Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

WMM’s “901 SHOW” shares stories about 90.1 FM KKFI
with 9 special guests, who all keep 90.1 – On The Air!

10:00 – “Support for Wednesday MidDay Medley from Blue Fox Productions”

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
   from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / December 20, 1979
   [WMM’s Adopted Theme Song]

2. Joni Mitchell – “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio”
   from: For The Roses / Asylum / 1972
   [“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” is a song written and originally recorded by Canadian singer songwriter Joni Mitchell. It was released on her fifth studio album entitled For the Roses and was issued as a single as well. // Joni Mitchell originally wrote the song in response to her record label’s desire for her to write a hit song. Mitchell reveals her purpose on lines such as, “And I’m sending you out this signal here, I hope you can pick it up loud and clear”. She believed that including words in the song about radio themes would convince stations to play the recording. The song was recorded in preparation for Mitchell’s then-upcoming fifth studio album in Hollywood, California at A&M Studios. Although Graham Nash, David Crosby, and Neil Young all contributed to the recording session for the song, only the harmonica piece performed by Graham Nash was included on the official release. // “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” was released as a single in November 1972 via Asylum Records. The song became Mitchell’s first top-ten hit in Canada, reaching the tenth position on the RPM Top Singles chart. Additionally, the single became her first top-forty hit in the United States, reaching number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside North America, “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” peaked within the top forty on the Australian Kent Music Report chart.[6] The single was included on Mitchell’s fifth studio effort For the Roses, which was issued in November 1972. // For The Roses was released between her 2 biggest commercial and critical successes, “Blue” and “Court & Spark.” In 2007 it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. “For the Roses” was Mitchell’s farewell to the business; she took an extended break for a year after. The album was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying, “Each of Mitchell’s songs on For the Roses is a gem glistening with her elegant way with language, her pointed splashes of irony & her perfect shaping of images. Never does Mitchell voice a thought or feeling commonly. She’s a songwriter and singer of genius who can’t help but make us feel we are not alone.” A nude photograph of Joni Mitchell was included on the inside cover of the original LP and is included in the CD booklet. The photograph shows the singer from the rear & was taken from a considerable distance; she is shown standing on a rock and staring out at the ocean. This created some controversy at the time.]

10:03

Thanks for tuning into WMM on 90.1 FM KKFI. I’m Mark Manning. Today we bring you WMM’s 901 show about 90.1 FM KKFI with 9 special guests, who all keep 90.1 – On The Air!

Stay tuned in to hear stories about how it took over ten years to get KKFI started, about how we almost lost KKFI, about the “terrible teenage years” of KKFI, about how lifelong friends were forged at KKFI, about how far KKFI has come in 33 years, and how far we have yet to go. 90.1 FM KKFI is Kansas City’s most original broadcasting station with over 85 weekly LOCALLY PRODUCED radio programs to serve Kansas City’s diverse collective communities! We’ll also spin songs about radio from: Psychic Heat, Elevator Division, Emily King, Kristie Stremel, Nivea, and Anne Feeney. We started the Show with Joni Mitchell.

At 10:00 we talk with Tom Crane – host & producer of World Sound Radio, about “the beginning” of 90.1 FM – KKFI.

At 10:20 Judy Ancel – host & producer of Heartland Labor Forum shares stories about “the struggle” a 3-year public campaign to take back 90.1 FM, restore our name, restore our bylaws, restore our Board, and our Active Members system.

At 10:40 Dorothy Hawkins – host & producer of Mother’s Mix, and Barry Lee – host & producer of Signal To Noise, share stories about the “bump & grind” of 90.1 FM.

At 11:00 Maria Vasquez Boyd – host & producer of ARTSPEAK RADIO and Marion Merritt – host & producer of Wednesday MidDay Medley share stories about “The Friendships” that have been created through KKFI.

At 11:20 Ebony Johnson – host & producer of Ebony’s Bones show, and Catina K Taylor – Vice President of the MidCoast Radio Project Board of Directors share their ideas about “The Current” of The Mid-Coast Radio Project.”

At 11:40 Lesley Pories – President of the MidCoast Radio Project Board of Directors, talks about “The Future” of 90.1 FM KKFI and the continual effort to help 90.1 FM become more secure, live by our mission, and sound as great as possible, while creating a place for volunteers to learn and grow as hosts, producers, engineers and collaborators.

10:05 – Interview with Tom Crane – “The Beginning”

We begin with the beginning, with a man who has been with KKFI when there were fewer than 3 people keeping the dream alive. Tom Crane studied International Affairs at Ohio University. He worked for the Peace Corps and Corporation For National Service (CNS) serving as health volunteer in Africa in Malawi. Tom Crane helped give birth to KKFI. His father, an engineer with WGN in Chicago, helped foster KKFI. At one time radio shows were produced in Tom Crane’s basement studio and recorded on reel to reel to then be taken to the tower to be played. Tom Crane stated his family at KKFI. He has two sons, Cameron Crane and Alex Crane. Tom was one of the members of Friends of Community Radio who worked to take back KKFI in the early 2000s. After a 3-year struggle Tom was reinstated as a programmer and has continued to produce and host his program World Sound on KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City, Mo. Sundays at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, promoting world peace thru world music.

Tom Crane thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 901 Show.

The notes below were all written by Tom Crane and are at: http://www.kkfi.story.org

KKFI started broadcasting as a 100,000-watt FM station on 90.1 on the FM dial in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, February 28, 1988 at about 10:00 AM.

The http://www.kkfistory.org celebrates the work of hundreds of volunteers and the contributions of thousands of listeners who have kept KKFI going through the years. It chronicles some of the history, facts, and, interesting anecdotes about the struggle to get the community radio station going and keep it on the air.

On March 25th, 1977, the Mid-Coast Radio Project was born and was incorporated by a few individuals who supported starting a community radio station – as a Not for Profit Corporation under the laws of Missouri.

Original bylaws for the incorporation of Mid-Coast Radio certified by board secretary 5/10/77.

After incorporation the group of radio & media enthusiasts got together to set up a Communiversity course called “Radio Free Kansas City” for exploration of the idea of a citizen-owned, non-commercial radio station. The Communiversity was a free-university under the auspices of the University of Missouri Kansas City. People from the community could offer courses where ordinary people could enroll ranging from pottery, to investment strategies for a small fee. A quarterly catalog was put out of courses, and “Radio Free Kansas City” was offered several times.

