‘Build With Us': Community Radio Station KVRU Acquired by Local Leaders

“South Seattle Radio Station KVRU 105.7 Has New, Community-Based Owners” by Jas Keimig from South Seattle Emerald

KVRU 105.7 FM

[00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes.

So today is going to be an interesting Hacks & Wonks. But I'm really excited about this show that we're doing today. I am being joined by the distinguished Monisha Harrell - my honor to be mentioned in a sentence with her, always - and we actually have some news. You may have noticed that Hacks & Wonks has been on a bit of an abbreviated schedule, to put it mildly. We haven't been following our normal production schedule - that's because a lot has been happening in the background. And so, you may have seen the recent news that Monisha Harrell and I recently acquired KVRU.org, a non-profit, non-commercial, community radio station in South Seattle. And so we just want to talk about that - talk about why we did it, why we're so excited about it, and why we feel like now is the right time to be doing this, and why it matters to the community. So thank you for joining me here, Monisha.

[00:01:59] Monisha Harrell: Well, I mean, this is like the smallest of the joins - joining together to do this beautiful work with KVRU. At the time, I didn't know how needed it would be. And now that we are at a new time period - in the region, in the country - it feels even more important that we preserve this great community asset.

[00:02:22] Crystal Fincher: I agree. Certainly, if you would have asked me a year ago - Would I see myself here today? - would not have been on the radar, on any map. Obviously, I have been doing the same work I've been doing for quite some time and have enjoyed it, have had this radio show. But the opportunity that this presented, like you said, to preserve this asset for the community has been really important. So I guess we can start from the beginning. I don't know how many of you are aware, but Hacks & Wonks actually got its start on KVRU - as strictly a radio show. It actually started off - I took over a show called The Fifth Estate, that had been created by Marcus Harrison Green and Hanna Brooks Olsen. That eventually Mike McGinn, former mayor of Seattle, took over. And I took over that show from Mike McGinn. Met really cool people at the station, including the program manager there, Maurice Jones, Jr., who produced my show. I had not done any radio or talk show or anything before - so really, Maurice was so helpful in getting started. And so that is what began my familiarity with the station and that relationship continued for several years. Had you worked with the station before?

[00:03:50] Monisha Harrell: I had - familiar with KVRU, familiar with it as a strong community asset. And had the opportunity to work on a specific set of programs with them as a - I don't know - host, the interviewer on a set of programs that was focused around climate and preservation and water quality for diverse communities. And so, was part of kind of designing and setting a - what they would call nowadays a limited series. And had my opportunity to be involved and engaged with the station during that time period. And so I knew the potential - I knew the potential of the station, I knew that leadership comes in waves and ebbs and flows. And so I knew the history and was familiar with it and the people who had come before. And so, thought in this time period - Well, what an interesting concept - when Crystal reached out. And first of all, you probably could have asked me almost anything and I probably would have said yes.

[00:05:03] Crystal Fincher: Ditto.

[00:05:04] Monisha Harrell: So that was kind of like a - Well, that sounds like a great idea - particularly because it's you. But then, also knowing that there are fewer independent, open, non-monetized ways to reach the community. And the thing about being a nonprofit entity is that we don't have to do anything for shareholders or anything along those lines. We're able to provide value directly to the community for the purpose of providing value directly to the community.

[00:05:37] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely - and that is what stayed in my mind. When I first saw SEED's official announcement - SEED, Southeast Effective Development Seattle - they're a non-profit organization that does a number of things, including affordable housing development, a number of arts programs and projects. And they found themselves wanting to essentially sell - but really kind of more thoughtful than that - hand off KVRU to someone who they were confident would steward it correctly. It was really important to both of us that we maintain this asset for the community. SEED had originally acquired the low-power FM license for KVRU in 2017 and began operations there. I started with the show at the station in 2018. And really, had seen flashes of the station really achieving its potential. There have been times where such an impressive and incredible and deep and diverse roster of programmers - DJs, talk show hosts, multilingual programmers there. And just a real community focus, a real community station full of volunteers all pitching in to serve the community, really. And that had also always seemed really cool to me. And like - Hey, this is what community is about. These are hubs of community. And really an underappreciated one, an underutilized one, one that flies under the radar to a lot of people - but is absolutely essential to so many people in the community. Radio is still a free resource - free information, no paywall, no fee to tune in and join. It is there for free for everyone on public airwaves. And this is truly for the people. And I think we need to maintain so many of those resources - and particularly this in South Seattle, with a physical footprint in South Seattle - it was really important.

