Join KBCS at the 54th Annual Northwest Folklife Festival

Elimination of Public Media Funding Requested by White House

The White House has put forth an annual budget that requests eliminating public media funding at the federal level for FY26. The proposal asks Congress to eliminate nearly all $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports more than 1,500 non-profit stations across the country, including KBCS.

As it stands, the White House’s proposed budget would eliminate the federal investment that powers trusted journalism and educational programming that local communities rely on every day. It’s part of a bigger goal to destabilize independent journalism.

We rely on two pillars of support: federal support and private support from listeners like you. Right now, KBCS needs your help more than ever. While federal support only makes up 10% of KBCS’s budget, that translates into a funding gap of $120,000 annually that we will have to make up in order to continue the programming you and our community rely on. 

What You Can Do

Financial Support

Individual listeners are, and always have been, KBCS’s most reliable source of funding. That’s why I ask that if you’ve yet to do so, become an active KBCS contributor now. If you are already giving, I cannot thank you enough, and hope you’ll consider an additional gift or an increase to your monthly contribution. Your support is the most effective way to insulate KBCS from the threat of this potential loss of funding. 

Advocate

You can also take action by emailing or calling your representative and urging them to oppose the elimination of public media funding to stations like KBCS. To find your representative and contact them, we recommend visiting the Protect My Public Media website: protectmypublicmedia.org.

What Happens Next

Under the rescissions process, once the White House submits the package, Congress has 45 days to vote on whether fundning will continue or be stripped away. But a vote could happen at any point during that window. The Senate can pass a rescission with just a simple majority of just 50 votes, making every vote critically important.

That means Congress could revoke public media funding that’s already been approved and committed to stations — all within a matter of weeks.

We are following next steps closely and will provide updates as we know more. In the meantime, we thank you for your steadfast support of KBCS and independent media as a whole. 

The Caravan with John Gilbreath Returns to KBCS

We’re excited to announce that long-time KBCS program, The Caravan, hosted by John Gilbreath, will return to KBCS on Tuesday, May 13th.  

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KBCS Message on White House Executive Order to Cut NPR and PBS Funding

We are deeply concerned by the executive order to cut NPR and PBS funding. On May 1, 2025, the White House directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and federal agencies to end funding for NPR and PBS. While KBCS is not directly affiliated with NPR, we stand firmly with our colleagues in public media who are being targeted by this decision.

The goal is unmistakable: to dismantle public media as we know it.

Public media was founded on the principle that access to free, non-commercial journalism and educational content strengthens our democracy. Local stations across the country, including ours, rely on the infrastructure and support made possible by the CPB to serve diverse communities with trusted, fact-based information. NPR and PBS are pillars of that ecosystem, producing high-quality journalism and programming that reflects the breadth and complexity of American life.

The claim that public media is inherently biased misunderstands the mission and editorial standards that guide our work. Independence, accuracy, and public accountability are not threats—they are our commitments.

This decision threatens not only two nationally recognized institutions, but also the hundreds of local stations—urban and rural, large and small—that serve the public interest every day. We know the vital role that public broadcasting plays in civic life, from educational children’s programming to coverage of local issues that commercial media often overlooks.

We join with stations across the country in reaffirming our support for public media and our belief that it must remain a trusted, nonpartisan, and publicly accountable source of information for all.

We urge lawmakers, community leaders, and citizens to stand with us—and with NPR, PBS, and the CPB—in protecting the future of independent public broadcasting.

You can take action to stop this attack on NPR, PBS, and public media by contacting your local representative at protectmypublicmedia.org.

– The KBCS Team

Levi Sweeney DJ Appreciation Post

Hi, I’m Levi Sweeney. I’m one of the newest hosts at KBCS, and I host the 12 AM to 1 AM Saturday show The KBCS Retro Radio Theatre. I’m a pioneer in applied AI audio and radio dramas. If you tune in to my late, late, show at midnight, you’ll hear me playing the character of “Jack Newman,” unlicensed, back-alley dealer of Old Time Radio. (more…)

Roots Rock + Soul-Wednesday Wax

KBCS 91.3FM Roots Rock + Soul brings listeners selections from the KBCS music library. Host Greg shares sound selections until 7pm Monday through Friday with Wednesday’s dipping into a selection from the KBCS Vinyl Library.   And today, April 9th, we share The Lebron Brothers Orchestra and their first release, Psychedelic Goes Latin!  

Starting off this evenings mix with My Cool Boogaloo!  Tune in and listen to check out the other selections from this 1967 release from Cotique Records.  And stay on KBCS to hear the rest of Roots Rock + Soul evening mix for an eclectic celebration of the sounds from the KBCS Music Library.

Lebron Brothers – Psychedelic Goes Latin

DJ Chairman Moe Appreciation Post

DJ ChairmanMoe has been a part of the KBCS family since 2009, when his first show “Recycled Music” made its debut. At the time, the theme was Cover Tunes, and his show featured the music you loved, just not the way you remember hearing it. It was a good run but the show seemed to lose a little steam. In 2017, a format change was due and (at the encouragement of KBCS management) a new show format was launched under the title, Chairman Moe, with a focus on 80’s music, deep-diving into the world of post punk, early goth, power pop, garage/jangle and anything else that doesn’t typically appear on a AI-generated playlist from a corporate service. (more…)

APM presents The Other Moonshot

91.3 FM KBCS presents a special 4 part series from American Public Media presents: The Other Moonshot on Fridays during the KBCS 5am Feature Program.

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KBCS Women’s History Month Programs

KBCS presents the following programs in our station schedule for Women’s History Month.  Please tune in to hear these incredible programs celebrating, educating and inspiring listeners.  There are many resources provided to KBCS broadcasts thanks to the support from listeners, like you!  Please consider making a donation to KBCS at www.kbcs.fm/donate

Please check out the links to the programs to learn more about the stories, producers and studios providing these important programs.  Please tune-in to some of our regularly scheduled programming representing women of today, sharing news, stories, struggles and celebrations!

