We want to keep the “Community” in Community radio, so let us know just how you feel about the planned changes at KBCS.
Tell us what you think about the “new” KBCS!
25 Comments
#1 by Larry Lewin on July 11, 2009 - 4:44 pm
The campaign to achieve cancellation or at least modification of the proposed program changes at KBCS does not subscribe to the all-or-nothing approach adopted by the KBCS management and supported by some. We disagree with the idea that the only way to keep KBCS viable is to perform drastic programming surgery, involving the dismissal of over 20 current weekday volunteer programmers. These volunteers arguably possess a combined knowledge base in their respective genres that is unmatched anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, the likelihood that this concentration of expertise, particularly in the morning jazz shows, could be found anywhere else in the country, is very slim. Further dismissals are anticipated when evening and weekend shows are reviewed later in the year.
This website was created to provide a forum for KBCS listeners to express their opinions on the proposed programming changes. We are not interested in launching personal attacks on KBCS staff and have gone out of our way to keep the dialog civil. We ask those who express their opinions here to do the same.
One objective we all share is to keep KBCS vibrant and flourishing and to KEEP THE COMMUNITY IN COMMUNITY RADIO.
Larry Lewin,
Host and co-host of Risin’ of the Sun, 1988-1989, co-host of Our Saturday Tradition, 1989-present.
I have received a few comments off-list from some KBCS volunteers who felt my previous post somehow implied that the volunteers might be evil and/or stupid. That was certainly not my intention. I sent this reply to one person, but to set the record straight, I would like to share my apology with everyone on this blog.
…
I had no intention of disparaging any KBCS volunteer associated with savekbcs. I had only hoped to make the point that the KBCS staff are probably neither evil nor stupid. I certainly did not intend to imply other KBCS volunteers were. I see how people may have read that into my remarks, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused in that regard.
I have great respect for all the VERY long-term volunteers at KBCS, who have put so much of their personal lives and energy into the station. I can empathize, having spent a mere 10 years as a volunteer and Board member at Real Change, building that organization up from a shoestring operation. If Real Change were to suddenly drop its mission of serving homeless people and instead start pushing porn, I would be outraged too.
In many ways, KBCS is the station that you and other volunteers built. I’m neither disputing that nor dismissing how significant that accomplishment has been. I also understand how, given all you’ve sacrificed over the years, and all the time and energy you’ve put into KBCS, the proposed programming changes feel not only like a slap in the face, but a tragic event.
That said, I think it’s really important to keep this all in perspective. I’m not sure the sky is falling programmatically. What it looks like to me from afar is an attempt to bring in more listeners during prime time to keep the station afloat financially, while the diversity and individuality of volunteer-driven programming will still have a place at other times of the day and the week. That may be a terrible trade-off from your perspective, but I worry the alternatives could be far worse.
I would ask you to consider one possibility:
If in fact the financial health of the station were seriously at risk, do you think maintaining the status quo – doing the same kind of programming KBCS has always done – could somehow lead to a new outcome?
It seems utterly logical to me that some kind of change is absolutely essential to save the station. I do not know whether the particular programming changes staff are implementing will do the trick – only time will tell. But I would assume staff are making the best decisions they can, based on all the information, expertise, and experience they have. They may be wrong, but I don’t think they are fools, which I DO hear in the criticism being leveled at them.
I do not know the details of KBCS’s financials, but I do know that many, many community radio stations around the country are facing similar financial problems that have imperiled their very existence. I can tell you that the subject of how to save community radio has been the topic of discussion among those of us working in this business for many years now. We see the long-term trends in media; we see how different programming decisions have fared across the county; we see the needs in our community as the rest of the media becomes just one giant advertisement. And we are completely committed to saving community radio any way we can.
Perhaps time will prove us wrong. And perhaps the personal cost to you and others may be high. But if nothing changes, ALL the work you and staff have done over the years will perish. That is something I think you and I are both committed to preventing.
That something will be lost in the transition is truly sad – there is no denying that. We all know how that feels, having seen so much of the world we value slip away over the years. But if we can hold onto the local connection, however we implement that tactically, I think we will have saved the essence of what makes community radio so important. It seems to me where we differ is on whether volunteer-programmed radio is the GOAL of community radio, or simply one of many TACTICS to achieve the goal of authentic connection to the community.