So SEED, over the years, really had not anticipated the kind of commitment themselves that the radio station would really take. They initially had a partner way back in the beginning. That partner didn't quite pan out. And so they were left and did a really admirable job of picking up the slack there and really investing in the station. They ran a huge capital campaign just to build the station. It's got three different studios - live broadcasting, production, recording studio. They're right off of Rainier Avenue in South Seattle, between Columbia City and Mount Baker - just a really cool location, cool things going on - great studio and assets there. But long term, it just didn't really fit in with their vision. So when they made the announcement, I wasn't - kind of stuck in the back of my head and it just wouldn't, it just wouldn't leave. And just the mounting concern that this is an asset of the community that could disappear was really just unacceptable. So I called Monisha. Because as many of you know, Monisha is who I want to be when I grow up. Just the body of work that Monisha has done, her commitment to community, her ability to pull together diverse coalitions, her always staying true to her word - watching her operate for the past 15 years has just been that, steadily. And it's no surprise she has led all of the organizations that have been involved with doing something seemingly in the community. I mean, just a resume that's hard to believe comes from just one person. But if you know Monisha, it makes perfect sense. And so, especially with her involvement with the station before, it made sense to reach out and say - Hey, do you think this is something that we can put together and do? So what'd you think when I'm like - Okay, so hey, you want to do this?

[00:09:57] Monisha Harrell: So I just want to say that I hope that you save this for my eulogy. Because just - save it, play it, and then let people go get some food. One of the things that was important to me - so first of all, I know that Crystal does not do anything halfway. I know that if Crystal was calling me about this project, I knew that it was a real project. It wasn't just a - Let me talk about it. Like I knew that there was a plan in place, and I knew that there were designs drawn up three different ways, and that we had depth, and that conversations had already been underway. But more importantly was I knew that we had similar values and ethics related to what we wanted to do with this community asset. Not just that it would be a free asset to maintain for the community that would provide value, but that that would be a trusted asset - trusted information, trusted resource for the community - especially at a time period right now where there's so much, there truly is so much misinformation in the world. To be able to provide a media resource that could be trusted and had the best interests of community in mind - I knew that that was a key for both of us. And so having similar values and similar ethics - which I'm learning later in life, is more and more important to where and how I spend my time and energy - but knowing that I had that similar baseline with Crystal was really the key to saying yes. Because I knew that we were approaching it from a very similar perspective - you're approaching it from a place of love and respect for the community, and wanting to be able to provide for those who are traditionally left out of media considerations. A place where people would know that they are a part of our growth. We talked a lot, Crystal, about how building this with community is a really big key to KVRU's future. That it wasn't the two of us at this top, but that as members of the community, we would be looking to build alongside people and making sure that this was shared - shared power, shared resource. And so that was the part that I didn't even have to think about - I knew we shared that vision. And so being able to, again, it was kind of like one of those - You had me at hello. And so, it made it really easy again to jump on board with this particular project because of the things I knew we shared in common from a values perspective.

[00:13:10] Crystal Fincher: Well, I appreciate that. You know the feeling is mutual - that's why we're here. But you talked about - especially at a time like this. And certainly when these conversations started - was before a lot of recent major events have happened. But what I do know is that, as you talked about, there's so much misinformation and division - in lots of different ways, and in ways that go beyond two parties, that are really just tearing at the fabric of our society. And what I know in my bones is that connecting within community is the way through and beyond that. And this really being an asset that can help make that happen, that can help connect our community, that is really - like you said - a platform for all of us to build. But that platforms South Seattle people, voices - real people from the community talking about their lives, their experiences, their perspectives. Place for the culture - all of our cultures - where we're respected, and we can share, and learn from each other. Music from our communities - DJs, culture, bands, artists - and we can learn from and connect with people across our communities. And just hang and be - we've lost so much of that, whether it's an epidemic of loneliness that's been reported on or so many of the ways that we're feeling disconnected - we've lost so many places and elements in our community that used to provide that, that just no longer do.

