KRFY radio thriving after near-demise
SANDPOINT — 88.5 FM KRFY is now a stable slice of local culture that anyone can absorb by switching on the radio, but it wasn’t always that way.
At the end of last year, the radio station was in danger of closing down. With a little persistence from some of its supporters, however, the station found the means to stay on the air and is now stable, with enough backing to keep the airwaves going for the foreseeable future.
That outcome certainly wasn’t apparent at the end of last year, when many board members were certain the station would be closing its doors. Supporters of the station were surprised to learn that broadcasting was scheduled to cease in 2012.
That didn’t sit right with many who had been involved in getting the station going. They hated to see all the hard work and money spent on the project go to waste.
“People had been spending five years trying to get this station going,” said Lee Santa, who had spent time on a jazz program earlier in the station’s life. “How could we just shut it down?”
While some proposed that the station shut down for a short period of time, during which the board work on reorganizing and restoring broadcasts. However, others argued that it would be far easier to somehow keep the station on the air than to shut it down and bring it back.
Public radio fans leapt into action. They organized a meeting at Monarch Mountain Coffee Roasters that brought board members, radio station associates and listeners together for a discussion on possible means to keep the broadcasting switch flipped on. The meeting proved to be highly popular — almost too popular for the venue. More than 40 people showed up to toss ideas back and forth.
“It was very crowded—too crowded to hold a meeting there,” former board member Christine Holbert said.
That’s why for the next meeting, organizers expanded the venue. This time, people meet at the Sandpoint library, and even more people showed up. Through some steady collaboration, the group developed a plan that included personal donations and an underwriting campaign targeting local businesses. On an individual level, supporters gave what they could afford — one generous person even gave up his sailboat to the cause.
As for the underwriting campaign, supporters asked businesses to supply funding for the station in exchange for several on-air mentions per day. Jim Healey, who would later take over much of KRFY’s operational duties thanks to his experience in the medium, and other campaigners secured enough commitments to cover operational costs by spring of 2012.
With all the changes involved, the station itself needed some reorganizing. KRFY associate Jeff Burns spent several months working on establishing the station’s identity.
“I wanted the station to be like the Panida,” he said. “And anyone who knows anything about the Panida knows it’s community-owned.”
Burns approached this vision with considerations like encouraging local DJs and recording community bumpers. A mark of identification for the station, these bumpers used the voices of several different community members to create a uniquely local pastiche.
KRFY is now a stable entity providing a local community perspective for all who tune in. Its continued survival is a testament to the dedication of the individuals who fought to keep it alive during the worst of times.
To support KRFY Community Radio, call 265-2992 or visit www.krfy.org.