Alt Media
Music
Radio Platform
Case Study: Chicago Blues TV – Styling and Structuring a Blues Radio Platform
Chicago Blues TV was built to be a streaming media platform at the heart of the Chicago blues revival—a place to showcase archived radio shows, interviews, blues legends, and broadcast new voices. While the site isn’t currently live to the public, the backend is fully operational, and the infrastructure is powerful.
Built on the Pro Radio WordPress theme, the site takes advantage of streaming capabilities, show scheduling, integrated playlists, podcast hosting, DJ bios, and music charts. My role was to style the entire platform, create a cohesive visual identity, and structure the backend content to display correctly and meaningfully on the front end.
My Role
Full design and visual styling of the theme
Customization of layout, colors, and branding to match the Chicago Blues identity
Content population: show descriptions, playlists, DJ profiles, images, and metadata
Backend organization to ensure seamless frontend rendering
Integration with the greater Chicago Blues ecosystem
About the Platform
The site uses the Pro Radio theme, a robust, professionally developed WordPress theme built specifically for streaming audio, managing radio station schedules, and hosting musical content.
Key theme capabilities include:
Streaming audio players with track metadata
Show scheduling with DJ and host profiles
Archive access to previous broadcasts
Podcast support and embedding
Music chart rankings and top tracks
Mobile streaming and cross-platform listening
While the bones came from Pro Radio, everything the audience sees—styling, structure, and identity—was created and executed by me.
Site Features
Branded Visual Styling: Designed to align with the broader Chicago Blues projects while standing on its own
Radio Show Schedule: Fully populated with weekly and daily programming, imagery, and timeslots
Top Tracks of the Week: Styled music charts with fan voting capabilities
Streaming Capability: Functional embedded radio streaming player
DJ Roster: Custom profiles and photo layout of station talent
Radio Podcasts: Modular display of past and current episodes with images and titles
Multimedia Layouts: Adapted theme features into an easy-to-navigate user experience
Mobile Optimized: Responsive across devices for seamless listening
Outcome
Even though it’s not live to the public, Chicago Blues TV is already functioning behind the scenes—and ready to become a fully realized radio and content hub. The finished product is visually dynamic, content-rich, and deeply integrated with the larger family of sites I’ve developed for Chicago Slim, the Blues All-Stars, the Blues Society, and the store.
Visitors will be able to:
Listen to streaming radio 24/7
Explore DJ and show profiles
Vote on top tracks
Watch embedded podcasts
View and navigate a full weekly schedule
Reflection
Not every project needs to be live to matter. Sometimes, it’s about building the bones of something big—and doing it beautifully. Chicago Blues TV is a broadcast-quality platform just waiting to hit the air.
Built on Pro Radio. Styled by me. Ready for air.