March 5, 2024 - 10:03 am

KBCS Spring News: Welcome to a Season of Renewal and Rebirth!

Dear KBCS Listeners and Supporters,

As the days grow longer and nature comes alive with vibrant colors, we welcome the arrival of spring with open arms. This is a time of renewal, growth, and endless possibilities. I hope this newsletter finds you all in good spirits and ready to embrace the wonders of this season of regrowth and new beginnings.

Here is what’s blooming at KBCS:

1. Exciting New Programming:

Spring brings with it fresh beginnings, and we are thrilled to introduce a new series of educational and cultural program offerings on KBCS that were chosen to inform, educate, and offer a more structured forum for a more balanced debate of the prominent issues and topics of the day. On Monday, tune in for Philosophy Talk, a program that challenges listeners to identify and question their assumptions, and to think about things in new ways. On Tuesday, you can listen to the largest and oldest public affairs forum in America, the Commonwealth Club of California, where for over 90 years distinguished speakers have shared their experiences and ideas in a nonpartisan forum that strives to bring a more balanced viewpoint on the issues and a serious commitment to “stick to the facts.” Wednesday at noon, features the City Arts & Lectures series with leading figures in the world of arts and ideas in literature, criticism, science, and the performing arts. On Thursday, KBCS presents Open to Debate, a new program that seeks to restore balance to the public square through expert moderation, good-faith arguments, and reasoned analysis on topics of science, technology, politics, culture, and global affairs. Finally, we will round out the week with a cultural program offering that features one of our region’s favorite sons, Rick Steves, who is also one of public broadcasting’s favorite personalities with his weekly radio series Travel with Rick Steves, a program that features great conversations with special guests and travel experts. Check it out, each weekday at noon on KBCS.

2. KBCS News Director, Yuko Kodama, has announced that she is leaving KBCS:

Our popular News Director, Yuko Kodama, has announced her resignation after serving for the past 7 years as the KBCS News Director. Yuko is an amazing journalist, a highly respected collaborator, and a compassionate human being. Her large body of work with its focus on stories of social justice will never be forgotten. I know that we will all miss her and offer Yuko our best wishes for wherever life’s journey takes her next. KBCS will now begin the search for our next News Director which will be conducted through the Bellevue College Department of Human Resources. A search team will be established shortly to begin the formal hiring process.

3. KBCS Annual Spring Fundraiser kicks off on Friday, March 15.

Our KBCS Membership/ Development Manager, Ben Brandow, has set the date for our annual Spring Fundraising campaign. The on-air portion of the campaign will begin on Friday, March 15^th, and run through Monday, March 25^th. Join us for a celebration of our over fifty-year tradition of community radio programming across the Puget Sound region. KBCS is a “self-support” educational nonprofit radio station that depends on the financial contributions and generosity of our listeners and supporters for over 80% of yearly operating funds.

4. World News Radio KBCS HD2 now streaming live online:

Some of you will be surprised to learn that there is more to KBCS than just our longtime flagship KBCS-FM-HD1 Community Radio format. KBCS also broadcasts and streams our World News Radio KBCS-HD2 News and Fine Arts radio programming around the clock. The base programming of World News Radio KBCS is a live satellite feed from London of the BBC World Service. The BBC World Service is one of the most respected and trusted news outlets in the world. This broadcast stream also features a variety of independent specialty news programs during the day. During the weekday evenings, sit back, relax, and enjoy beautiful symphonic concerts and chamber music from the world’s leading symphony and chamber music orchestras. On Sunday evenings you can listen to thought-provoking and highly imaginative radio dramas from the award-winning LA Theater Works. This program features contemporary actors from both stage and screen sharing their talents and creativity by performing in a “theater of the mind.” Our World News Radio KBCS HD2 programming can be heard over the air through our HD radio digital broadcast transmission, and now streaming online at www.worldnewsradiokbcs.com

5. Stay Connected: Do not miss any of our popular live in-station interviews with musicians, during Iaan Hughes, Roots, Rock, and Soul show now heard each weekday from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on KBCS-FM-HD1. Also join us during the evenings, overnight, and all through the weekend for an eclectic and diverse mix of amazing music programs produced and hosted by local community volunteers and students. Be sure to follow us on social media, subscribe to our KBCS newsletter, and visit our website regularly at kbcs.fm for the inside scoop on all things new this spring and much, much more.

As we embrace the new spring season’s spirit of renewal and growth, all of us here at KBCS are grateful for your continued moral and financial support as we embark on the next 50 years of great radio programming here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Thank you for your time,

Dana Lee Buckingham, KBCS General Manager and Executive Producer of World News Radio KBCS-HD

Spring Blossom