#96, July 10, 2002
Among the highlights of my recent trip to southeastern Utah – which
included foot and car travel through some of the most aum-inspiring landscapes
on this planet – was my three hour visit to the studios of Moab community radio
station KZMU.
My daughter Laurel was doing her monthly morning show. A few
weeks earlier I had pledged a donation to the station during their fund drive;
my premium was getting to blow my harmonica on the air, then deejay some of my
favorite harmonica musicians. It was like “Northern Exposure.” As the music
played, Laurel took a call from a friend inquiring about our lunch plans and a
fellow inviting me to sit in with his band at Eddie McStiff’s Saloon Thursday
night.
The station manager and I talked about how the health of
public radio was an indicator of the cultural richness of a community. I told
him I was a long-time member of KPFA, the pioneering listener-sponsored station
based in Berkeley. When I recounted this story to my wife Karen, she said,
“Berkeley? What about Rohnert Park?!” She of course was referring to KRCB Radio
91.1, which was then just beginning it’s steep climb on my personal popularity
chart.
KRCB Radio is the partner of KRCB Television 22, our most
local public television station. It airs a diverse mixture of programming. Some
of the shows are purchased “a la carte” from National Public Radio, some
produced locally. Considering the cultural talent that dwells in or passes
through Sonoma County, this blend of national and local results in a very
appealing package.
“We want introduce local and touring musicians to our
listeners,” says Robin Pressman, Program Director for KRCB Radio. “Our
intention is to put Sonoma County on the touring map.” Robin co-hosts a
Saturday afternoon folk-and-acoustic music show called “Our Roots Are Showing.”
You can hear the music that has been fattening my family CD collections over
the past year, singer-songwriters with real stories to tell: Richard Thompson,
Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown, and Loudon Wainwright III.
In addition to playing great authentic recorded music, the
station provides support to the arts and culture in general, including
literature, poetry, film, food, and the live music scene. They sponsor the
annual Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival and the Kate Wolf Memorial Music
Festival, and broadcast performances of the Santa Rosa Symphony. Touring
artists regularly drop in for live music before their show. Cinefiles can join
the KRCB Rialto Cinemas Private Screening Club.
Free from the strings of commercial sponsorship, the station
can be more experimental. “We can surprise people, bring them something they
never expected,” says Robin, “like
spending an hour talking about Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson.” You can start
your Saturday with “Thistle and Shamrock’s” Celtic music followed by “Car
Talk”, or ease into Sunday with the early music of “Harmonia” and end it with
new age “Hearts of Space.” I was surprised the night a DJ played a two hour
nearly non-stop string of folk-psychedelic tunes from the late sixties.
KRCB has something for nearly everyone. Karen
says, “there is music out there you don’t know exists, waiting for you to
discover and enjoy.” In addition to arts and culture, KRCB offers standard NPR
news fare, and a growing local public affairs element. To help you find what
you want, they publish “Open Air”, a monthly program guide for both television
and radio. The centerfold is a handy schedule for all the radio shows, suitable
for taping to the inside of a kitchen cabinet door. You can get it by calling
the station 585-8522.
Petalumites, you might have trouble getting a clear signal
on 91.1, as the intense competition for FM frequencies limits their broadcast
strength. Try 90.9, or get it on cable 91.1.
I asked Robin what she would say if everyone in town tuned
in for a minute. “I’d say, ‘Hey, listen to this!’ I’d tell them there is a
whole wide world of information, entertainment and excitement out there. We
want to share with you a little bit of the whole lot of it!”
All this, right here our own backyard!