Spring ON-AIR Pledge Drive THIS MONTH Our ON-AIR Pledge Drive is this month, May 17, 18, and 19! There will be special programming from 10 am-7 pm each day and we will be auctioning off merchandise from local businesses you love. Please consider supporting us through a pledge and enjoy our weekend long broadcast! So, tune in May 17th, 18th, and 19th! Student Interns Hard at Work! Our student interns this quarter are Anna Godin, Blaine Dixon, Draken Leithead, Gwyneth Harrison, Jonathan Murphy, Rhone Oldham, and Serenity Peoples KMRE has been blessed this quarter to have 7 student interns helping out in all facets! From tabling, to project managing, to business outreach, our interns have been hard at work getting the KMRE name out in Bellingham! One of our goals for our Pledge Drive is to be able to create student scholarships to support our student interns. These scholarships would help in creating more opportunities for our students to learn and get the experience they need to enter the world. Spring Tabling KMRE has been tabling at many events this Spring. You might have seen us at the first Farmers Market of the season, the WWU Internship Fair, Dirty Dan Mystery Murder Weekend in Fairhaven, and the WCC Internship Fair. Coming up you an catch us tabling at Ski to Sea on May 26th! Come stop by! Pictured are student interns Gwyneth Harrison, Anna Godin, and Draken Leithead. Producer Spotlight: Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez Pictured are Elias Lopez (left), Ana Sophia Garcia (middle), and Liz Darrow (right). Co-producers of Community Voz. Our spotlight(s) this month are Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez, producers of Community Voz! Liz and Elias both work with the organization Community to Community and record their podcast, Community Voz, to talk about the work C2C is doing. Ana Sophia Garcia is another co producer for Community Voz but was unable to attend the interview. Our student intern, Rhone, sat down with Liz and Elias and asked questions about their show! How did you get involved with the show? Who all is involved? Liz: I joined C2C in 2016 as the media coordinator, I didn’t take over as a co-producer of the podcast until 2019. Everyone involved in the organization takes part in Community Voz, being in episodes or helping produce them. Elias: I moved to Bellingham to attend WWU. I became aware of C2C when I attended a march that they organized. I reached out to Liz because I wanted to be a part of the organization so I offered any assistance I could. I had been working at KUGS, the WWU on campus radio station, so I had experience producing a podcast. What do you want listeners to feel when listening to your show? Liz: I hope people will learn what we do at C2C. Our foundation principle for Community Voz is about accessible conversations regarding events and news. I want listeners to hear reports from people on front line of climate justice and racial justice. Movement work isn’t for everyone so it’s important for people to hear about it and learn about these things from a perspective that isn’t in daily news. Elias: I want listeners to feel curious about the work C2C is doing and feel energized about all the things that people are doing in Bellingham. I think our show provides insight into how to get people involved and make them feel like they can do something. Why do you feel community radio is important? Liz: It is important for its DYI aspect. It doesn’t have to meet standards, it gives a lot of freedom to producers, and it’s not over produced. It reinforces that anyone and have a show and it doesn’t need to be scripted. There’s no judgement in community radio which makes it really authentic. Also, anyone can participate! Elias: It allows for an access to people that isn’t through text. It can’t be gate kept because it’s for the community. Community Voz is special in its uniqueness and accessibility to the community. We share important information that is straightforward and easy to access. It keeps the community inspired to continue work. Local News If you enjoy listening to KMRE’s local news, you can support us for just $5 a month! KMRE News is a daily broadcast of local and regional news reported on by Whatcom County people. Help keep local news accessible to the whole community!