The text book used in the Communiversity class was the 1971 book: Sex and Broadcasting, A Handbook on Starting a Radio Station for the Community, was written by Lorenzo Wilson Milam. Milam is credited with helping start 14 stations from the early 1960s through late 1970s. He got his start in radio volunteering in 1958–1959 at Lew Hill’s KPFA in Berkeley, California. He used a $15,000 inheritance to buy a small FM transmitter in 1959 and spent the next 3 years seeking a broadcasting license “anywhere in the US” from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which assigned him a frequency in Seattle, 107.7FM. With the help of volunteer engineer Jeremy Lansman he was able to get his antique Collins Radio transmitter on the air in 1962, creating the station KRAB. // Milam and Lansman later assisted in the creation of community radio stations around the country, starting in 1968 with KBOO (1968-1971) in Portland, KTAO (1968-1974), KDNA (St. Louis) 1969-72, KPOO-FM) (1972-) San Francisco, KCHU, 1975-77, KFAT (1975-1983) Gilroy, CA, WORT, WRFG 89.3 FM (Atlanta, Georgia), KOPN 89.5 FM (Columbia, Missouri), KZUM 89.3 FM (Lincoln, Nebraska). // The KRAB Nebula, was a tape exchange, using quarter-inch audio tape sent to stations, sharing programs. // According to David Armstrong in A Trumpet to Arms: Alternative Media in America, “Milam’s passion for community radio–and 1.1 million from the sale of a second station, KDNA-St.Louis, to commercial broadcasters in 1973–led him to become a veritable Johnny Appleseed of community radio.” // Lorenzo Wilson Milam, born on August 2, 1933, in Jacksonville, Florida, died on July 19, 2020 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico, was an American writer and activist who was instrumental in starting many of the first listener-supported community radio stations in the United States, beginning with KRAB in Seattle in 1962. // In 1952, at age 19, he was diagnosed with polio. His sister died of the disease on December 29, 1952, but Milam’s case was milder and he was able to walk with crutches after one year. This is described in his autobiographical book “The Cripple Liberation Front Marching Band Blues.”

In KC a Communiversity Class was offered for students to study this book. From that group of Communiversity student the 501 (c) 3 organization The MidCoast Radio Project was formed.

The first sessions, organized by David Dye, drew about 57 participants. Soon the group adopted the name, “The Mid-Coast Radio Project”. This nomer was chosen as a rejection of the fact that all media are developed and dominated by the East and West Coasts of the United States. Some people whimsically also offered that there had originally been an ocean in the Kansas City area millions of years ago. (In fact, when the eventual KKFI radio station went on the air, it sometimes logged on as, “. . .from the floor of the Inland Sea”.

Soon the group starting publishing newsletters explaining what community radio is to encourage people to get involved.

During the year 1979, the numbers of people involved with Mid-Coast dwindled down to about 3 people, Gil Werner, Tom Crane, and Barbara Blake. The future for putting a community radio station on the air seemed bleak. Then it was discovered that there was some hope from an unlikely source, the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The PTFP (Public Telecommunications Facilities Program) of the Department of Commerce (DOC), announced that from one of their branches the NTIA (National Telecommunications Information Agency), that there would be a limited number of “planning grants” awarded which would enable organizations that were trying to put radio stations on the air that would serve a wide community, to hire someone to explore preparing an FCC application for a radio station.

The idea was since the space on the broadcasting band for non-commercial stations was so small, the DOC wanted to encourage groups that would serve a larger audience.

Gil Werner and Tom Crane discovered this almost too late, but managed to slap-together an ill-prepared application to the PTFP. Since the grants would be awarded in 1980, this put Mid-Coast’s foot in the door to reapply. If the application had not gotten in on time then there would have been no chance to apply for the next year.

The application got sent in in August. With help of a postal-meter and a friend in Washington who could get the document to the Department of Commerce in person, the day was saved.

The application was rejected with a note of encouragement to apply again. At this point Barbara Blake took the reins and prepared a decent application which was re-submitted to the PTFP. Letters of support were received from the community.

The Mid-Coast Radio Project looked like it was not going to succeed. The problem was – there was no spot on the radio dial for a new station – all the spots were taken.

There were 2 low-powered stations at 10 Watts each that occupied space on the non-commercial end of the FM broadcast band. Only a small portion of the broadcast frequencies on the radio dial can be used by non-commercial, non-profit stations – these 2 stations took up that space.

The stations were licensed to what was then Park College – KGSP FM, and to the Nazarene Theological seminary – KTSR FM.

As the situation looked hopeless, the membership of Mid-Coast dropped down from the original 30 or so which had showed up for the Communiversity class “Radio Free Kansas City” to 2 or 3 people who stuck with the goal of a community radio station.

Then, in 1978, things changed. The FCC in its infinite wisdom, decided that since there was a limit to the number of stations that could be put on the FM dial, that they had better make sure that all these stations were serving the most people.

10 Watt stations only could cover an area equivalent to a large neighborhood, and they were taking up a spot on the dial.

So in 1978, the FCC made a new rule that these 10 Watt stations either had to boost their power to 100 Watts, or move to another spot on the dial.

Maybe, just maybe, the small, broke organization, Mid-Coast Radio, could take advantage of the new ruling by negotiating with the two 10 Watt Kansas City stations!

The struggle to put KKFI on the air started in earnest in 1981 when negotiations had to happen with KTSR, the Nazarene station; KGSP, at Park College; and KIEE, a commercial station. The long and drawn out legal work with KTSR will be placed on the KKFISTORY site soon for people to read. It is an amazing story. The letter below highlights attempted negotiation with the Nazarene station which ultimately ended up with them going off the air.

After 11 years of work, Mid-Coast Radio finally put KKFI on the air!

A great party was held at the site of the new studios at the Mainmark Building. The first connection to the transmitter and radio tower was done over phone lines since no “studio-tower-link” had been set up yet.

First song played on KKFI, February 28, 1988 – “When the Ship Comes In!” by Bob Dylan

“. . . and the ship’s wise men
will remind you once again,
that the whole wide world is watching!

Oh the foes will rise,
with the sleep still in their eyes,
and they’ll jerk from their beds
and think they’re dreamin’,

But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal,
and know that it’s for real,
the hour when the ship comes in

And they’ll raise their hands
saying we’ll meet all your demands,
But we’ll shout from the bow,
‘your days are numbered’!

And like pharaoh’s tribe
they’ll be drownded in the tide,
and like Goliath,
they’ll be conquered!”