[00:15:08] Monisha Harrell: Yeah, that's part of the challenge, right? We've had just the perfect storm of bad events and energies that have led to a lot of, I think, apathy - people not understanding, not even feeling like we have places to authentically be ourselves. And I think talking with people versus at people - I think there's a lot of media out there that talks at people. I think that there's a lot of isolation - people not being able to bring their whole selves to a conversation. You and I, we talk on a range of subjects that people may or may not expect. But we can go everywhere from politics - regional, local, and national - to comics - regional, local, and national. And actually not just be worried about the things that are going wrong or that are feeling precarious, but also talking about solutions and what we can do about it - empowering people through the knowledge that we can bring them, right? So that people don't have to feel helpless or talked down to, or - one of the things that I think people who are insecure in themselves like to do, is they'll talk over somebody else's head. I think creating a platform for people to speak with others, connect with others, showcase the best of our community - not shy away from the problems and the challenges that we face, but not leave people with here's a problem and now just feel helpless about it. But here's a challenge and how can we work towards a better future for all of us? So I think that being able to be a part of that - it's really inspiring and encouraging. And I actually think, for all of the isolation that occurred through a lot of us-versus-them narrative, through pandemics and sicknesses, through - whenever there's a lot of economic stress, people have to focus on getting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads - and so these are all things that cause fissures and division. And so, an ability for people to tap back in through KVRU, the ability for people to recognize the beauty and humanity in those around them, see the light again - that maybe can be hard to see when all you're hit with is negativity every single day. If on any given day, the station reaches one person - makes one person feel connected, or at home, or with their community - then it makes all of the other trials and tribulations really worth it.

[00:18:10] Crystal Fincher: It really does. And I think we are in a position right now to do that really well within this community. I know one thing that we both take seriously is being a member of the community, the station being a member of the community - from our block, to South Seattle, to everywhere else. We're on the first floor of a seven-story affordable apartment complex - that's our community - we're members of that community, and they're part of our circle. We're starting there. And building throughout South Seattle. So this is really everybody, and it has informed our approach to how we're starting this out. Lots of times, when people do things like this, they come out with - And here's our slate of programming and here's our premier, kind of flagship programs and this is what we're doing here and this is what we're doing there. We aren't there yet. And we made a very conscious decision to say we aren't going to dictate this programming. We aren't going to define what this is ourselves. We're going to do this in partnership with the community. And so, part of this conversation that we're having truly is a conversation with you listening to say - ask what ideas that you have. What kind of shows do you want to hear? What show might you want to do that we can talk about and work and get onto the air? Who do you know? What talents do you have? Hey, help us do this thing. We've got plenty of volunteer roles and a ton of capacity that needs to be met. Donations, certainly - we've gotta fund this operation on an ongoing basis. So there's a lot to do together. But we do have a vision of what this could be - from music to conversation, talk and news, to sports coverage from local high schools and beyond, multilingual broadcasting and conversation - because we speak different languages in this community. And that can be a point of connection, not separation. We have a lot on the docket, but we want to do it with you. When you think about just this building process, what excites you?

[00:20:28] Monisha Harrell: You know, I have spoken to so many people and I'm like - That should be a show. That should be a show. You should do that show. And I'm not blowing smoke at people - I sincerely have talked to so many people, and I know that what they could share with community would be both interesting and I would tune in, right? I would tune in to hear what people are able to bring forward - so many different talents. And I myself have had more ideas for - I could do this and this and this. And the amazing part is - every single one of the things I want to do, that I want to showcase is the ability to bring in others and showcase their talents. People who I've met in community who I'm like - More people should know you, more people should know about you, more people should know about your work. And I'm excited to be able to shine a little spotlight on a lot of our talent - because we don't get a lot of the good news. We don't get a lot of that great feeling. And sometimes when I'm stuck in the doom spiral, I get a little - Man, what am I doing here? Like, what's going on? How are we gonna - but then I realize what the gifts that people have around us. And that a lot of what I'm feeling at times is just disconnection from good people, who - each one of them in their way is doing something amazing in community that just other people, maybe I or others, didn't know about. And then I find out about it and I think - how come more people don't know about you? Because these aren't the stories that we normally get.

