Thank you for your support of KSVR!

As the year 2010 winds down, I'd like to take a moment and thank everyone who continues to support KSVR as a member, underwriter, blog reader, facebook fan, word waves subscriber, and most importantly, as a listener.

Community Radio certainly relies heavily on community support, and each day, dedicated volunteers and staff continue to develop programming that seeks to reach local audiences with relevant information, news, music and other creative pursuits.

Certainly we hope you tune in often at 91.7FM, but in this day and age, there are certainly many routes you can utilize to support community radio stations like KSVR.

So, as part of your "new years resolutions" (if you're into that sort of thing) consider checking back to this site to download interviews you might have missed, sign up for our free e-news guide known as "KSVR Word Waves" and receive bi-weekly updates direct to your email inbox on upcoming programs, or sign yourself up to become a member (or give the gift of membership to someone else).

We've got some exciting advancements coming for 2011, including...

KSVU on the airwaves, at 90.1FM SOON!

Citizenship Day, taking place at Skagit Valley College on February 5th (an annual event co-sponsored by KSVR each year, the event is designed to help those seeking citizenship, thanks to volunteer attorneys who donate time to go over paperwork)

On-line giving, which will be available at ksvr.org

New programs, continuing programs, new faces and returning, KSVR is your community radio station, and we thank you for being a part of it!

Britta Eschete, Publicist
KSVR 91.7FM

Chanukah Time

It's Chanukah again. Listen to the Chanukah special, December 1st at 7.pm on KSVR 91.7 FM or on the Web at www.ksvr.org. It's the time to reflect and give thanks and love to friends, family and the people around you. Cook some good food, tell stories and light the candles. A little dancing and singing doesn't hurt either.

Skagit Talks from November 28

There's more to eat in the great outdoors this time of year than just grass blades and pine needles. Join KSVR and Localvore Marlee Oosterbauer at Ferryl Farms in Rockport to learn about harvesting, preparation and edibility of wild edibles.

A Sample of Skagit Talks

Starting this Sunday at 8:30 pm a program called A Sample of Skagit Talks is debuting. Instead of a repeat of a Skagit Talks this will feature two discussions chosen from the previous weeks interview segments.

Joseph C McGuire
Skagit Talks Producer

Skagit Talks from November 16

Noemi Ban holocaust survivor edited talk on Holocaust Denial. Edited from a two hour long talk. Recorded and produced by Joana Bruno.

 

Farm Workers Pesticide Project Interview

On Noticias de Skagit the spanish news and interview program broadcasting at 8:00 am on Saturday presents:

An interview with Carol Dansereau the Executive Director of the Farm Workers Pesticide Project part of the Washington State Toxics Coalition. She was interviewed by Leticia Jimenez.

This interview is in spanish.

Win tickets tonight by listening to The Blue Boulevard on KSVR!

It's simple and easy...whether you are on vacation in Greenland or strolling down Main Street in Mount Vernon, as long as you've got a radio tuned to 91.7FM and a phone handy, tonight, November 10th between the hours of 8-10PM.


Jackson Stewart, host of "The Blue Boulevard" will be giving out a pair of tickets for the upcoming Rick Epting Foundation Benefit Concert taking place at the Lincoln Theatre, Saturday, November 13th.  This years concert features Blues legends, The Tommy Castro Band, along with local blues musician, Reggie Miles.  A not to be missed event, tickets range in price from $26-15 per person.

The six-piece Tommy Castro Band has won in four categories at the Blues Music Awards for 2010, including Band of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year. Tommy is a gifted lead guitarist who calls to mind great blues-rock players such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Billy Gibbons of Z.Z.Top and even Duane Allman.

 

Seattle singer-songwriter Reggie Miles performs an opening set of traditional Blues roots music on acoustic guitar and harmonica.

So, get prepped now, and maybe you'll be the lucky ticket(s) winner!

 

A little background on Skagit Talks

Just so blog readers know, "Skagit Talks" is a locally produced news, discussion and features program that airs on KSVR 91.7FM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 5PM.  This 1/2 hour program is completely worth listening to, but if you're unable to tune in, listen to interview segments from the program, that will be posted each week.

For more information about "Skagit Talks" visit the KSVR website at ksvr.org

You can also stay connected with what's happened and what's happening on KSVR by signing up to receive "KSVR Word Waves" a short eguide thats focused on local program schedules, events and the weekly "foosic".  (food recipes featured on various music programs).  Go to www.ksvr.org and click on the "Word Waves" icon.

-britta eschete

Skagit Talks Interview from November 2, 2010

Executive Director of Burlington Library in Washington state Maggie Bucholz discusses banned books with Brita Eschete.
Listen and comment

Skagit Talks Interview from September 17, 2010

Dave McConnell interviews Elizabeth Elliot about the USDA Rural Development Program.

Listen and comment.