WINGS: Women’s International News Gathering Service – Tuesdays at 5:30am just after This Way Out LGBTQ+ News at 5am

Rising Up with Sonali – Fridays 7am

Democracy Now  – Daily (Mon to Fri) at 8am

Archive audio for most of the programs on KBCS can be found for a 2-week availability on the program pages at www.kbcs.fm/program

>>>> WEEK 1 <<<<

MONDAY March 3rd –

 New Letters On Air

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/232329-black-women-writers-in-history

Women’s History Month continues as we go to the archives to revisit Black Women Writers in History, a program that examines important African-American writers such as Phyllis Wheatley, Rita Dove, Margaret Walker and Gwendolyn Brooks

Making contact:  Black Women History

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/386661-black-women-in-history

While Black women have played a critical role in the development of the nation, their stories have been mostly overlooked. In the new book, A Black Womens History of the United States, historians Diana Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross honor the many significant contributions of Black women who have worked tirelessly to build this country and fight for social justice in the face of racism and sexism.

FRIDAY March 7th – 11pm

AFROPOP – Cesari Evora

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/560687-womens-history-month-afropop-s-tribute-to-cesari

The beloved, Grammy Award winning singer Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde passed away in 2011 at the age of 70. We celebrate Cesaria’s life and art with an encore of our 1995 recording of her magnificent New York City debut at the Bottom Line. Cesaria, known as the “Queen of the morna” is backed by her classy group featuring piano, acoustic bass guitar, cavaquinho and lead acoustic guitar. As a special bonus, two accomplished protégés of Cesaria’s – Fantcha and Mayra Andrade – pay their tribute with stories and songs inspired by one of the most influential and successful artists of the modern African era.

>>>> WEEK 2 <<<<

MONDAY March 10th – 4am

WINGS: Suppressed History: https://wingsradio.org/wordpress/

• https://audioport.org/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=273583&nav=&

WINGS contributor in Amsterdam Mindy Ran interviewed Max Dashu via zoom in March 2024, for Women’s History Month. Dashu explains how and why she started the Suppressed Histories Archive and explains some of the obstacles and complications in appropriately finding and interrogating the biases of various kind of sources. She notes how the technical demands and opportunities have arisen for the project over its 54 years, and her hopes for making the entire collection searchable and accessible.

What’s the Word: Women Warriors: https://www.mla.org/

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/16840-what-s-the-word-women-warriors

From the Greek goddess Athena to the classic comic book character Zena and from Joan of Arc to GI Jane, history, mythology, and contemporary literature and film offer many images of women warriors. Susan Crane takes us back to the Middle Ages with a look at Joan of Arc and the transcripts of her trial for heresy; Shirley Geok-lin Lim talks about Maxine Hong Kingston’s book, The Woman Warrior; and Yvonne Tasker explores the portrayal of a female naval officer in Ridley Scott’s 1997 film, GI Jane.  

FRIDAY March 14th – AfroPOP – Reconstructing Somalia

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/564039-womens-history-month-reconstructing-somalia-wo

In this episode we take a rare look at Somalia’s formative, pre-civil war years (1960-90), which saw the birth of soomaalinimo – Somali patriotism. Our principal guide is Lidwien Kapteijns (Professor of History at Wellesley College) whose book Women’s Voices in a Man’s World focuses on popular songs of this hopeful era shaped the changing lives and status of women

>>>> WEEK 3 <<<<

MONDAY March 17th – 4am

AUDACIOUS – Female Base Jumper and South Pole Explorer

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/562030-from-wingsuit-base-jumping-to-record-breaking-sout

On this episode of Audacious, meet wingsuit BASE jumper, Ellen Brennen Frat, and the first women to ski solo to the South Pole, Liv Arnesen

FRIDAY March 21st – 11pm

AFROPop – Women’s History Month: Fairuz, A Woman for all Seasons

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/564491-women-s-history-month-fairuz-a-woman-for-all-sea

Fairuz is the most popular living singer throughout the Arabic-speaking world and an artist with no real counterpart in Europe or the Americas.

>>>> Week 4 <<<<

Monday March 24th

WINGS: Women’s Equality USA

• https://audioport.org/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=285036&nav=&

WINGS contributor in Amsterdam Mindy Ran interviewed Max Dashu via zoom in March 2024, for Women’s History Month. Dashu explains how and why she started the Suppressed Histories Archive and explains some of the obstacles and complications in appropriately finding and interrogating the biases of various kind of sources. She notes how the technical demands and opportunities have arisen for the project over its 54 years, and her hopes for making the entire collection searchable and accessible.

Making contact:  70 Million – How Black Women Rightfully Taking Seats

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/390361-70-million-how-black-women-are-rightfully-taking

Nearly one in two Black women in the US have a loved one who has been impacted by our prison system. Many become de facto civilian experts as a result. Some rise to lead as catalysts for change. And now, scores of Black women are joining the ranks”as officers of the court, police, and judges”to manage and advance a system that has had such an outsized impact on their lives. On today’s episode we look at the many ways Black women are leading the conversation around policy and reform within the criminal justice system.

FRIDAY March 28th – 11pm

AFROPop – Women’s History Month: Four Women of the West

• https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/564679-women-s-history-month-four-women-of-the-west

In West Africa, women are on the cutting edge of musical and cultural progress. This program looks at four singer/composers with roots in tradition and unique ideas about how to keep them current in the fast-changing milieu of today’s African music.

Thank you

KBCS Women’s History Month 2025

Crystal Thung