✏️ Amanda’s Blog: “KWMR has it going on!” (March 8, 2022)

This is OUR radio station…

There are six of us on the payroll and over 85 active volunteers bringing you amazing content. But it’s sort of like that old saying, “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?”

Having heard a tree fall in the forest, and being a huge fan of community radio, I know how important it is to have listeners. Well, frankly, trees could give a hoot, but programmers do want you to hear what they are doing. Unless they are really winging it (which can and has been done), generally a volunteer programmer will put in an hour, or hours, of time crafting their program, procuring the music, securing the guest, coming up with good questions, and often reading a book prior to an interview. It’s a labor of love.

Back in 1999 when the ragtag group of community radio enthusiasts pulled together to apply, and then be granted a license for an FM station from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nobody really knew exactly where it would lead. Yet 23 years later, here we are. Several of the original programmers that broadcast from the old Red (now green) Barn are still going strong.

Olema Valley.    photo: A. Eichstaedt

I was very fortunate to stumble across KWMR after I moved to West Marin. It was one of the first times that I felt really welcome after moving to this rural community. It is a beautiful thing to be part of something where everyone involved is so invested in the outcome. It is also a wonderful thing to watch someone who is intimidated by technology, overcome that, to produce really great radio. I think sometimes those people are as surprised as anyone that they can do it.

Radio isn’t much without listeners, and that is where you come in. We are in our Spring Pledge Drive, and if you enjoy any of the programming that wafts out of our transmitter (90.5 FM) or our translators (89.9 & 92.3 FM), then I hope that you will make a contribution of any size to KWMR, and help us achieve our goal in fundraising.

It does cost about $1000 a day to keep thins humming along here, and nobody is getting rich making it happen. In fact, many of our volunteer programmers are our strongest fundraisers. That should tell you something.

When I think about West Marin, I think of it as a woven tapestry of many colors and designs. It is woven from the people who live here and roll up their sleeves, the organizations that they start, the independent businesses in our towns, the farms and ranches that produce our food, the artists and artisans, the elders with their wisdom, and the youth with their unbridled enthusiasm, and everyone in between. There is natural beauty, tragedy, and joy. West Marin.

KWMR is a place to engage, to tell your stories, to share your wisdom, and promote your art. My hat is off to all of our volunteer programmers with their numerous talents and expertise, and to you, for being a vital part of the fabric of our community.

Thank you for reading our newsletter and for your support of KWMR!

Amanda Eichstaedt
KWMR Station Manager and Executive Director