The first song was played at the Mainmark Building on 1627 Main Street in Kansas City.

The first radio programs were recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder produced in temporary basement studios. The tapes were then taken out to the tower location and played back on an identical tape recorder to the transmitter which broadcast the shows.

The station’s first program schedule was 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (signing off to the song “Route 66”). A year later, KKFI would expand to a full 24-hour schedule.

First program guide put together by Kevin Dowd, Matt Quinn, & a crew of KKFI volunteers!

The notes above were all written by Tom Crane and are at: http://www.kkfi.story.org

Tom Crane can tell you about:

Charity Bingo Hall – to raise money for KKFI volunteers worked the Charity Bingo Hall in Midtown Kansas City near Main Street between Linwood and 31st Streets.

KKFI Locations:

MainMark Building, 1627 Main Street (in now the Crossroads)
9001/2 Westport Rd. (Westport)
3901 Main Street (Midtown)

Here are some of the hundreds of people who helped make KKFI happen: Barbara Blake, Ralph Tomlinson, Rachel Kaub, Kevin Dowd, Gil Werner, Mabel Guthrie, Anne Winter, Suzi Colbert, Rev. Sam Mann, Ron McMillan, Jennifer Field, Karen Wright, John Wright, Sunshine Del Hamrick, Lloyd Daniel, Barbara Crist, Bill Hillburn, Michael Hogue, April Fletcher, Steve Peters, and so many more.

Tom Crane thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 901 Show.

World Sound airs on 90.1 FM KKFI – Sundays at 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Promoting world peace thru world music. Tom’s website about KKF’s history is http://www.kkfistory.org

10:22 – Underwriting

3. Anne Feeney – “Look To The Left”
   from: Look To The Left / Center Cut Records / 1992
   [Debut album. Anne Feeney was born July 1, 1951 and died from complications related to COVID-19 on Feb. 3, 2021. Anne Feeney was an American folk musician & singer-songwriter, political activist & attorney. She began her career in 1969 as a student activist playing a Phil Ochs song at a Vietnam War protest, one of many causes she embraced. As an undergraduate she cofounded Pittsburgh’s first rape crisis center and went on to earn a Juris Doctor (law) degree in 1978, seeking to effect social change through the legal system. She worked as a lawyer for 12 years while also pursuing music and activism, and ultimately decided engaging through music was her calling. Blending Irish music with American folk and bluegrass, as well as her political message, she recorded twelve albums and toured most of the period from 1991 to 2015, attending protest rallies and joining the concerts of groups like Peter, Paul and Mary. The latter also recorded a version of Feeney’s anthem for civil disobedience, “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” // Feeney was born July 1, 1951, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, to Annabelle (née Runner) and Edward J. Feeney. Her mother was a homemaker and her father a chemical engineer at Westinghouse Electric Co. She had one sister, Kathleen. The family moved to the nearby Brookline neighborhood of the city of Pittsburgh in 1954. Feeney’s grandfather, William Patrick Feeney, was a significant early influence on her, as mineworkers’ organizer and violinist who also used his music in the service of political and labor causes. // Feeney graduated from Fontbonne Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, in 1968. // As a high school student, Feeney purchased a Martin D-28 guitar in 1968 and gave her first performance at an anti-war protest in 1969, playing a song by Phil Ochs. She played the same guitar for 40 years. // She enrolled in college at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and joined Thinking Students for Peace, a group that protested the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa. In 1972, while an undergrad, she was arrested in Miami at the Republican National Convention where she was protesting Richard Nixon’s re-nomination for President of the United States. That same year, Feeney attended the annual Conference on Women and the Law. Inspired by the group that founded “Women Organized Against Rape” in Philadelphia, Feeney began a campaign for a rape crisis center in Pittsburgh. This effort became Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), which still provides services to rape victims in the Pittsburgh area as of 2021. Feeney graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. // She enrolled in law school, also at Pitt, and in 1976, she joined a bluegrass band, Cucumber Rapids. The group disbanded in 1977, but Feeney carried on performing locally.// Feeney graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1978. She worked for 12 years as a trial attorney, something she said had interested her as way to effect social change, although later she found her music to be a better route for that goal. While a lawyer, Feeney’s clients were mainly refugees and domestic violence survivors. She was a member of the Gender Bias Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association. // From the early 1980s through the 2010s, Feeney served on the board of Pittsburgh’s Thomas Merton Center, devoted to advocating for peace and justice causes. She was also chapter president of NOW and served on the organization’s state executive board in Pennsylvania. // In 1989, Feeney’s music career became an increasing focus after she won a national song writing contest, the Kerrville New Folk contest. Beginning in 1991, Feeney toured North America and the world to perform and participate in political and labor rallies and events. In 2008, she said in an interview, “I think music is a fantastic way of empowering people and giving them strength and energy. I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to find and write music that will empower people to resist and stand up for what’s right.” Feeney’s music is frequently featured on the broadcast radio program Democracy Now! and her anthem “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” is featured in the documentaries This is What Democracy Looks Like, Isn’t This a Time: A Tribute to Harold Leventhal and Get Up/Stand Up: The History of Pop and Protest. The song is an ode to civil disobedience, beginning, “Was it Cesar Chavez? Maybe it was Dorothy Day / Some will say Dr. King or Gandhi set them on their way / No matter who your mentors are it’s pretty plain to see / That, if you’ve been to jail for justice, you’re in good company.” // Feeney served as president of the Pittsburgh Musicians’ Union from 1997 to 1998, the first and only woman ever elected to this position, as of 2021. She was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World as well as the American Federation of Musicians. In 2005, she was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Labor Heritage Foundation. Her business cards described her as “Performer, Producer, Hellraiser.” // Her first recording, Look to the Left, was released in 1992. She put out 12 albums in all, including Union Maid, If I Can’t Dance, Have you Been to Jail for Justice?, and Dump the Bosses Off Your Back. Fenney’s last album was Enchanted Way in 2010. // Feeney and her daughter, Amy Berlin, performed Feeney’s song “Ain’t I a Woman” at the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2004. Feeney’s song “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary and she also worked with John Prine and Pete Seeger. Political cartoonist Mike Konopacki included her recording of “Union Maid” in a flash animation in 2003. She also collaborated with spoken word artist Chris Chandler, whom Sing Out! said “finally met his match with the powerful, radical singer-songwriter” Feeney, and called their performances together “highly entertaining.” // The Washington Post described her music as “blending elements of Irish, bluegrass, folk & pop music while coupling many of her melodies with political lyrics, sometimes tinged with satire & humor, that were reminiscent of the ’60s protest songs.” In 1989, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary wrote expressing his enthusiasm for her music, which he saw as a continuation of his own efforts: “I think your songs are wonderful, your group is terrific and your music rings with resonance of all that Peter, Paul & Mary has attempted to share throughout the last 28 years. It is comforting and exciting to know that the torch of folk music is being passed on to people as concerned, artful and decent as yourselves.” // On Nov. 19, 1977, Feeney married labor attorney Ron Berlin. She & Berlin had 2 children, Dan & Amy. The marriage ended in divorce in 1995. In 2002, she married Swedish political artist Julie Leonardsson. // In Aug. 2010, while touring in Sweden, Feeney was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. She underwent treatment, recovered and returned to touring, but the cancer returned in 2015. // Feeney was in rehabilitation for a fracture in her back when she contracted pneumonia related to COVID-19. She died at UPMC Shadyside hospital in Pittsburgh on Feb. 3, 2021, aged 69, with her family by her side.]

