Dan Reed gives WXPN listeners a three-hour musical transition into the weekend every Friday afternoon.

Funky Friday airs from 4 to 7 p.m. Eastern. The human-hosted program mixes funk from several eras, placing established favorites beside newer recordings.

Listeners across the United States can hear it free through WXPN’s website, its mobile app or a compatible smart speaker.

A radio tradition since 1993

WXPN says Funky Friday has been delighting its audience since 1993.

Its premise remains direct: Build a Friday-afternoon dance party from funk music old and new.

That simplicity gives the show a clear identity. It is not an automated genre stream or an unexplained collection of recordings. Reed selects and sequences the music for a particular time of the week, when listeners are leaving work, preparing dinner, or beginning the weekend.

The shared schedule matters. Thousands of people can hear the same transition from one song to the next and participate in the same radio ritual, even when listening far beyond Philadelphia.

Human selection instead of an algorithm

A funk playlist can be generated in seconds, but a radio host provides qualities an algorithm cannot reliably duplicate.

Reed can move between generations, respond to the energy of a recording, and choose when the program needs a familiar song or a deeper selection. The sequence becomes part of the experience rather than a random shuffle.

WXPN describes the show as a mix of “funkadelic music old and new.” The station has not announced a special theme or advance playlist for Sept. 18.

Scheduled and human-hosted, but not confirmed live

WXPN identifies Dan Reed as the host and lists the program on its Friday schedule. It does not state that every edition is presented from the studio in real time.

The accurate description is a scheduled, human-hosted broadcast.

The “live” player on WXPN’s website carries the station’s current linear output. That wording alone does not establish that Reed’s presentation is happening live at the moment it airs.

How to listen

The next edition airs from 4 to 7 p.m. Eastern Friday, Sept. 18.

Listeners can:

• Visit WXPN’s website and activate the player at the top of the page.
• Download the WXPN app for an Apple or Android device.
• Say, “Alexa, play WXPN.”
• Say, “Hey Google, play WXPN.”
• Ask Siri to play WXPN on an Apple HomePod.
• Open Apple Music, search for “WXPN,” and select “NPR Music – WXPN Philadelphia.”
• Visit the Funky Friday program page to find recent editions.

The website player offers WXPN and XPN2. Select WXPN for Funky Friday.

Accessibility and past programs

The program’s music and host presentation are delivered through audio. You don’t need to watch a video or read an on-screen display.

Alexa, Google Home, and Siri provide screen-free ways to begin listening. The mobile applications and Apple Music stream offer alternatives to WXPN’s website player.

WXPN’s program page displays multiple recent Funky Friday editions for on-demand listening. The station does not publish a guaranteed retention period, so listeners should not assume every broadcast will remain available permanently.

No synchronized transcript has been announced. Listeners looking for individual song information can consult WXPN’s online playlist or replay the archived program when available.

Program details

• Program: Funky Friday
• Host: Dan Reed
• Next broadcast: Friday, Sept. 18, 2026
• Time: 4 to 7 p.m. Eastern
• Format: Funk music, old and new
• Status: Scheduled, human-hosted radio program
• Web listening: WXPN
• Mobile: WXPN app for Apple and Android devices
• Smart speakers: Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomePod
• On demand: Recent editions listed on the program page
• Cost: Free

Check WXPN’s official schedule before Friday afternoon in case of a programming change.

Verified sources

• WXPN’s Funky Friday page: Confirms Dan Reed as host, the Friday schedule, the program’s history, and its old-and-new funk format.
• WXPN’s listening guide: Confirms the website stream, iOS and Android apps, Alexa, Google Home, Apple Music, and HomePod access.
• WXPN’s homepage and current schedule: Provides current on-air information and confirms the station’s active 2026 schedule.

WXPN has not confirmed a Sept. 18 theme, a guaranteed archive period or real-time presentation by the host.

About the Author

Robert Lee is the Music and Radio Curator at Web Radio Info. He specializes in finding high-quality, screen-free music, talk and live broadcasts that are accessible through smart speakers, internet radio and audio platforms.