While community participation in the radio station is important, I think its possible that the connection can be maintained without relying entirely on volunteer-produced programming. It certainly seems to me there might be alternatives to putting the kind of music each volunteer likes on the air, at the day and time that happens to be convenient for the volunteer. To me, that programming strategy puts the needs of the volunteer ahead of the listener – hardly a desirable way to deliver a service to the community. I cannot imagine any other community organization making the decision to offer only the services the volunteers felt like offering, only at their convenience.
We need to examine the practices we have always employed to make community radio, and look for new alternatives that preserve the mission, while responding to the changing demands of listeners. What about time-delayed broadcasting? Webcasting of specialty programming? Multi-channel delivery on HD radio? Collaboratively produced playlists? Editorial & programming advisory committees composed of community members and volunteers? Listener commentaries? Guest DJ hours? Allowing anyone in the community the opportunity to submit a playlist electronically, to be programmed at the appropriate time and place to meet audience needs?
Community radio is essentially the forerunner of the Internet – a place where multiple voices, tastes, and opinions can and should be heard. That need has never been more vital, as so much of the mainstream media has been consolidated in the hands of a few powerful corporations.
But community radio in today’s media environment is like the electric typewriter: a tool in search of a need. If we remain stuck in the strategies of the past, we will go the way of the electric typewriter. What we need to do is find a way to preserve what is best about community radio but deliver that service in the way today’s media-users desire.
I want to end by saying again that I am entirely sorry if I have caused offense. Not my intention. My goal is to see KBCS survive the very difficult years ahead. I know everyone on this list shares that goal. So I agree that we should be focusing the discussion on how to do that, and not on ad hominem arguments.
If I strayed over that line, then I apologize. But let’s make sure we extend that same courtesy to the staff at KBCS.
Bruce Wirth,
Former KBCS employee 1998-2006
I first discovered community radio while living in Kansas City. Not long before I moved to Seattle, my community radio station went through some major changes — moving timeslots, ending popular shows, making the weekend almost all talk. Now when I return there, the station is not at all what I remember. There is hardly any music left to listen to.
I was so excited to find KBCS when I moved to Seattle. Real community radio with real diversity of music programming! Now it seems to be coming to an end. — really, PAID dj’s? Will there also now be commercials? How else will they pay the dj’s? My brother in Kansas City now listens exclusively to satellite radio. I’ve refused to go that route, preferring to have real people in a real place right down the road choose what to play, from a library of CDs, and albums, or from their personal collections. This is what I value, as well as the ability to listen to music that’s new and different every day, without commercials.
If KBCS replaces four hours of music per day with talk, I’m not going to be able to listen any more. …and this is sad, because real community radio is so hard to find. I’m not an ipod type of person, and I don’t want to pay for subscription satellite-broadcast music from a faceless corporate office somewhere on the east coast. If radio dies, a big part of me will die along with it.
I fail to understand how paying DJs who were formerly volunteers will save the station money.
When we already have KPLU and KUOW for hours a day of news programming, why does KBCS feel they have to take off music programming and put on news at that time? Will these news programs cost money? How is this cheaper than volunteer hosts?
I have had a conversation with a long-time host who is a friend, who told me the station’s pledge-drive budget has gone from $50K in the past to over $177K now. When they “only” raised $140K during the past pledge drive, that “shortfall” made management think about these types of changes. A large portion of this higher budget goes to pay this management’s salaries — I say fire the lot of them and return KBCS to the people, as it was intended to be, with a board of volunteer directors committed to the keeping the integrity of the station intact.
These proposed changes will be the first steps on a slippery road to ruin. Smacks of corporate takeover to me. Something is not right here.
Paola summed it up nicely –
“Change is good, but the issue at hand is NOT the upcoming changes or emotional responses it is the manner in which it was handled.”
More and more at KBCS is being decided behind closed doors. This has gradually increased over the last three years starting with the appointment of our current program director. Our input was not asked for. That was quite a change from the very open process of group interviews and meetings for choosing our prior program director.
Large group discussions have pretty much disappeared. Communication at meetings has become very top down.
It’s interesting that Peter took the time to meet with programmers individually or in small groups to explain the new changes – very time consuming for him. He could have sent us all an email instead. In retrospect that’s the price he paid for not wanting to commit certain things to writing, for instance – that he was hired by Bellevue College to run the station and programming decisions will be made by him, not by volunteers or listeners (literally!).
Secrecy begets Secrecy,
Phantom107
I’m sure this decision is cast in stone and there’s no turning back now, but I just wanted to express my disappointment. I listen to KBCS over the Internet from Washington DC since I discovered the station when spending six months in the Seattle area in 2000.