10:26 – Interview with Judy Ancel – “The Struggle”

Judy is Ancel is President of the Cross Border Network. From December 1988 until November 2017 she served at Director of Worker Education & Labor Studies at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She has also worked with Missouri Jobs with Justice. Originally from Maywood, Illinois, she went to elementary school with with John Prine who carried her books home for her in third grade. Judy graduated from Stanford University and received her Masters in History from Hunter College. She is host and producer of The Heartland Labor Forum Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It airs every Thursday at 6:00 PM, and rebroadcasts at 5:00 AM on Fridays. It is produced by and for working people. The show has been on the air since 1988 and is part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network. Always choosing to give her volunteer efforts to producing radio, Judy chose not to get involved in KKFI governance, but in 2001, using her own labor organizational background, Judy helped organize a coalition of courageous KKFI programmers who, while continuing to do their weekly shows on KKFI, created the not-for-profit organization, Friends of Community Radio, and filed two lawsuits against the Board of Directors and launched a 3-year public campaign to take back 90.1 FM, restore our name, restore our bylaws, restore our Board, and our Active Members system. After winning the struggle and achieving all of the objectives of FCR Judy later has served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors, Chair of KKFI’s Finance Committee helping to guide KKFI from our difficult teenage years to being financially balanced, with the security we need to continue to grow.

Judy Ancel thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 901 Show.

On May 16, 2002 – Anne Feeney played All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church with Chris Chandler in support of Friends of Community Radio

Judy Ancel first get involved at KKFI 90.1 FM with Heartland Labor Forum in 1989

Mark Manning started as a volunteer in May 2001, and did his first program for The Tenth Voice on Wednesday, June 6, 2001.

Sometime in 2000, KKFI hired a Station Manager who’s name we will change to protect the guilty. We will call him “Louie De Palma” the character Danny Devito played on the late 1970s early 1980s sitcom TAXI. – Louie is the main antagonist of the sitcom. The head dispatcher of the Sunshine Cab Company, Louie spends his time holding court inside the caged-in dispatch office at the garage, arguing with, belittling and bullying the drivers. He not only lacks morals, he is openly proud of his misdemeanors and outright crimes. Louie will do anything to benefit himself.

So… KKFI hired Louie De Palma who had recently been fired from another public radio station in the area after every single female employee at that station complained about his behavior to the General Manager. Louie De Palma filed a lawsuit against the station and asked the court for a “gag order” so that no one could talk about the particulars. No one could warn a 13 year old radio station from hiring Louie De Palma, and that is what happened he became KKFI’s Station Manager.

Immediately he changed things: Bringing in a new Board, finding another set of bylaws in a filing cabinet he claimed were the “real” bylaws. He changed the name of “KKFI Community Radio” to “KKFI Public Radio.” He helped squeeze the Active Member System by helping to create two class of members: 1. “those in good standing,” and 2. “those NOT in good standing.” Essentially the ACTIVE MEMBERS were squeezed to less than 13 “members in good standing”

At Tom Cranes’s website: http://www.kkfistory.org you can find out the true identity of, “Louie De Palma,” you can see the actual two lawsuits filed by Friends of Community Radio, and see newsletters and fliers.

The notes below were all written by Tom Crane and are at: http://www.kkfi.story.org

Friends of Community Radio was founded in 2001 as a response to the takeover of KKFI FM 90.1 by new management.

The group that was now running the station, allegedly illegally in power, tried to change the community radio station into an amorphous “public radio” station aligned with mainstream media. A new general-manager hired in 2000 did not follow the original goals of Mid-Coast radio which was founded in 1977 as a cooperative community effort to put a non-commercial radio station on the air.

Hired in 2000, after tenure with the American Heartland Theater and previous employment with KCUR FM (leaving that radio station under questionable circumstances) “Louie De Palma” was hired by the KKFI board after a recommendation from the personnel committee with some dissent.

During early 2001, it became apparent that KKFI was under threat of radical change as the new general manager purged the voting membership (active members) of the station, with his associates put forth a slate of board candidates to his liking, who were installed to the Mid-Coast board of directors.

The active members who are volunteers who after having proved they have done work for the station are then voted in as voting members, elect the entity that legally owns and governs the station – the board of directors.

A new set of bylaws approved by the reduced voting membership, also made the general manager a voting member of the board which increased his dominance of the station.

Throughout the year the KKFI program schedule became radically changed as programmers of long-standing were pushed out (some representing minority communities), and others resigned their radio shows in protest.

In the May 31, 2001 issue of the Pitch, Kansas City’s alternative news weekly, a scathing article was published on the goings on at KKFI.

Two people who who had long-standing shows on KKFI wrote letters to the editor in June in response to the Pitch article in May. Fortuitously. These letters were read by Denis Moynihan, who happened to be working with an activist group in Lawrence, Kansas. Denis is an associate of Amy Goodman who produces the “Democracy Now” news show on KKFI. Denis would be instrumental in arranging for the visit of Amy in 2002 to help raise funds to fight the station takeover and he offered to help with the KKFI struggle.

Coincidentally, the Pacifica Radio Network was undergoing its own take-over which forced out Amy Goodman and installed a questionable board of its own. Denis, helped link the struggles of KKFI and Pacifica together over the Internet and people around the country also started contributing also to FCR.

Some of those who had founded KKFI and who had worked for years to make community radio in Kansas City sustainable, became increasingly alarmed. They decided to meet on a regular basis to counter the threat.

