Devoted listeners to KZMU, Moab’s community radio station, may remember when the 90.1 FM signal cut out last May. Listeners could still tune in at 106.7 FM or online, but that main signal, from a transmitter atop Bald Mesa, was missed.
It took until August to come back online. But now that it’s back, executive director Barbro Rakos wants to keep the momentum going during the fall fundraiser, “Radiothon,” which aims to raise $30,000 in one week. The fundraiser will run from October 13 to 21; you can donate online (www.KZMU.org), in person at the radio station, or by calling in on the airwaves. There will also be KZMU merchandise available to buy.
The funds raised during the week will go toward recouping the costs of reinstalling the 90.1 FM transmitter, Rakos said, but also to support expanding the KZMU signals even farther. KZMU was recently gifted funds from KUER in Salt Lake City, so with that funding, plus Radiothon donations, Rakos hopes KZMU can expand coverage into San Juan County—reaching as far as Bears Ears National Monument and the Navajo Nation.
“We have the hardware installed, we’ve filed the construction permit and the regulatory permit with the FCC—we’re just tweaking a few minor things, and then we’ll switch it on hopefully very soon,” Rakos said. She gave a shout out to the station’s engineer, Bob Owen.
Right now, KZMU reaches Moab, Green River, Monticello, and Castle Valley—but it draws inspiration from and works with more distant communities, too. In particular, Rakos said, KZMU’s partnership with Pete Sands—the host of Navajo Highways, a puppet show for the young and old to learn about the Diné (Navajo) language and culture—inspired the station to think about how it could better interact with the Navajo Nation and beyond.
“We already have these partnerships with our neighbors,” Rakos said. “So wouldn’t it be cool to actually serve their broadcast area? And then we can bring what we have to them, and then they have a voice on KZMU. It opens up possibilities for trustees, DJs, volunteers, to really diversify.”
“Those live local voices are not just our DJs, who are amazing, but the community voices in the stories and conversations we host every day through our news and public affairs programs,” said Molly Marcello, KZMU’s news and public affairs director. “People move away and stream the station online so they can feel connected to their Moab community again. That’s amazing. This station is truly a precious gem, a wild and weird reflection of our corner of the world.”
This is also Rakos’s first Radiothon as the station’s executive director—she started at the position in April. She said she loves the idea that DJs and listeners to KZMU can have “a little bit of a license to be goofy.”
“This job has been a million miles an hour from the beginning,” Rakos said. “It’s been fun to see the fruits of labor, and getting to know the station on a deeper level has been so cool. Just taking this time in these six months to get to know the operations and understand more about how this whole thing works in Moab, and what it means to the community, has been really satisfying.”
Rakos is excited too about the Radiothon merch this year, she said: her favorite is the Radiothon tee-shirt, which features a design of a meadowlark drawn by local artist (and KZMU DJ) M.A. Russell.
“It’s kind of announcing a new dawn,” Rakos said. “It’s showing the resurrection of our signal.”
Both Marcello and Emily Arntsen, a news reporter at KZMU, said the Radiothon fundraisers are the backbone of the station.
“It makes me so happy when people see me out somewhere and come up to me and tell me they loved hearing someone they know on our program,” Arntsen said. “We care so much about our community and the work we do, and it wouldn’t be possible without the donations of so many loyal listeners.” “It’s also a time to hear from listeners and celebrate,” Marcello said. “We are obviously working hard to raise money and keep this place running, but we also love to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re headed.”