NFCB Conference Contemplations

If you're a follower of the KSVR Facebook Page, you probably noticed the reference to both KSVR staff and volunteers attending the recently held National Federation of Community Broadcasters Conference in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

So, my suitcase is open, and while I should be sorting through laundry, I've been sorting through all my "paper memories" -notes, conference handouts and brochures, none of which will be destined for a recycling bin anytime too soon.

Last year was my first opportunity to attend this conference, and following my return home from Portland, I promptly delved into the world of "social media" by setting up a Facebook Page, Blog Site, and another co-worker and I got to work designing brochures and program guides.  That summer, we held the first "KSVR Open House" and started taking a serious look at volunteer opportunities we could design and promote throughout the Skagit Community.

One story worth sharing from this conference, actually did not take place at the conference site itself.  A group of us KSVR attendees, felt compelled to go visit what was described as one of the "top tourist destinations in the world" -located in Bloomington, Minnesota.  And where might that be?   In our consumer-driven society, none other than the Mall of America.  I was on the lookout for a Minnesota sweatshirt to bring back for my daughter, and one would think in a location with hundreds of stores, that would be simple to find.  There are four stores located in the Mall, catering specifically to those seeking Minnesota souvenirs,  and while they all featured excellently priced and designed sweatshirts, I found myself leaving this great tribute to our shopping society empty-handed.   Why?  There are 11 recognized Tribes in Minnesota, yet, each store exclusively featured the "Made in China" dreamcatchers, that send chills up my spine.  None of the wild rice grown or harvested by the Ojibwe, no beadwork or weavings by the Dakota Sioux.  Discouraged, I made another round of searching local stores in downtown Saint Paul, and each time I asked shopkeepers "Where might I find a Minnesota sweatshirt?" they would cheerfully say "You've got to go to the Mall of America!"

There's a reason I'm taking the time to write this message in blogger, as opposed to the dozens of messages it would take to write all this in facebook limited-character messages.  Many parallels exist between this scenario and that of community radio.  As the consolidation of media continues, it is imperative that the public continue to question the sources of information that "look great on the outside", like the Mall of America dreamcatchers, and seek out the small print.  The National Federation of Community Broadcasters is a national alliance of stations, producers and others committed to community radio.  KSVR 91.7FM is a community radio station, striving for authenticity in serving the many populations that reside in Skagit County, and a member of this larger network of community radio stations that comprise NFCB.

Since Day 1, KSVR has been committed to providing local programing in both English and Spanish.  Countless volunteers have had opportunities to produce music and information programs, and/or take radio broadcasting classes at Skagit Valley College.  Students have benefited from scholarships money from KSVR, and the opportunity to participate in the campus radio club and on-air time devoted to student broadcasting.

In the months to follow, look for more opportunities to become further involved within the KSVR Community Network.  Learn about the programs and people helping to steward this local resource, at the KSVR booth at the Skagit County Fair, at the August 14th open house, and perhaps the easiest way -by tuning in to 91.7FM or listen live at ksvr.org (and check out the program guide posted at the website).

As a note to how my souvenir story ended, after several more attempts to locate the desired sweatshirt, I found myself back at the airport, where I discovered discounted sweatshirts and a complete lack of dreamcatchers.  I also found a shop that did make some effort to distinguish between "native made" and "non native made" items, by attaching tags to the beaded necklaces coming from oversea waters.  It was well worth my time, to let the store employees know that I appreciated this sort of labeling which was non-existent at a location that numerous people apparently seek out as a top travel destination.

Community radio also welcomes that public dialogue -and it's essential to have community input because a true community radio station must have the interests of those in the listening area first and foremost, not the programming interests of the producers and DJ's -or we really are not much different than commercial stations who at times are driven by financial profits made from advertising sales, to fund programming.  You, the listener, have an open invitation, always, to tell us what you think -by phone, email, mail or in-person!  So, let us know what we can start doing, what we can do better, and remember, you're part of that "We"!  That's Community, with a capital C.

KSVR Spring Pledge Drive, May 3-8: Support Spanish Programming!

Support Spanish Programming on KSVR 91.7FM

The KSVR Spring Pledge Drive is now taking place, May 3-8 from 7AM-Noon 

KSVR Radio provides over 80 hours PER WEEK of locally produced music and information programs, along with hosting nationally produced music and information programs.

KSVR Radio is committed to providing opportunities for students and community volunteers to produce radio to reach local populations

KSVR Radio needs YOUR financial support to continue!  If you support the idea and reality of community radio, consider making a financial contribution today!

Call 416-7000 during our Spring Pledge Drive to become a member of KSVR Radio and receive our new KSVR bumpersticker with a minimum $25 donation.  Join at the $50 level and receive our new KSVR bumpersticker and a KSVR T-shirt.

Thank you for your support!