Ultimately, with no hope of modifying the take-over of the station, the informal group became an underground organization which proposed strategies to remove the current management. This resistance group decided to call itself the Friends of Community Radio (FCR). Some demonstrated in front of the KKFI studio.

Because of threats of retaliation by management, the identities of some FCR activists were forced to remained hidden at first. One person even wore a cardboard mask at a demonstration outside the station, with the face of “Louie De Palma” so s/he would not be identified and lose a radio show.

Friends of Community Radio members soon realized that the only way to solve the problem of what was going on and to save the station was through legal remedies and the court system.

To start the process of getting rid of the current management, Friends of Community Radio in December, 2001 after preparing extensive paperwork, became incorporated in Missouri as a 501(c)3 non-profit group. This meant that FCR as a tax-exempt organization could now cover the costs of hiring attorneys to legally challenge those who were running the station.

As a part of becoming a non-profit organization, Friends of Community Radio passed its own set of by-laws in December, 2001

On December 29, 2001, while some were on vacation. the management cronies passed a resolution at the shrunken active members meeting designation those associated with FCR as enemies which should be expelled from KKFI.

Friends of Community Radio and listeners started raising money with other events, flyers, newsletters, and T-Shirts – in earnest for the needed upcoming battles in court.

On February 15th of 2002, Amy Goodman of “Democracy Now” whose show had been moved to 10 PM away from drive time, performed a benefit at All-Souls Unitarian Church in Kansas City. The purpose was to raise money FCM to mount a legal challenge that would restore the democratic process to KKFI

In April, 2002 after seeking the help of Lawyer Robin Martinez and Aldo Caller, eight members of Friends of Community Radio filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Jackson County to overturn decisions made by the current management of the station. A 19-page legal document was filed with the court.

One of the things that the general manager (GM) did in August, 2002 was to institute an 14-page “volunteer contract” that all people involved with KKFI had to sign. This took away rights and became an instrument of control which the GM could use at his discretion.

In 2002, Friends of Community Radio had taken action in court with a second lawsuit to return the station to volunteer control.

Through the lawyers representing Friends of Community Media – Robin Martinez, and Aldo Caller, a settlement proposal was given to the current KKFI management.

After over two years of drama, turmoil, and strife, it was finally announced by the current board president, Chuck Tackett, that Louie De Palma would resign on September 3rd (after taking a buy-out).

Effective September 1, 2003 Louie De Palma resigned as General Manager of 90.1 FM.

Effective September 2, 2003 Bob Terry accepted the position of General Manager. The Board of Directors assigned Jim Olenick official spokesperson to the media and press. There was no advertised position or interviews for the manager position. Bob Terry was related to one of the Board Members. Bob Terry was in his mid 80s and only had experience in commercial radio. It also took him 30 minutes to climb up KKFI’s rickety wooden staircase.

The notes above were all written by Tom Crane and are at: http://www.kkfi.story.org

After a three-year struggle, KKFI righted itself and was now called a “community-radio” station again, not a “public-radio” station. This article was published in 2004 in the Kansas City Pitch, an alternative weekly newspaper.

Meeting. Meetings. Meetings! – Mark’s Timeline of Friends of Community Radio Events:

Sept. 30, 2001 – Tom Crane Speaks at Culture Under Fire event at Westport Coffeehouse about the struggles to save KKFI.

November 11, 2001- Meeting at Plaza Library of concerned KKFI Programmers that ultimately leads to the formation of FCR Friends of Community Radio

January 26 & 28, 2002 – Friends of Community Radio – mailing – stuffing envelopes, sending newsletter to listeners and the public.

February 24, 2002, FCR Meeting

March 25, 2002 Michael Moore in KC speaks at UMKC and at The Uptown with Iris DeMent

April 13, 2002 – Reclaiming Democracy at All Souls

May 14, 2002 – FCR Meeting

May 16, 2002 – Anne Feeney plays All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church with Chris Chandler in support of Friends of Community Radio

May 20, 2002 – Mark breaks arm in garden with 1st grade students

May 21, 2002 – arriving late to FCR Meeting Mark is informed he’s been elected President of FCR

June 16, 2002 – Judy’s Mediation

June 27, 2002 FCR Board Meeting

June 30, 2002 – Judy’s Mediation

July 11, 2002 – Mediation at All Souls with FCR and KKFI

July 11, 2002 – FCR Meeting at All Souls

July 23, 2002 – FCR Board Meeting

July 28, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Judy’s

August 6, 2002 – FCR General Meeting

August 9, 2002 – BBB’s “Askew Airwaves” at J.O.B.

August 13, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Judy’s

August 18, 2002 – FCR Board Meeting

August 22, 2002 – Meet with Judy

August 23, 2002 – Mediation: Judy Ancel & Mark Manning with Jim Murtha & George Biswell

September 3, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Tom Crane’s

September 8, 2002 – FCR Board Meeting (Ruiz Library)

September 10, 2002 – Justice Not Revenge Rally

September 26, 2002 – FCR Meeting

September 28, 2002 – Barbara Blake honored (Tom outs Mark at FCR President to Louie)

October 10, 2002 – FCR General Meeting

October 22, 2002 – FCR Meeting

October 26, 2002 – Iris DeMent & Greg Brown Benefit Concert for FCR at Unity Temple

October 29, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Judy’s

November 1, 2002 – Angela Davis at UMKC

November 10, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting

November 19, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting

November 24, 2002 – FCR Strategy Meeting

November 26, 2002 – FCR Communications Meeting

December 9, 2002 – FCR Communications Meeting

January 5, 2003 – FCR Meeting

January 26, 2003 – FCR General Meeting

January 30, 2003 – FCR Strategy & Communications Meeting

February, 23, 2003 – FCR Protests Outside Station 9001/2 Westport Rd.

March 18, 2003 – FCR Meeting

March 30, 2003 – FCR Meeting

April 10, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

April 26, 2003 – BBB’s “Gag Reflex” at J.O.B.

April 27, 2003 – Mark speaks at All Souls Forum

April 27, 2003 – FCR Annual Meeting

May 8, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting
June 27, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting with FCR Attorney Aldo Caller

June 28, 2003 – KKFI Special Active Members Meeting, called by Jim Murtha, President of KKFI’s Board. A coalition of FCR members, and Blues Programmers attended but would not sign-in in protest of Jim Murtha. This shut down the meeting for lack of quorum.

