Thank you for your loyal readership of the KWMR newsletter. I really enjoy writing each week and our whole team loves to share the latest community and event partnerships. 

June is the time of year when KWMR holds our annual employee check-ins and the beginning of the annual budget process. We’re also starting a new Strategic Plan, as our last five-year plan is sunsetting this year. 

And the the past year has been nothing short of unprecedented. Last year on June 12, the House voted to approve the Rescission Act of 2025 in a 214 to 212 vote and defunded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). On July 17, 2025, the Senate also approved the act with a vote of 51-48. The President signed the Act into law on July 24, 2025. You can see that these were not landslide votes, but enough to make significant changes to the public media landscape.

I was just discussing American history with some friends and Ken Burn’s documentary “The American Revolution” came up. Most of us claimed to be under-educated about history. I know that I had really good attendance in high school, yet history is a weak point for me. Yep, that documentary, as well as so many great ones that you can watch, were funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I tuned in to “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” this weekend while out of KWMR range, and they were discussing how their genesis was funded by CPB. 

KWMR was fortunate to qualify for and receive a “Bridge Grant” from the Public Media Company. In fact, Tim Isgitt, the CEO of the Public Media Company and a Marin County resident, was named one to the Time100 Philanthropy List for his efforts in raising funds to support public media outlets that lost their CPB funding. Way to go, Tim! 

So, what are we doing? We are figuring it out. Given the circumstances, thanks to that Bridge Grant and the generosity of so many of you this past year, KWMR is doing well. I believe that the programming on the station is the strongest it has ever been, thanks to the hard work of Program Director Jeff Manson and the many volunteer hours put in by our amazing hosts.

The station’s communication, both externally (to you) and internally with our volunteers is robust. Our transmitter sites are all in good shape, and our internal systems are well tended. And we have running water! 

We’ll have an Annual Report in July with highlights from KWMR’s new Strategic Plan. Keep an eye out for KWMR at local events this summer, or swing on down to the station to say hello any old time! We are staffed Monday through Thursday in the Creamery Building in downtown Point Reyes Station.

Got questions? Suggestion? Want to be on the air? Let us know! [email protected].

And truly, thank you for all the kind words, contributions, for listening to KWMR, and for reading!

The little locked cap on the hose bib outside my office has come up in conversation recently. Cyclists used to get water there regularly and I would get water for my plants or rinse something off. No longer an option. James and I got off on a real tangent about drinking out of garden hoses when we were kids.

I mean, I can taste that cold rubbery flavored water and the metallic feel from the metal end of the hose. After all the sun warmed water poured out that really cold hose water was a real thirst quencher. Don’t ponder on that too long. Just think how many of us drank possibly gallons and gallons of hose water, and we are doing ok, or at least we think we are. Those were the days.

It was one of those sunny and breezy days in Point Reyes Station on Sunday, June 7th. It was perfect weather for a parade. It was really lovely, even when the wind picked up, I’m not aware of any float mishaps. The grandstand is a fun place from where to watch the parade,  and the crowd. 

I want to thank Robert Cardwell, Matt Gallagher and Dolores Gonzalez for another great year of announcing. The judges were also fantastic and included the veteran Western Weekend judge Millie Biller, along with first-timers Caren Gately and Rosa Rodriguez. If you missed the announcing you can hear it HERE or below:

Amanda Eichstaedt
KWMR Station Manager,  Executive Director & Development 

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