Most teenagers spend their free time on TikTok or playing video games. Caleb Schneider operates a 24/7 online radio station with thousands of listeners tuning in for Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and firsthand accounts of World War II.
Schneider launched his streaming big band music station at 12 because he couldn’t find a decent free option to listen to the music he loved. The Georgia teen had been fascinated by WWII history since age nine, but resources for listening to period music were either behind paywalls or, in the case of satellite radio competitors, barely active on social media.
So he built his own.
More Than Just Music
G.I. Jive Radio streams continuously, mixing popular music from the 1930s and 1940s with period-correct commercials and educational segments about WWII history. It’s free, which immediately distinguishes it from SiriusXM’s 40s Junction channel, a subscription service whose Facebook page hasn’t been updated in nearly six years.
Schneider’s station takes a different approach. He interacts with listeners daily on social media, building a community that now dwarfs the satellite competitor’s 14,000 followers. The audience skews older—mostly between 45 and 80—with many veterans and history enthusiasts among the regular listeners.
Connecting With Veterans
What started as a passion project has become a vehicle for supporting the generation Schneider studies. He’s befriended several WWII veterans and last year used the online radio platform to raise over $1,100 to buy a new sofa for a local veteran.
That work caught the attention of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, which selected Schneider to receive the 2025 Billy Michal Student Leadership Award. Only one student per state receives the honor. He’ll represent Georgia.
The recognition comes alongside regular volunteer work at Camp Toccoa at Currahee and the National Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum during their Flags for the Fallen event. Schneider is also an active member of the Atlanta WWII History Round Table, the Eighth Air Force Historical Society Georgia Chapter, and the Winston Churchill Society of Georgia. His local newspaper, the Gainesville Times, has featured him three times.
Ambitious Plans
The station is growing rapidly, and Schneider has his sights set on bigger platforms. He’d like to secure his own channel on SiriusXM—or perhaps take over that dormant 40s Junction channel.
For now, he’s focused on what brought him here: preserving history and supporting veterans through music that defined their generation. While most streaming services chase younger demographics with algorithmic playlists, this teenager has found his niche serving listeners who actually remember when this WWII-era programming was just called “the radio.”
And unlike the competition, he’s still posting on Facebook.