July 7, 2003 – FCR Communications Meeting

July 10, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

August 24, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Judy’s

August 29, 2003 – Meet with FCR Attorney Aldo Caller on Strong Avenue.

September 1, 2003 – Louie De Palma resigned as General Manager

September 2, 2003 – Bob Terry accepted the position of General Manager

September 7, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting

September 11, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

September 15, 2003 – KKFI All Station Meeting at Californos
KKFI programming changed with New Program Director John Jessup. Several Public Affairs and News shows were moved from weekdays to Saturday afternoon: The Tenth Voice, Every Woman, Urban Connections, and Guess Who’s Coming to Kansas City. The Morning Buzz now aired from 6:00 to 9:00 AM, hosted by John Jessup, and MidDay Medley/Eclectics from 9:00 to 11:00 AM hosted by Rebecca Roche. Democracy Now moved to 10:00 PM.

September 21, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting

October 16, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

October 18, 2003 – Rolling Thunder

October 21, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting

November 1, 2003 – Amy Goodman & The Wilders at Unity Temple in Benefit for FCR

November 9, 2003 – FCR Strategy Meeting at Judy’s

November 13, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

December 11, 2003 – FCR Board Meeting

January 8, 2004 – FCR Board Meeting

January 24, 2004 – KKFI Governance
Judy Ancel and Mark Manning were approved by The KKFI Board to serve on the Governance Committee along with Charles Ragsdell, who worked as Chairperson on this important committee, and who’s wife Lori Ragsdell was recently elected to KKFI Board. The Governance Committee was tasked with re-writing the Midcoast Radio Project bylaws.

February 12, 2004 – FCR Board Meeting

February 15, 2004 – KKFI Governance Meeting

February 22, 2004 – KKFI Governance Meeting

February 27, 2004 – KKFI Governance Meeting

March 7, 2004 – KKFI Governance Meeting

March 11, 2004 – FCR Board Meeting

March 23, 2004 – Special KKFI Active Members Meeting to hear new bylaws (called by 5 Active Members and where KKFI Governance Chair – Charles Ragsdell read out loud the extensive new bylaws top the members present, with notes taken and made available to anyone.

March 30, 2004 – Special KKFI Active Members Meeting to hear second reading of new bylaws, read by KKFI Governance Chair – Charles Ragsdell, and then voted on bu quorum of Active members to pass them. The passage of these new bylaws was an achievement and satisfied one of FCR’s biggest objectives to restore our bylaws.

March 28, 2004 – FCR Meeting

April 5, 2004 – Special Meeting of KKFI Active Members
Active Members voted to remove Jim Murtha as a Board Member, Board President, and Active Member. The Motion passed.

April 5, 2004 – Annual Meeting of the Active Members
(After voting out Murtha, FCR members realized there was one more open seat on the Board, and that with their new numbers (as restored members returned) they had the votes to put an FCR member on the Board. FCR chose Mark Manning. Mark later jokingly said, “I was chosen because I was new, no one hated me yet.”

April 5, Mark Manning (Secretary) was elected to Jim Murtha’s old seat along with LaDonna Sanders (Treasurer), Dorothy Hawkins (Vice President), Charles Ragsdell (Active Member Chair), Lori Ragsdell (President), Cindy Terwiliger, Donna Wolfe, and others including a few from the previous Board including George Biswell who had been a soldier for Louie de Palma and had been Active Member Chair when the membership was squeezed down to just 13 voting members who just agreed and passed everything Louie De Palma wanted.

April 20, 2004 – KKFI Board Meeting

April 30, 2004 – KKFI Executive Board met with organizational leaders at KCPT KC PBS

May 3, 2004 – KKFI All Station Meeting
KKFI Programming Changes: The 5 Morning Buzz and 5 Midday Medley were divided to 10 slots with 10 programmers hand picked by John Jessup, Program Director

May 5, 2004 – The first Wednesday MidDay Medley

May 7, 2004 – FCR meets KKFI at All Souls

May 13 – FCR Board Meeting

May 23, 2004 – KKFI Board at Minsky’s

May 25, 2006 – KKFI Executive Board meeting

June 1, 2004 – KKFI Board Meeting

June 27, 2004 – Amy Goodman at Community Christian Church

July 18, 2004 – KKFI Board Meeting

July 29, 2004 Marion’s first WMM

August 16, 2004 – KKFI Board Meeting (Lori Ragsdell resigned as President and from the Board after a difficult dispute with KKFI’s Office Manager, hired previously by Louie De Palma)

(Please Note: Mark created this timeline based on personal notes form his calendars. If you have more correct information please contact Mark. This was a big endeavor with lots of activity, and there is so much more that is part of the story.)

Judy Ancel thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley’s 901 Show.

Judy Ancel is host and producer of The Heartland Labor Forum Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It airs every Thursday at 6:00 PM, and rebroadcasts at 5:00 AM on Fridays. It is produced by and for working people. The show has been on the air since 1988 and is part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.

10:41

4. Psychic Heat – “Black Radio” from: Sunshower / High Dive Records / May 27, 2016
   [Psychic Heat was created by Evan Herd & Tanner Spreer. After releasing their EP Lighter and Brighter in 2015 they quickly turned their attention to their first full length Sunshower being released through High Dive Records. Sunshower is Engineered by Ron Miller (Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds) & mixed/mastered by Kliph Scurlock (previously of the Flaming Lips). Psychic Heat is: Steve/Evan Herd on guitar & vocals, Tanner Spreer on guitar & vocals, James Thomblison on bass, and Mark Rockwell on drums.]

10:43 – Interview with Dorothy Hawkins and Barry Lee – “The Bump & Grind”

Dorothy Hawkins is host & producer of Mother’s Mix, Mondays from 3:00 to 6:00 PM on 90.1 FM since 1999. Dorothy came to Kansas City from Great Bend, Kansas. She studied Sociology at Rockhurst University, and studied Economics at UMKC where she also worked. Dorothy is a mother and grandmother. She was elected to the MidCoast Radio Project Board of Directors in 2004 where she served as Vice President. Dorothy also served as an interim Station Manager for six months. A midtown resident Dorothy practices Yoga, Buddhism, positive thinking and she taught me to chant during stressful board meetings.

