Community Radio Crisis!

and now for something completely different… 📻

During the pandemic, while the film industry was navigating new territory, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to continue my production management skills by supporting the renovation of a community radio station deep in the Utah desert.

A downed transmitter and inadequate budget meant a vibrant local media outlet was in danger of radio silence.

I got to work. I listened to the issues and prioritized a plan. With help from many people and supporters, we got things up and running even stronger than before.

Here is the story of how.

Engaging donor support looks a bit different from the days of yore. A new generation of supporters needs to engage in values-driven missions.

I engaged with the community to create programming that tapped into this authenticity. This is a sample of collaborative media that matters.

Collaborative Programming

Hopi Word of the Week

I got reports that the station was being picked up in Bears Ears. As a way to honor the spectrum of this ancient place, I contacted the Hopi Tribe and pitched a project that lent support to the Hopi language. With permission from Mesa Media, we produced several Hopi words for airplay.

Co-Produced with Mesa Media, Hopi Tribe, 2023

Great Shot, Kid

An all-volunteer air staff poured hearts, souls, personal time, and music into their shows.

I asked: do you feel like the dark side is getting the upper hand, and you’re just one human, alone, in the desert?

Keep the faith.

Writer, Producer 2023

Transmitter Replacement & Signal Expansion

The main signal had been down for over two years. Rural local residents relied on the radio for the rhythm of their days. Without it, something was really wrong. We needed to get the radio back on for folks traveling the canyons without cell signal and broadband.

We fixed the situation within three months. Here’s how:

90.1 is back! 

We had some obstacles, including no engineer, no money, and bad weather.

Long story short:

  • I found the engineer in town, roasting coffee, just waiting to be asked.

  • I asked a major donor to consider adding to their usual amount. They gave an additional $25,000.

  • I asked for donated engineering help from the local NPR affiliate. They sent two highly qualified engineers.

  • We waited for the snow to melt. We dodged monsoons.

  • Finally, after a lightning strike, the KZMU engineer flipped the switch and the main signal went live again in August 2023.

There was the expected celebration (see Melon Days, above)

Best Float Winner, Melon Days Parade, 2023

90.7 New Map

The NPR affiliate asked if we’d take on a donated signal. I had to think about it, for five seconds.

With the assistance of community contractors and donated engineering, the new signal now broadcasts deeper into rural Utah, including Bears Ears and Navajo Nation. We even heard reports come in from Southwestern Colorado.

A little community radio station was now a Four Corners public media presence.

Project results

STORY

One day, a man walked up the road to the station, barefoot on the hot asphalt. He stepped inside, paused for a moment to adjust to the dim light, and found me, trying to hold everything together during Radiothon. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled $100 bill, damp with sweat.

“Thank you for the radio,” he said simply, handing it to me. Then he turned and headed for the door.

“What’s your name?” I called after him.

He glanced back and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter,” he said, and just like that, he walked out into the sunset. It was the most cinematic moment I’d experienced at a radio station.

I learned later that he was living by the creek, his only connection to the world, a battery-powered radio. For years, he’d been listening to the station. Until the station’s signal went dark. When we got it back up, he started hearing his friends again.

Stories like his kept trickling in—quiet voices from the farthest corners of the desert, where cell signals fade, and the internet is just a rumor. These folks felt like they had their community back. That’s the memory I will cherish most.

A FEW METRICS…

Increased social media engagement by 25%

Regained lapsed donors who returned over $10k to the budget.

Gained new supporters and underwriters to the amount of over $16k

Inspired increased major donation of $25k