‘KWMR: The next generation’ by Micah Ager
Micah Ager is the host of ‘Huglife Radio‘ every other Wednesday at 4pm on KWMR and is the station’s youth board representative. This letter was published in the April 2, 2026 issue of The Point Reyes Light.
Visualize yourself planning and budgeting for a whole year, managing to get by, until a quarter of all your funds suddenly disappear. That’s what happened to our local radio station, KWMR. Their Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding got cut, stripping them of nearly a quarter of their total funds. Roughly $1.1 billion of C.P.B. funding was cut across the U.S. and $57,105,735 once belonged to California-based public broadcasting services.
Why did the C.P.B. and NPR get their funding cut? Because of an executive order issued by President Trump. The reason, you may wonder? Section 2(a) of the executive order answers that question. It states, “The CPB Board shall cease direct funding to NPR and PBS, consistent with my Administration’s policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage. The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.” In other words, President Trump cut the funding for publishing material that may not align with his administration’s ideas or opinions. This reflects on how his administration pressured the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live and the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
I have a music radio show at KWMR called Huglife Radio (formerly called Chicken Strips Radio). For my Change Project, I became the youth board representative at KWMR. Being a youth D.J. for three years and the youth board represen-tative, I knew I must take action. I decided to help KWMR get on a new streaming platform, Twitch, to expand their audience and get more donations.
Twitch is a streaming platform that includes a video stream. It is mainly used by video gamers, but there is a population of DJ.s. that use it. D.J.s started using it during the pandemic when concerts and shows weren’t happening. It was a way for them to still put on live shows for people while keeping the live and interactive aspect.
How is Twitch interactive for the viewer? Twitch has a chat function. It allows the viewer to message the streamer in real time. If you have ever wanted to call in, but have been too shy to do so, you can simply message the host while watching the stream. Twitch is also a website, so in addition to kwmr.org, it can be an alternative way to listen to KWMR. It could attract new audiences, specifically appealing to the younger community.
Twitch is another way to escape the confines of our current government because there are minimal restrictions on what you can stream. It also helps keep the idea and tradition of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law..prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” That is a main pillar of our government and it is our civic duty to reinforce and not forget that idea. (I got way too political, but you get the idea.)
You may be asking yourself, “Is there anything that I can do to help?” What you can do is tune in to KWMR’s Twitch stream that is going to be available soon. You can access the stream by visiting the link twitch.tv, and searching for the channel called KWMR Radio. When you tune in, you can donate by gifting subscriptions or signing up for an ongoing subscription. You can get custom KWMR Twitch emotes to type in the chat and custom badges for your account when you donate to KWMR through Twitch.
Another way that you can help is to donate to KWMR and buy our KWMR merch through our website, kwmr.org. Although, if you want to tune in to KWMR through Twitch to get that visual input, if you do not pay for Twitch Turbo, the premium version of Twitch, you may get interrupted by advertisements. Besides, what’s better than listening to KWMR on a radio?
The fact that Twitch has ads also contradicts the idea of the freedom of the press. If you listen to KWMR on a radio, you don’t have to sit through bundles of ads.
I’m also helping make a new KWMR premium that is coming soon. It’s a mix featuring numerous KWMR D.J.s. If you’re interested, donate during our next fundraiser to get the all-new mix. Premiums are rewards for donating a certain amount.
Overall, one of the biggest ways to help us is to simply tune in to KWMR and to spread the word. That is what my Change Project is all about. It’s about helping local public broadcasting stay alive and adapt to new situations. Remember to listen to KWMR FM through a radio at 90.5 FM in Pt. Reyes, at 89.9 FM in Bolinas, or at 92.3 FM in the Valley, or at kwmr.org. And especially support us at twitch.tv username: KWMR_Radio. Lastly, to donate to KWMR and keep public broadcasting alive!