Dorothy Hawkins thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

Barry Lee is host of Signal to Noise heard Friday nights at 9:00 here on KKFI 90.1 FM. Barry has been a longtime programmer at KKFI. Barry Lee lives in Lawrence but grew up in the Independence and Raytown areas. He studied creative writing, poetry and radio at UMKC. Barry Lee has organized multiple benefit concerts for KKFI including his annual Beatles Tribute shows, A Tribute to Pete Seeger, and special “Collaborations” recordings. It was while playing in a tribute to Neil Young that Barry and friends formed Broken Arrows, a 5-piece band that has released multiple records to critical acclaim. Barry Lee has also played and recorded with The Jubilee Mystics, and this year is releasing new music as Barry Lee and The Mystic Arrows.

Barry Lee thank you for being with us on our 901 Show

Dorothy Hawkins & Barry Lee shared stories about the “bump & grind” of 90.1 FM, the “terrible teenage years” of KKFI, a rickety unaccessible staircase, unconscious guests in the studio, and being Station Managers.

Dorothy was brought into the station by Wendy Mason who in 1999, as office manager, was serving as programmer Monday through Friday 6:00 to 9:00 on the Morning Buzz and then doing organizational work in the office. Wendy recruited Dorothy because Wendy thought the station needed more female DJs. Barry Lee trained Dorothy as a programmer.

Barry Lee started early at KKFI, in 1986. He also signed the incorporation papers to create the not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organization: Friends of Community Radio.

In our last segment we talked with Judy about “The Struggle” to save KKFI. Barry actually resigned from his show in protest of what Barrientos was doing to the station in 2001. Lonesome Cowboy Bill Hilburn joined Barry in the on-air resignation.

Dorothy, also lived through “The Struggle” and ended up in being elected to the Board of Directors in April 2004. Friends of Community Radio had won all of their objectives, but in many ways KKFI was facing even more challenges during our difficult teenage years.

One of the first things Dorothy and Mark and the other Executive Board (Lori Ragsdell, LaDonna Sanders, Chales Ragsdell) had to do was on April 30, 2004 – when KKFI Executive Board Members met with organizational leaders at KCPT Channel 19 PBS. The previous Louie De Palma Board had been hatching a plan. After changing the name from “Community radio” to “Public Radio” they had been in serious negotiation with KCPT to move KKFI’s entire operation into the facilities at KCPT

We also were working with a Station Manager hired by the previous Louie De Palma Board of Cronies. The manager was in his mid 80s and it took him 30 minutes to climb KKFI’s rickety staircase. He once called Mark while he was at work teaching a 6th grade class a gardening workshop, asked Mark to tell him what LGBT meant.

Four months into our terms The Board President Lori Ragsdell and Active Member Chair Charles Ragsdell resigned and left KKFI.

Dorothy and Mark served together on a Board that went through several management hirings that didn’t work out. In-between permanent managers, the Board appointed temporary, “Interim Managers” after serving on the Board, Dorothy was asked to temporarily step in an Interim Station Manager for six months.

Barry Lee volunteered to be Station Manager and was hired by the Board in a paid position for nearly two years. He became an important link to the Folk Alliance International Conference that was now based in Kansas City and help creat Live Broadcasts from the Conference. He also helped get The Boogie Bridge and River Trade radio on the air at 90.1 FM.

One of the things we try to avoid in radio is “dead air” but Dorothy one day came in to do her show. The Jazz Programmer was packing up his stuff and exiting the studio when Dorothy noticed a passed out man sitting in the guest chair. What about him? she asked, the Jazz Programmers was almost out the door and stopped to realize the situation. 911 was called and an ambulance took away the passed out guest.

Barry Lee for many years you produced your show on Sundays followed by Lonesome Cowboy Bill Hilburn, one of the funniest men on planet earth.

Dorothy Hawkins was at one time the “baby sitter” for Luscious Lynn of Beauticians’s Blues.

Dorothy Hawkins & Barry Lee, thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

Dorothy Hawkins – host & producer of Mother’s Mix, Mondays from 3:00 to 6:00 PM

Barry Lee is host of Signal to Noise, Friday nights 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – “Support for Wednesday MidDay Medley from Blue Fox Productions”

5. Various Artists – “WKRP In Cincinnati”
   from: All-Time Top 100 TV Themes / TVT Records / 2005
   [WKRP in Cincinnati is an American sitcom television series that features the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta. Many of the characters and even some of the stories (including that of the Season 1 episode “Turkeys Away”) are based on people and events at WQXI.Wilson once told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he selected WKRP as the call sign to stand for C-R-A-P. // The ensemble cast consists of Gary Sandy (as Andy Travis), Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever), Gordon Jump (Arthur Carlson), Loni Anderson (Jennifer Marlowe), Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap), Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters), Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) and Frank Bonner (Herb Tarlek). // The series won a Humanitas Prize and received 10 Emmy Award nominations, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Andy Ackerman won an Emmy Award for Videotape Editing in Season 3. // WKRP premiered on September 18, 1978 on the CBS television network and aired for four seasons and 90 episodes, ending on April 21, 1982. Starting in the middle of the second season, CBS repeatedly moved the show around its schedule, contributing to lower ratings and its eventual cancellation. // When WKRP went into syndication, it became an unexpected success. For the next decade, it was one of the most popular sitcoms in syndication, outperforming many programs that had been more successful in prime time, including all the other MTM Enterprises sitcoms. // Jump, Sanders and Bonner reprised their roles, appearing as regular characters in a spin-off/sequel series, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1991 to 1993 in syndication. Hesseman, Reid and Anderson also reprised their roles as guest stars.]
6. Elevator Division – “Radio”
   from: Years / Second Nature Recordings / September 7. 2004
   [Elevator Division play recordBar October 1, with Namelessmumberheadman]

11:03 – Interview with Marion Merritt and Maria Vasquez Boyd – “The Friendships”

Marion Merritt is our most frequent contributor to WMM, She grew up in Los Angeles, and St. Louis. She went to college in Columbia, Missouri. She studied art and musical engineering, and is a avid lover of classic films and punk rock music. She saw Talking Heads on their first U.S. tour when they played One Block West, in 1978. For 17 years she has been sharing her sonic discoveries and information from her musically-encyclopedic brain on Wednesday MidDay Medley. Marion has joined us for every WMM on-air fund drive to help raise funds for the MidCoast Radio Project. Along with her partner Ann Stewart, Marion is also the proprietor of Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri, that feature in-store performances from young and upcoming bands.

Marion Merritt thank you for being with us on our 901 Show.