In the past few years, two stations here which had eclectic program like KBCS’ chose to “better serve our listeners” by dropping the music programming, shoving it into a corner, or moving it to Internet or HD FM channels. After a couple of years, one discovered that it just wasn’t working for them (their pledges dropped nearly in half) and they’re back to full time music now, recognizing that there are plenty of other stations broadcasting news and public affairs, but too few playing music and supporting the artists. The other, after losing so many listeners who don’t have Internet or HD radio in their cars, re-purposed a low powered repeater to bring their Internet music stream back to FM broadcast.
Maybe KBCS will discover the same thing, but I know they have to try what they’ve decided to try. I expect that there will still be some folk and world music on board that I’ll still find enjoyable, but with one programmer rather than many, I expect that we’ll lose some personality and variety.
Carry on.
The names are omitted to protect the privacy of senders, as some folks might not wish to have their names displayed on a web page.
We will present the email comments to the staff of KBCS, and to Bellevue College officials, and they are welcome to verify that every email is valid.
A timestamp is displayed with each message for this reason.
I have been listening to KBCS for decades. I have been a strong supporter through donating money, volunteering during pledge drives, talking to friends, wearing my shirts and hats and displaying my window clings with pride.
The proposed changes dismay me. If I wanted to listen to the same-old same-old, I could tune in to KUOW (formerly a great station before they went down this road), KPLU, KBSG (another station down the tubes), heck, any other station. What I cherish is the COMMUNITY focus of KBCS – local folks programming their passion, and local news and events promoted by local folks. *This* is what makes this station a treasure. I love the old jazz, folk, and international musics. No one else in this area plays these (KSER comes close, but most folks in your broadcast area can’t get them).
Your promo material stresses Community Radio. Why are you going against your mission statement? Did you really think no one would notice?
P.S. for those wondering where their letters are, the emailed letters are at http://www.savekbcs.org/comments.html
BTW – KBCS financial statements are available online at http://www.kbcs.fm (Admin: address corrected) under the “Inside KBCS” tab. Hard to tell there is financial hardship – the year end net assets went up from 2007 to 2008 by over $200K/40%+. I’m not a CPA, but those numbers don’t scream trouble.
hello and thanks for letting me post this comment. i am a fairly new listener to KBCS (probably within the last five years). i began listening to KBCS when they started to air Democracy Now!. i’m sorry that the DJ’s who have worked on drive time jazz, lunch with folks and other shows are upset about the upcoming changes. it seems there is a lot of effort being put into maintaining diverse music programming while increasing public affairs programming. i am very excited about increased public affairs as Seattle has a real lack of progressive news programming, unlike cities such as SF, NY, and Los Angeles. i hope that the DJ’s who feel concerned about the programming can take their issues to staff instead of using a blog to express their concerns.
Reference the comment from Allen concerning “flooding” KBCS:
If you have a legitimate comment for the station, then it is fine to contact KBCS.
We are still attempting to work with the staff of KBCS, not start a war with them.
So please don’t call KBCS staff members just to bother them, that will serve no useful purpose, and only make it harder for us to achieve any dialogue with the staff.
As a former KBCS staff member, I’d like to offer my perspective on the recently announced programming changes. It seems to me there are really two ways to view this. Either:
Option 1. The staff at KBCS, who have spent the last 10, 20, or 30 years of their lives working to keep community radio thriving have suddenly become a crop of pointy-eared, heartless bean-counters, manifestly evil or at the very least stupid. Their goal is to destroy what they’ve so painstakingly built up over the majority of their years in community radio.
Option 2. The staff at KBCS, having spent the last 10, 20, or 30 years of their professional AND private lives coming in on weekends, training volunteers on weekday evenings, and working with local clubs, arts organizations, and musicians to support a vibrant local music and arts scene, have determined that the only way to save community radio from financial ruin is to make some painful, but unavoidable changes that will bring in more listeners and more money.
IMHO, the evidence is decidedly in favor of option 2.
One only has to look at all the other crises in the traditional media to see that there are enormous changes in the media environment which, coupled with unprecedented economic troubles, are driving traditional media to collapse. Think Seattle the P-I.
Not having been at KBCS for 3 years, I cannot speak to the details, but I can only assume that holding their first-ever Summer pledge drive might be some indication of just how serious the situation is.
The audience’s need for diversity and individuality that made community radio so absolutely essential in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s is now being met by a huge range of alternative sources via new technology – blogs, podcasting, YouTube, iPods, cellphones, iTunes, TiVo, etc. The strategies that worked and were relevant in the previous decades are simply incapable of financially supporting the vital local service that community radio must continue to provide.