Of course, I'm still really excited - when we're not running formal programming - about the music. Who has not wanted to be a little DJ? Who has not wanted to be - you heard that song, you're driving in the car, you're singing, and you're like - more people should know about this music. More people should know about this song. I was talking to a group of young people yesterday, ranging from high school to college, and they started talking about - like they heard some song for the first time that was a late-70s classic, and they'd never heard it and they're like - Oh my god, this song is so good and I'm like I've never heard this before. And I thought - Oh my goodness, the poor children are growing up without knowing things that they should know, like they should know.

[00:23:18] Crystal Fincher: We're losing recipes! Oh my goodness-

[00:23:19] Monisha Harrell: And I'm glad that Kendrick's got a song called "luther" because I'm like - Listen, the children should know about Luther. If I say Luther and they don't know who I'm talking about, they need to learn about Luther. So they can turn into KVRU at some point - learn about Luther. They should know the classics. They should know the hits. If they haven't heard some Lou Rawls, some Teddy Pendergrass - I mean, I know we're going to get it covered. And then the great opportunity for me to be exposed to music that I haven't heard or become familiar with. There is a lot of artists across the world who have followings in South Seattle that I'm not plugged into yet. And so I am open and like - what am I going to turn on and listen to on the station that is going to be music that somebody else might have grown up with, that I'm just getting exposed to for the first time, and now I have a new favorite artist. So everything from talk to music, I feel like we're going to be able to open the door for a lot of people to discover things outside of their immediate roles and worlds.

[00:24:31] Crystal Fincher: I agree. That is so fun. I mean, the music aspect alone - my father was a musician. You know, I had band practice going on in the background for a large percentage of my life. And just even, you know, the shows where I hear music that I grew up on, that I remember hearing them play in band practice, or hearing my dad jam to - just stuff from the radio when I was younger. It's just a little party. It's just, I mean, for those who have been in the studio with me, it's a little party. I have a hard time sitting still half the time with the music going on. But it's just really cool.

I love the team that we're doing this with. You know, we've talked about you and me, but another member of the team - you all may know well - Shannon Cheng, Dr. Shannon Cheng, who you who listen to Hacks & Wonks are certainly familiar with, who has produced this show for quite some time. And hosted a few Hacks & Wonks shows in her time - great shows, by the way, you should listen to them. But also Maurice Jones, Jr., who has been with the station since 2018 and is part of our new venture here as we continue with the station. And he has just been such a consistent mentoring force, defining the musical direction and authenticity of the station, ensuring that it really - that local voices are cultivated and platformed. And is just such a wealth of knowledge and experience. The station would not still exist without him and his efforts. Kind of the ebb and flow in the history of the station - it's gone through various iterations before. And for a large part of the last year, Maurice has single-handedly - literally, just him - been keeping the station on the air. So to have him as part of this also is very, very meaningful to me and to all of us. And he, in and of himself, is an institution, an asset to the community - a Grammy award-winning artist also, in his own right. And, you know, incredibly talented studio engineer who just loves nothing more and is just supremely talented at imparting the wisdom that he has and the passion that he has to other people, especially younger people. So also we have plans to bring in the educational component - to bring that back and train youth and all the stuff that's going on from all the broadcast equipment and processes to audio engineering, working with our - we say new media, even though it's like 20 plus years old at this point - but current media landscape, operating within that. So we're just really, really excited moving forward. So when it comes to what we're asking people to do right now - what is it that we're asking?

[00:27:36] Monisha Harrell: I mean, the build with us is real, right? The build with us is not just tactical. It's also - dream with us. What could this be? What do you think this could be? We talked about the programming. The programming - everything that helps people from mental health supports, sharing good news, sharing information that people should have, helping make sure that people are aware of opportunities available to support the community - to radio and culture, like help us expand our own knowledge bases and grow as people. Because I have this theory that if you are not growing, then you're, you know, you're dying, right? Like life is is one of those things that you just - my grandfather just passed a couple weeks ago - and what I will say in that is that even in his last weeks, he continued to be literally the definition of a lifelong learner. He was still watching television shows that he thought he could learn from. He was still absorbing and taking in information. And so I think if he was still doing that at 93, certainly I think everybody listening to us can continue their learning and growth journeys.

