“The Stage”

Tuesday September 12th, 2023
From the messy desk of Amanda Eichstaedt…

Life is Full of Stages

Last Saturday the Stagecoach ended up stuck in front of our place. We joke around quite a bit here at KWMR about what we would do if one of us got hit by the stage and someone else had to do that person’s job. I may be the most at risk since the Route 68 goes by twice on each trip that it makes to West Marin. Waylon, our dog, has a love/hate relationship with this bus. It is a big loud vehicle and that usually gets him going. He is not a fan of any trailer, chipper, or rattling contraption that accompanies a vehicle going down the road. And garbage trucks, PGE vehicles and anything with a siren… The Stagecoach drivers all know him since he races up to the fence and barks at them when they drive by. 

Stage in the ditch.   photo: A Eichstaedt

Once on a walk, we even got ON the bus over at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, since the driver wanted to meet the pup that he sees several times during his shift.

Waylon is not the only doggy that will walk the line.    Photo: A Eichstaedt

I felt bad for the driver of the Stagecoach that went in the ditch, but this vehicle was not the only rig that ended up catawampus on the side of the road in rural Marin County. I think the recent mowing made some of our roadside shoulders look a bit more solid than they are in reality. This is a great reminder to everyone to not park in dry grass since a hot catalytic converter could easily ignite dry vegetation.

One thing that KWMR is focused quite a bit on these days is succession planning. Nobody is jumping ship right away, but if any of us were taken out of commission for any reason, it is a good idea to have some solid plans in place. Rest assured that your local community radio station is working hard to ensure continued operations. And while Ian McMurray is going strong with KWMR, James Mohri is joining the team at KWMR to help with audio scheduling and other IT functions. 

James volunteered at KWMR many years ago, and once the pandemic lightened up, he reemerged with some new radio experience under his belt. I jumped at the chance to get him on board. Welcome James! If you pop into the annex on Tuesdays or Fridays you will likely meet him.

James Mohri and Ian McMurray in front of the IT Rack in the annex.  photo: A Eichstaedt

Both Alyssa Tanner and Mia Johnson-Martinez both got married this summer. You can hear Alyssa and her partner Annie Izaki on the “KWMR Sports Hour.” Mia’s partner Jorge Martinez can be heard on KWMR’s Spanish Language block of programming on Saturday. He contributes from time to time. 

Alyssa and Annie, and Jorge and Mia.   All outstanding in their field!
 photos: Phoebe Marshall Photography

It ain’t boring around here, nope, not at all.

Thanks for reading!

Amanda Eichstaedt
Station Manager/Executive Director