KSVR website

The KSVR website was down on Friday and Saturday for sure, but its back this morning!  Our domain name registration expired on April 15, but no one notified us, because the name on the account is some guy, Craig Allen, who worked at a company called WebEFX.  Way back in 1998, we got the KSVR.org domain name, using the help of a local company called Computer Innovations in Mount Vernon.  When they later changed to WebEFX, they helped us renew the domain name.  In 2005, we had another situation where the domain was shut down, and this time WebEFX had been taken over by Spiderdomain, which was able to renew for 5 years (we thought that was a long time), even though we couldn't find Craig Allen at that time.  Anyway, I was waiting for some contact from this guy Craig Allen or someone at WebEFX, and I put all the paperwork into a folder that eventually went into my desk.  Well, wake up on Saturday in the year 2010,  and find emails about the KSVR site not loading, and our web guy Mike noticed that we were shut by Network Solutions which is our domain name registrar.  So I drove into the office to look up the history of this paperwork, I could see in my mind the folder with the name "Web Page".  This folder had almost all of our paperwork, up to the 2003 renewal, but not the renewal of the recent years.  The 2003 renewal showed a 2 year term.  But this narrowed the time frame down to 2004 or 2005 for the next renewal.  Looking in the folders of business receipts, there it was:  renewal for 5 years on April 15, 2005.  Anyway, now it appears that Jason at Spiderdomain.com renewed the domain for 1 year, so we will work with him to get the contact authority changed to me. 

Correction on photo caption (open house)

Just a quick note, the "Turntableologist" featured on the blog site is actually that of DJ Note, who was accompanying DJ Def Kawn in producing a stellar open house special edition of "The Massive Mix Session".

Open House Highlights-

What a night of fun and festivities for the Spring Open House -thanks to all who visited KSVR Radio!

Take a look at the photo album, which shows some of the studio turntable and hip-hop action.

Stock up on books and share your favorite book titles with KSVR!

Buy a book to support the Friends of the Mount Vernon library...and share your favorite books with KSVR Radio!  Saturday, April 17th at 10AM, KSVR volunteers will be scouting the book-stacks for folks willing to share their favorite reads, for future broadcast on KSVR 91.7FM.  Meanwhile, you can always learn about more books to add to your reading list, on locally-produced Bookviews, which airs on KSVR on Thursdays at 4:55PM and Saturdays 7:25PM!  Bookviews is a 3 minute book review, read by Skagit County librarians.  The booksale will be taking place at the Mount Vernon City Library, located on 315
Snoqualmie Street, Mount Vernon WA 98273.  For more information, contact the library at 336-6209. 

Highlights from the 7th Annual Human Rights Festival

KSVR staff and volunteers are keeping busy during the month of March, recording events as part of the 7th Annual Human Rights Festival.  Friday evening, the film "First Earth:  Uncompromising Ecological Architecture" was screened at the Phillip Tarro Theatre, followed by a panel presentation about local housing resources.  Sunday afternoon, the film "Hannah Free" was shown at the Lincoln Theatre.  We've got a few photos depicting the panel, Program Engineers Ben and Ayla recording discussions for an upcoming broadcast on KSVR, and a picture of Program Hosts and Volunteers staffing the KSVR information table!

Don't just tiptoe through the Skagit Valley tulips in April, but plan on visiting KSVR Studios during our Spring Open House! Thursday, April 8th from 8-10PM we'll have a full list of activities taking place. We're also excited to announce that participants will have an opportunity to listen and participate during one of KSVR's longest running music programs: The Massive Mix Session with DJ Def Kawn.

Join us on tours of the station, updates on KSVU, meet staff and volunteers, enjoy light refreshments and participate in "KSVR Reads and Records" our newest community-engagement opportunity.

KSVR Studio is located at 2405 E College Way, in Mount Vernon, on the campus of Skagit Valley College in Reeves Hall. More information, visit www.ksvr.org

Remember us talking about soon-to-be KSVU 90.1FM? The brand-new blog site for KSVU is up and running, become a member today!

KSVR 91.7FM Radio recognized the following volunteers and staff at their first "Volunteer Appreciation Dinner" held at a local restaurant on January 15th. In addition to the delicious food and company, awards were presented to volunteers and staff for their contributions to keeping local community radio stations like KSVR on the airwaves! Check out more photos and find out who received awards by visiting our website, www.ksvr.org

In Honor of Service (over 25 years at KSVR): Joseph C. McGuire, Volunteer Appreciation Award for 12 years at KSVR: Antonio Sosa, 5-year Service Award: Teresa Pantoja, Volunteer Appreciation Awards, Abraham Tenorio, Jerome Edge, Rocio Castellano, Ben Nason, Community Service Program: Award Speak UP Speak Out and Noticias Skagit News Team, Special Recognition Award: Develop Noticias Skagit 2008-2009 Ramon Rocha and Leticia Jimenez