And fun - like I want us to have fun. And that's part of the joy of music, like the music aspect of a station, which is - What do we create? What do we build? What brings us joy? It doesn't always have to be like a deep and thoughtful piece. It could be something like, you know, TLC's What About Your Friends. I mean, it could be just what brings you joy, right? Just something that makes you remember that you still got a little Electric Slide in you, or something along those lines. And so I want everybody who is listening to us to think about - What can I do to contribute? How can I be a part of the KVRU community and what is being built there? Because I think everybody has something to contribute - and I think and hope that people will find community, will find universal acceptance, will find a sense of belonging with this KVRU family that we are building together. So, you know, I just hope it promotes people dreaming of what we can do. And then coming forward to bring those dreams forward.

[00:30:17] Crystal Fincher: That's so well said. I am so there and am excited about this. And just want to double down on the fun aspect of it. It is so important to claim joy wherever we can find it - that is part of what sustains us and carries us through. It's absolutely necessary. And I'm really excited to just discover what whimsical and ridiculous and interesting and fascinating ideas people come up with. Because like you said, everybody has something - it could just be like, You know, this is kind of wild, or I feel like I'm the only person interested in this, perhaps. But what about this? Have you thought about this? We want to hear all of that. We want to talk about all of that - all of the subjects. You're listening to Hacks & Wonks. You're a wonky individual - odds are - like I am. And sometimes, you know, in some spaces, it's that 24-7. We're a lot bigger than that and have a lot more going on. And that is very important, certainly. I believe that. But we need the rest of it, too. And that's what really builds community. That's really what culture is. And so we're very excited about that. So please visit KVRU.org and check us out. Listen to the livestream right now - we are pre-programmed music until we get with you guys and hear what your ideas are and work through those shows and get them up on the air. But we're very excited for what's happening next and excited to be - I'm excited to be doing this with you, Monisha, and very excited to be doing this with the community.

[00:32:02] Monisha Harrell: I could not ask for a better partner in this work. And we still haven't figured out what our titles are. So, if you as a public have ideas on titles - I was trying to explain to somebody, I'm like - Well, my partner, I mean, like not my wife. I have a wife, but not my - like my business partner, Crystal, right? So we need - we need titles.

[00:32:25] Crystal Fincher: I mean, you know, if you know me in real life, you know me and titles. I hate-

[00:32:30] Monisha Harrell: I've never loved them either.

[00:32:32] Crystal Fincher: I've just never loved titles personally. I do what I do with other people, and it's all good. We're figuring it out - you know, all of that. But but yes, you may notice we don't have titles on the website. We've talked it through, and we've arrived just where that is - without any. And I'm actually okay with that - personally. It does complicate the explaining to others part.

[00:32:56] Monisha Harrell: Yeah. Well, and especially, it's kind of - we get real slick with language. And I'm like - No no, I know we've moved past partners. But I'm like - And no, but I have like a wife. But this is not my wife, this is different person.

[00:33:10] Crystal Fincher: Yep yep yep. So here we are - this is what we're doing. This is why, this is what I have been working on. And these things take time and go on circuitous routes as they're negotiated. And putting this together and figuring it out and transitioning stuff turned out to be very time consuming and involved. Very interesting. And lots of fun aspects - some aspects not so fun - but lots of fun aspects. But that is why Hacks & Wonks has not been publishing on its regular schedule recently - just kind of figuring that all out. And there's still a few things to figure out with exactly how this is slotting into the station. I will admit it is - for me - feels a lot more fun to talk about other people's potential programs than my own.

[00:33:59] Monisha Harrell: I still say - Give the people what they want.

[00:34:02] Crystal Fincher: The people want a lot of different things. I am people. But, that's where we're at. So thank you - we'll get back on schedule. We've got a lot to talk about legislatively. We've got a lot to talk about in every single category of things that we talk about. You know, I typically don't talk much federal politics and policy on this show, but what's happening federally is impacting a lot on the state and local levels. We'll be talking about all of that in upcoming shows, but appreciate you listening. Please feel free to reach out to us - again, kvru.org, the website. If you want to reach out to me - crystal@kvru.org, or just hit up info@kvru.org with anything. We can just, you know, open up a conversation - chat it out. But yeah, that's where we're at.

[00:34:54] Monisha Harrell: There's nobody else I'd rather be on this journey with. Thank you for inviting me along, and I'm looking forward to what the community will bring this station and this great asset to South Seattle.

[00:35:09] Crystal Fincher: All right, we're doing it. We're doing this, everybody. We're doing this together. Come and build with us. We'll talk soon.

Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes.

Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.