Some Fridays just call for a different kind of energy. This past Friday, hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God made a deliberate choice to reframe the morning. They called it Love Supreme Friday — and from the first moment on air, it showed.
“It’s real easy to let your emotions take over when there’s so much to be emotional about — hot, mad, sad, all kinds of things,” Paul B. told viewers. “And then it just, hey, well, let’s make a decision to change it up today.” It was a small but meaningful act of community care, the kind that makes 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning feel less like a talk show and more like a gathering place.
The morning opened with a look at Nebraska’s recent primary election results, and the conversation quickly turned to civic responsibility. Viewer Sean McCarthy noted in the chat that Douglas County’s average primary voter turnout hovered around just 35% — a figure that gave both hosts pause. Buddy the God put it plainly: “None of this — a lot of this doesn’t matter if everybody voted.” McCarthy also raised a structural concern that resonated with the room: so many elected positions don’t pay a living wage, meaning only those who can already afford to serve tend to run.
But even as the political conversation unfolded, Paul B. was clear about what the show is really trying to build. “Everything that we do has a secondary meaning, a deeper meaning,” he said. “On the surface, we’re a couple of talking heads that talk about some news with the community — but what we’re really trying to do is build community, build some coalition, be able to speak to and build a family of people that we can regularly talk to and come to some conclusions so we can get to some action.” Viewer Pops echoed that spirit from the chat: “Thanks for another great week of shows. You and the Chat Chimers have made First Sky a true pillar in the community.”
The show’s centerpiece interview brought in a voice that has quietly been doing transformative work just a few miles north of downtown. Dana Murray, founder and executive director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), joined the hosts for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on history, culture, economic development, and the power of music to shape human beings — not just musicians.
Murray, who spent 11 years in New York City before returning to Omaha, has taught music in the city for two decades. His organization, formerly known as Love’s Jazz, is rooted on North 24th Street — what Paul B. has long called “the most important Black corner in Nebraska.” Murray’s vision for that corridor is ambitious and detailed. He described what any thriving cultural district truly needs: housing, services, eateries, parking, and destinations that draw people in. “It would be great to have a hotel,” he said. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
But Murray was also candid about the internal work that needs to happen first. Originally from South Omaha, he’s heard questions about his place in the North Omaha ecosystem — and he addressed them directly. “If you’re Black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the 70s and early 80s, North Omaha was the Mecca for us,” he said. He spoke lovingly but honestly about Native Omaha Days, calling it a “failed opportunity to showcase our culture because none of that is trying to invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer.” His own experience at NMA told a different story: “People don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down North 24th Street to hear jazz music.”
Viewer Pops offered a piece of living history to underscore the point: “Artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform. So yes, more infrastructure for the artist around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
NMA itself is already far more than an instrument school. Murray described a hands-on curriculum that includes live sound engineering, broadcast production, podcasting, and student-led artist interviews — all inside a working broadcast lab. “It’s not just telling them, ‘oh, you can be this,'” Murray said. “No, you can be this right now.” His philosophy on instructors is equally intentional: technique matters, but inspiration matters more. “They don’t need us for the ‘what’ — they can go to YouTube and see anything we’re trying to teach them. The why they’re doing it is everything.”
And the long-term vision? Murray is thinking big. A $20 million capital campaign is in the works, with the goal of building a full NMA campus. He pointed to Omaha Performing Arts as a model — not just as a cultural venue, but as an economic engine generating $40 to $50 million annually for its surrounding area. “We need a vehicle like that for North Omaha, and I see NMA taking up that space,” he said. “The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our brilliance and our artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be.”
Music educators interested in joining the NMA team can reach Dana Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The morning wrapped on a high note — literally and figuratively. Viewer Judy Prince offered a piece of wisdom that felt right at home on a Love Supreme Friday: “If you are sad or angry, go out and help others. Your attitude will change.” And viewer Senator KML closed the loop on the whole conversation with a simple message for Murray: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.”
Buddy the God summed up the call to action as only he can: “The lanes are running. The lanes are wide open. Just get in where you fit in and make it happen.”
That’s the kind of Friday morning worth waking up for. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole Chat Chimer family next week for another conversation that goes a little deeper than the headlines — right here on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning.