My personal opinion is that the need for local radio, grounded in and serving a diverse local community will always be relevant, and should always be the mission of community radio. The goal has not changed, but the strategies have to.
And if I were faced with the choice of financial collapse to maintain the status quo or making necessary program changes to continue to serve local needs and the local community, I know which one I’d choose.
I too grieve the loss of the wonderful, unique voices of KBCS’s weekday music hosts and their music. Bud (and Don), Bernie, Joanie, Al, and John have long been my companions in the morning. And I would not have heard of Ali Farka Toure or Hazel Dickens were it not for LWF or Daily Planet. But I think it’s important that we seriously consider the question of just who is really responsible for these changes: malicious staff or the merciless march of time?
Blaming change on the staff seems to me just shooting the messenger.
Adapt or die is the heartless maxim of evolution. I, for one, prefer adapting.
Bruce Wirth
former KBCS News Director, Operations Director, Music Director, 1998-2006.
I was quite disturbed by this when I heard about it. I have been listening to KBCS for about 15 years and have been a doner for most of them. I have it on all the time at work and listen to many of the shows on the weekend.
I plan on calling Steve Ramsey on Monday the 13th when he gets back in the office and express my displeasur at this change.
I suggest that we flood his phone with calls o that he does not get anything else done.
I am also bothered that they knew that this change was coming befor the last pledge drive. It kind of looks like a bait and switch scam to get people to give money. If these changes take place, I will nolonger listen to the station and will no longer donate.
I’m a programmer at KAOS in Olympia, and we have a similar situation with respect to listenership and support. I recently saw a ratings report on the Seattle area, and was, frankly, shocked at the low audience share of KBCS. I have always thought that you folks were doing community radio “right”.
But, perhaps, there is no right way. College students are no longer making extensive use of radio (perhaps one in four, and that mainly while in their vehicles). Music has become an Internet phenomenon, both for listening and obtaining. And I won’t even go into P2P, but buying music is also on the way out. Indy distribution is also moving to the Net.
To add to this, the latest generation of smart phones now are equipped with WiFi, and can link up to download music at any convenient hotspot. It’s not just radio broadcasting but radios themselves that are in decline.
NPR concluded several years ago that music was not the way to build or maintain audience share. They particularly cited eclectic music – blues, jazz and bluegrass – as losers, saying they are now too available online to be a pull for a station. Their “solution” is to target an affluent audience and concentrate particularly on commute-time programming, which is the peak of listenership.
So where does that leave a station like KBCS (or KAOS, for that matter)? Can a station maintain itself on <0.5% of the local market share and bring in enough donations to maintain operations? Can a college station attract enough student participation to justify itself to the host institution? Is news and public affairs programming the primary reason people use radio? Can you provide enough of a alternative viewpoint to attract a significant block of listeners?
Questions like this are, I believe, what we should be talking about.
Change is good, but the issue at hand is NOT the upcoming changes or emotional responses it is the manner in which it was handled. Here are just a few:
1. DJ’s were told just before/during the last pledge drive which put them in an awkward position in asking THEIR LOYAL LISTENERS for $$ knowing that their shows will dissappear.
2. The strategic plan comittee promised to have everyone abreast of all proceedings, this did not happen. In essence, it was “we will involve the KBCS community of the decision making process” to “this is what’s going to happen.”
3. Believe it or not, some of the KBCS DJ’s are unaware what’s going on! or are unclear of what’s really happening!
4. The selection process of the new paid DJ’s was done in closed doors not permitting the opportunity for other well-versed, professional sounding DJ’s, the chance to ‘audition’ for the new shows.
Again, change is good and at times needed, but it’s the process in which it was done that is in question.
Just something to think about…
Here’s the thing. Apparently staff feel that current “plummeting” levels of support indicate some departure from what would normally be the case. But I think the higher level of listener support KBCS had a few years ago was really the departure from a lower true norm.
a, people in Seattle are cheapskates and can never seem to agree on anything that involves spending money anyway (it’s almost 2010 and we’re just now getting a train to the airport)? so good luck getting the normal level of donations to stay at a higher level. That is, unless KBCS becomes bland enough to appeal to the bland people who keep KUOW and others in business, and takes away some of their business.
b, there was a decent economy for a couple of years, and people were (rightfully) so sick of Bush that they were fired up enough to donate more than usual. Now that we’ve moved from crazy politics back to good old “liberal” corporatist mainstream politics, many are happy to take a breather from thinking about politics for a while (blog readership is way down, too), and the rest of us are out of spare money.
