether to expand T-Radio — which includes entrainment news, music and T announcements — will likely be made after Thanksgiving.

Last week, Balsbaugh sent an e-mail to the head of the Street Arts & Buskers Advocates, Stephen Baird, requesting a meeting and outlining several steps the company wanted to take to enhance the visibility of subway performers and promote their music.

The letter outlined several offers, including performance space in the stations where T-Radio is “blacked out;” on-air promotions of the artists’ music, such as interviews and airplay of music; and a monthly meeting with Pyramid to enhance collaborative efforts.

In addition, Balsbaugh said the company is interested in offering the artists an ad-based revenue sharing fund, with possible objectives that include a legal fund to protect the right to perform or a life support fund for artists with temporary health issues. Balsbaugh said they also want to investigate creating a subway artists radio show produced for terrestrial radio.

“We’re trying to make things better for them, not worse,” he said.

Baird said the performers are skeptical of the company’s offers and believe they may be too little too late.

“If they didn’t want an adversarial relationship they should have considered the people it’s impacting in the planning process ... not after the fact.”

The two groups expect to meet later this week.