WRRK-FM (96.9) will launch two HD channels this month, one of which will be devoted to music by local bands.

HD broadcasting enables a radio station to broadcast additional channels or formats without the need for another frequency on the FM dial. Listeners need to have an HD receiver in order to tune in the secondary channels.

	Willie Nelson will narrate "Hidden Kitchens Texas," a radio special exploring Texas cuisine and airing on WDUQ.

"BOB's B-Sides," heard on BOB HD2, will be an eclectic format similar to WRRK's Bob format, which plays hit music from a range of pop genres. "BOB's B-Sides" will feature music from the '60s to the present, with a wider playlist of B-sides and lesser-known tracks.

The local music channel -- BOB HD3 -- will feature unsigned and mostly unknown local bands along with Pittsburgh success stories like The Clarks and Donnie Iris.

The station is inviting local bands to submit their recordings for airplay on BOB HD3. Songs can be originals or covers; material with explicit lyrics will be rejected. Send to: BOB HD3, 650 Smithfield St., Suite 2200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or e-mail an MP3 file to: bobhd@bobfm969.com.

July 4: The works

Local radio stations will mark Independence Day with special programming:

Jazz/NPR WDUQ-FM (90.5) has five specials lined up for Wednesday: The Capitol Steps' "Politics Takes a Holiday" satirical revue airs at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.; singer Tony Bennett talks about his life in music in "The Best Is Yet to Come: Tony Bennett" (9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.); "Hidden Kitchens Texas" explores Texas cuisine with narrator Willie Nelson and guests Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Robin Wright Penn (1 p.m.); "A Union of Citizens," from PRI's "Humankind," will explore what it means to be an engaged citizen in the United States (2 p.m.). Also: highlights from the 2006 Detroit Jazz Festival (8 p.m.)

Classical WQED-FM (89.3) listeners will hear the results of a poll, conducted last month, in which they were asked to vote for their favorite pieces of classical music. The top 50 will be played throughout the day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The list will be posted on the station Web site (wqed.org/fm) on Thursday. At 7 p.m., it's "Independence Day With the River City Brass Band," with host WQED afternoon host Ted Sohier.

Adult alternative WYEP-FM (91.3) will air "Live Independence," a daylong special (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight) that features recordings of live performances -- either from live CD releases or music recorded at WYEP's Community Broadcast Center.

And what would the Fourth be without fireworks? Adult contemporary WSHH-FM (99.7) will broadcast the WPXI-TV Regatta Thunder Fireworks and musical soundtrack, starting at 9:30 p.m.

-- Adrian McCoy, Post-Gazette radio writer