Of course, that “rest” never did have so much spare money anyway, which is why a lot of the most interseting shows on KBCS probably never made much money. Then again, for some of us the loss of “Roots and Branches” in favor of “Daily Planet” already felt like a move in the wrong direction. After all, there was already a KEXP (used to be KCMU… go look up the history of that former institution) playing a fair amount of Daily Planet stuff.
Who knows. Radio in the air probably is dying. So it’s understandable to try to find some way to keep it alive as long as possible. I’ll be curious to see if these changes do the trick. But with a retreat toward even more “stripes” of programming and more news (hope the personalities are interesting, post Bush it’s all about entertainment, sadly, just ask Air America and their revolving door of blah hosts who never even make it onto KPTK), I’d be real surprised if this move really works.
I am also a long-time KBCS supporter, listener, and programmer. I have been a regular DJ at KBCS for over 10 years. I agree with the scheduled changes, and I don’t think they take the “community” out of community radio. I too find the language being used by “Save KBCS” alarmist and divisive.
For those listeners who have only just now heard about the changes, via the “Save KBCS” emails, you should also know that the program director met with everything single KBCS DJ and explained, in detail, the upcoming changes and the reasons behind them. A vast majority of those DJs were also in agreement with the scheduled changes. KBCS staff has every intention of announcing the programming changes to the public, and I truly believe that a lot of listeners will find the changes far less dramatic than they have been painted here. You will find that KBCS music programming does not, in fact, become homogeneous; that more space is created for locally-produced public affairs programming (critically important in this age of rampant media conglomeration); and that KBCS does not morph into a copycat of other popular “public” stations in town. I would encourage listeners to wait until the changes go into effect, give the changes a chance, judge for yourselves, and then express your opinions. Doing so before the changes have taken place, without all the information needed to pass judgement, only further jeopardizes the station.
And the hard truth is that KBCS listenership has been plummeting, especially in the last couple of years. The station can either attempt to change things up or go under. Will every single listener agree with the changes? No. But the alternative – keeping things the same until the station goes off the air – will upset far more listeners. Again, I would encourage listeners to hold off on passing judgement, and on sharing alarmist reactions with other listeners, until the changes have gone into effect.
I whole heartedly disagree with the following comment “Folk, jazz, and world music will continue to play on KBCS. The programmers currently slated to take on the new shows are actually current volunteer DJs whose shows are popular and successful. As before, programming will be independently determined by a DJ who has broad expertise and knowledge in his/her genre.”
So, successful equals $$ – popular equals? A show that has been on for X numbers of years has battled the “popular and slick, come as it may, flavor of the month” is now no longer going to be relevant because a newly hired music director will dictate musical choices and the “hired” djs will have to work with and listen to and play, play the music the music director says….dig this? For someone to use the phrase “as before” how can the listener believe this? These changes are so different and offensive and not what listeners have come to expect from KBCS. If you want popular and certainly “successful” commercial radio is for you. Thanks for making a forum for these comments; KBCS management certainly hasn’t in the past without monitoring and dissuading dissent opinion.
#20 by Don Briske on July 9, 2009 - 2:10 pm
Pledges were way down this year, right?
Right.
This is a cover your ass maneuver on the part of the paid KBCS management who probably went to the head of Bellevue College and said “We’ve got a plan!”
Folks, this is Corporate Management 101 – when the “ahem” hits the fan, blame the workers – without getting rid of or punishing the paid management!
I received a renewal envelope recently. I refuse to contribute to a KBCS that is trying to become KUOW and KPLU.
Thank you, Lila; well-said!
I am a long-time fan, supporter, and volunteer at KBCS. I am there for the world music programming, which is not offered on any other local radio station in this breadth and depth, and of course I am sad to see “Daily Planet” go. But I also know that the station is struggling; the past two pledge drives have made that very obvious. People aren’t listening, and the support isn’t there. Something must change. It is my great hope that the community will rally in support of KBCS as it makes these ambitious changes, and that the small base of loyal support that is there does not turn against the station.
By the way: Folk, jazz, and world music will continue to play on KBCS. The programmers currently slated to take on the new shows are actually current volunteer DJs whose shows are popular and successful. As before, programming will be independently determined by a DJ who has broad expertise and knowledge in his/her genre.
Let’s “save KBCS” by being supportive, not divisive!