KMRE Newsletter for April 2024
Spring ON-AIR Pledge Drive Mark your calendars for the weekend of May 17th! We will be holding an ON AIR Pledge Drive all weekend long. There will be special programming all day and we will be auctioning off merchandise from local businesses you love. Please consider supporting us through a pledge and enjoy our weekend long broadcast! So, tune in May 17th, 18th, and 19th! Love Your Waterfront Awarded MWNHA Grant of $5,250 Kevin Coleman (left) and Dan Tucker (right) recording KMRE’s Love Your Waterfront, airing every other Thursday at 5:30 pm. The award that KMRE will receive through this grant will further provide us with the tools and ability to bring you more in-depth stories, news and events from around our region that showcase how diverse, and rich in maritime heritage, our shorelines are. Thank you to Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, the Washington Historical Trust Society, and to all our listeners who tune in for our broadcasts! ”On behalf of the Love Your Waterfront team, we are grateful to have our efforts recognized with this grant. Dan, Kevin and Paul have established deep roots in our Salish Sea Maritime community and are doing a great job bringing these great stories to life.” – Producer Susan Lindsey A&E Spotlight Marla Bronstein and Margaret Bikman pictured in a call with Fran Lebowitz talking about their mutual love of books and Fran’s event at the Mount Baker Theater. Want to find out the people behind the best theater, music, dance, visual arts, and literature events taking place in Whatcom County and beyond? Margaret Bikman and Marla Bronstein connect you with movers and shakers in our talented community who entertain and delight you on their Arts & Entertainment Spotlight podcast, broadcast at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and noon Saturdays at KMRE 88.3. Currently, there are 188 episodes and counting! Margaret was Entertainment News Coordinator at The Bellingham Herald for 27 years and a contributor to Entertainment News NW for four years. She is also a reference and instruction librarian at Whatcom Community College. Magaret enjoys performing and visual art events of all kinds, dancing, hiking, and traveling to exotic places like Cuba, Alaska, the Yucatan, Nova Scotia, and New Orleans. Marla Bronstein has retired from everything work-related that kept her busy for the past three decades since she moved to Bellingham. She currently keeps herself very busy volunteering and doing things that look like they may be fun– like writing and creating videos and podcasts. Here’s what they said when we asked them “Why is local radio important?“: “It’s hard to separate my personal life from my professional life. That’s why it’s important for me to let you, the listeners, know what’s happening in our town and beyond. I don’t review; I enthusiastically promote. I will let you know about some of the shows and events you may know about already (but I will give you some details you may not know); and I will inform you about people who are creative and not necessarily famous in our community. As Michelle Obama said, ‘The arts can enrich all of us in this nation as individuals. The arts can enrich all of our communities and the country. And the arts can connect us to each other like nothing else can.’” –Margaret “Local radio/social media/news is important because it keeps us aware of each other. I like working with KMRE radio because I get to meet so many artists that I might never have communicated with before. Along with producing Margaret’s show and helping her share her guests’ events and stories with my community. I find both of these incredibly fulfilling.” –Marla Local News If you enjoy listening to KMRE’s local news, you can support us for just $5 a month! KMRE News is a daily broadcast of local and regional news reported on by Whatcom County people. Help keep local news accessible to the whole community! Volunteer Spotlight: Carlos Braga KMRE News staff member, Carlos Braga, is interested in using his skills, and helping the community. He sat down with Connor Willis to talk more about what drives him to be a volunteer. What brought you to KMRE? “Broadcasting, be it radio or television, has always been a fascination of mine.” What gets you out of bed in the morning? “It’s the feeling that I’m contributing to something tangible, contributing to something important and the results can be heard on air. I’m listening to a news item that I wrote for broadcast. Local radio is something that has a very honorable place in our community. It’s an amazing feeling and that’s what gets me out of bed.” What are your thoughts on local radio? What is the value of local radio? “The local radio community gives people an opportunity to become closer to the city by learning more about what’s going on. There’s a lot of things that I learn in terms of news items and the inner workings of city government that I probably would have never found out about if I hadn’t done volunteer work for KMRE.” Carlos Braga, KMRE News staff Carlos has a deep passion for media, writing, and various hobbies such as playing the guitar, watching classic movies, and following sports. Currently studying at WWU, he plans to pursue a communications degree with a minor in journalism, reflecting his love for writing and learning about history. New Shows At 88.3FM Spirit Matters Sundays at 8AM Host: Tessie Mandeville Spirit Matters podcast encompasses all manner of spirit and spirituality, as well as the creative arts. We cast a broad and deep net — vitally important in this complex, multicultural, multi-dimensional, pluralistic world in which we live. Songbird Listening Hour Wednesdays at 9pm Host: DJ DOS Songbird Listening Hour is a show that dives into the nuanced history of country, folk, and Americana music. Showcasing timeless tunes and the diverse voices that formed these authentic genres. Island Time Thursday at 5:30pm Host: Kevin Smith Island Time is the show that discusses artists from the San Juan Islands. We …