I am a longtime listener, supporter and volunteer DJ of the station as well, and I am concerned by the alarmist language I’m hearing around the upcoming changes at KBCS. I have thoroughly reviewed the programming changes and believe them to be appropriate, necessary, and in line with the values of being a community radio station.
I believe that these changes will maintain the majority of the diverse voices and cultures represented by KBCS programming. In fact, I think that the new programming will give us the opportunity to reach a wider population and to ultimately speak to more people in our community. The new programming will not be generic and homogenized: On-air hosting will be provided by many of the same committed folks who have been bringing in their unique music for many years.
It is indeed sad that in order to keep our station alive, some of the people who have put so much of their time and energy into sharing their music for so long will no longer be able to do so. But I believe that the responses to this shift are largely emotional. Unfortunately, change is a necessity in our current media landscape. I trust the small committed team that runs to KBCS to make these changes in a responsible and respectful way. Let’s give them a chance to do so!
#23 by Miranda Taylor on July 9, 2009 - 12:14 pm
As a regular kbcs contributor and listener, I am appalled at the
proposed changes to the programming. Indeed, the news of proposed
changes resonates like a joke to me. How could these changes even be
considered? The volunteer hosts have done a fabulous job. We can listen
to 91.5 any time we want, if we want talk in the morning or news
instead of Daily Planet in the afternoon. We can listen to other jazz
stations if we want a single paid host for multiple hours. But we do
not. We like Lunch with the Folks! Please don’t give us more
homogenized Americana programming. We need a music station reflecting
the diversity of music knowledge in the Seattle area. To lose the
current kbcs volunteers’ programming would affect our daily lives quite
negatively.
Please do not make any of your drastic changes to kbcs!
Sincerely,
MIranda Taylor
#24 by LaVeron Paul Vetter on July 8, 2009 - 11:17 pm
I have been a very long time listener and supporter of this station. It is “fixed” on my car radio and on my computer. One of my all time “hall marks” of learning about and listening to diverse music, particular folk, blues and jazz, has been KBCS.fm. I have many fond memories, of hearing music [which I have never heard before] and calling in to KBCS.fm, just to find out who the artist is and to give my thanks for the great programs. Now, I can look this information up, on you Web site but I still call in. Also, when I have had the financial “freedom” to send in donations for fundraisers, I have done so. I do not listen to any other music/public affairs station. I listen to KBCS.fm. To “cut” out music, particularly, Jazz and folk. It would a great loss and a sad commentary about one of few things, that can help us all, during this stuff economic times.
In closing, I recall an interview one of the host did, with an music artist as to why he enjoys his writing and playing his mucic: paraphrased: “During all of our troubled times, from war to poverty, music is the one thing that lightens up the despair and the soul.” Harry Manx, The Websters, Jesse Coulter and Deadwood Revival are just a few KBCS.fm has brought into my “soul.” Thanks
Paul
#25 by Cathy Britell on July 8, 2009 - 8:03 am
As a long-time KBCS listener and supporter, I am dismayed by these planned changes. For me, music — particularly folk and old-time music– is the reason KBCS is on my computer, in my car, and on my iPod — and in my checkbook. I get my news on the computer…that base is covered just fine. Amy Goodman is there in all her glory with video at my convenience. I listen to KBCS for the music — but not just any music.
I could listen to any music station on my computer as I work in my home office. Hober is wonderful, Folk Alley is fine, WUMB is great, Pandora is fantastic, and there are countless others. Why KBCS, then? Because of Eric, Jean, Dru, Sandy, Richard, Mike and the other volunteer hosts who I know will bring me music that will delight and enlight, and deliver it in a personal and knowledgeable way. I know that each one will deliver a different mix, and particularly look forward to each Lunch With Folks or Folksounds show and the unique mix or theme that each one will bring.
The other thing that’s so wonderful about these people is their interviews. As a musician who has been interviewed many times on radio and done live music radio shows at stations like WSHU in Connecticut and West Virginia Public Radio, I can attest to the fact that a knowledgeable and sensitive radio host can make the difference between an enjoyable, informative, and artistically satisfying experience and something to be endured. I often host touring musician friends, and can always count on people like Dru, Sandy, Richard, Eric and Jean to be familiar with the artist’s work and do a professional, informative, and entertaining interview. This is only one of the ways these folks are essential to the success of live folk music in Seattle.
For them, music is not a commodity — it’s a passion. And without them, there wouldn’t be a reason for me to listen to or support KBCS.