Maria Vasquez Boyd is an artist, poet, educator, and radio show host & producer. She has been a regular contributor to Wednesday MidDay Medley where she has produced shows about Ukuleles, The Day of The Dead, and The Artist’s Studio. She has been a regular cast member in our “He Touched Me Gospel Hour” programs, and has contributed original material for almost all of our “A Story In A Song” shows, including our live show at recordBar, and Big Bang Buffet Black Sheep Rising at The Buffalo Room. Maria is graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, where she has taught in the Design/Illustration Department, as well as, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Maria is a founding member of the Latino Writers Collective. Maria uses all of her experience as the host and producer of ARTSPEAK Radio which airs Wednesdays at Noon, following Wednesday Midday Medley on 90.1 FM KKFI. Soon ARTSPEAK Radio will be celebrating 9 years on the air!

Maria Vasquez Boyd, thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

We always wanted someone from a record store to have a regular presence on WMM. Marion’s first WMM was on July 29, 2004. For 17 years Marion has had a huge influence on our playlists

Mark first met Marion when shoe walked up to him and handed him the Philip Glass recordings of the Low Symphony with David Bowie and Brian Eno, saying, “I think you may be interested in this.” Mark continually asks Marion when she learned she has musical E.S.P.

Maria Congratulations on ARTSPEAK Radio!

Mark met Maria at The Writer’s Place. Mark was on the Board of KKFI’s MidCoast Radio Project, Maria was on the board of Latino Writer’s Collective. They would both go in early to set up for their meetings. Maria was a guest on WMM and was welcomed you back to produce & host several shows on WMM. After a few years of being “Guest Producer” it became clear that Maria should create Artspeak Radio.

Mark and Maria became friends, and Mark became Maria’s “Radio Husband”.

Mark and Marion really didn’t know each other in the beginning, but throughout these 17 years they’ve become close friend. Mark has watched Marion’s life transition from corporate retail to owning her own record store, with her partner Ann Stewart, in the neighborhood where Mark lives.

Marion & Maria both ended up producing & hosting radio programming for nearly two decades.

Marion And Maria both ended up serving on the Board.

Maria Vasquez Boyd, and Marion Merritt thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

ArtSpeak Radio airs Wednesday at Noon. Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri, More info at http://www.recordswithmerrtitt.com

11:18 – Underwriting

11:20

7. Nivea – “Don’t Mess With The Radio”
   from: Nivea / Zonma Recordings / September 25, 2001
   [Nivea B. Hamilton (born March 24, 1982),[3] better known by the mononym Nivea, is an American singer whose recordings reached the Billboard charts during the early 2000s. Nivea is known most for her Grammy-nominated hit “Don’t Mess with My Man” as well as “Laundromat” and “Okay” featuring YoungbloodZ & Lil’ Jon. She has released three studio albums: Nivea (2001), Complicated (2005), Animalistic (2006), and an independently released extended play Nivea: Undercover (2011). // On September 26, 2019, she released her album Mirrors, including the single “Circles”. // Hamilton was born in Savannah, Georgia, the youngest of three sisters. She sang in a church choir and admired the music of Mariah Carey.[6] Nivea admitted to being shy in a BET “Finding Nivea” interview. She said, “I never wanted anyone to hear me sing… my parents would turn down the radio.]

11:22 – Interview with Ebony Johnson and Catina Taylor – “The Current”

Ebony M. Johnson is native to Kansas City, however she has lived, studied and worked throughout the United States. Ebony received her Bachelor’s degree in Arts from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and she received her Masters degree in Arts from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. With her MBA Ebony is an arts and entrepreneurial advocate who thrives on making connections and a beautiful life. Ebony is host and producer of one of KKFI’s newest public affairs shows, Ebony’s Bones, which airs every Wednesday night at 6:00 PM (CST). Ebony is a natural conversationalist, she nourishes kitchen table conversations that seek to explore black folk, question what we’ve been told to believe and decolonize.

Ebony Johnson, thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

Catina Taylor serves as Vice President of the MidCoast Radio Project 90.1 FM KKFI’s parent organization. She is Founder, CEO at Dreams Consulting and Founder and Executive director at Dreams KC a rigorous educational environment which uses the Project Based Learning strategy to reengage students & increase achievement.Studied B.S. Paralegal Studies Political science at Avila University where she graduated in 1996. From 1996 to 1999. Catina is from Kansas City. She is a former 1st Grade Teacher at St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School from 2005 – 2011.

Catina Taylor, thanks for being with us on our 901 Show

Ebony heard Maria Vasquez Boyd at an event talking about KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. Ebony started co-hosting and co-producing on shows: Every Woman, Guess Who’s Coming to Kansas City, Urban Connections.

Ebony encouraged Catina to run for a position on KKFI’s Board of Directors.

Ebony has volunteered as part of several public affairs programs on KKFI including Guess Who’s Coming To Kansas City, Urban Connections. She has filled in on Jazz programs and as host of ARTSPEAK RADIO, she has served on staff os the Volunteer Coordinator, and served on KKFI’s Board of Directors.

Ebony’s Bones is cohosted by Historian & Professor AJ Lowe the team also includes: Dominique McCrary, and Ronkeia Bates a recent journalism graduate.

KKFI Mission Statement

KKFI is the Kansas City area’s independent, noncommercial community radio station. We seek to stimulate, educate and entertain our audience, to reflect the diversity of the local and world community, and to provide a channel for individuals and groups, issues and music that have been overlooked, suppressed or under-represented by other media.

KKFI Philosophy Statement

KKFI is committed to diversity in programming and discourse and seeks to create a climate of mutual respect and collaboration among volunteers and staff.

Ebony Johnson, and Catina Taylor thanks for being with us on our 901 Show.

Ebony is host and producer of Ebony’s Bones, which airs every Wednesday night at 6:00 PM (CST).

To learn more about Dreams KC you can visit: http://www.dreamskc.weebly.com/

11:36

8. Kristie Stremel – “Radio”
   from: Here Comes The Light / Stremeltome / July 1, 2003
   [Last year on November 13, 2020 Kristie released her 11th full length release.. Recorded at Stremeltone Studio, Kansas. Mixed by John Hobson. Mastered by Paul Malinowski. Kristie Stremel on vocals & guitar, Lance Gilchrist on drums, Jason Hammond on bass, Ryan McCall on keyboards, and John Hobson on guitar & vocals. Described as “Joan Jett & Tom Petty’s love child,” and armed with her guitar, fueled by coffee, and over 85 published songs, singer, songwriter, producer, rock & roll mom, Kristie Stremel has 11 full-length releases in her musical career of over 20 years. She has recorded as a solo artists and also on the bands Frogpond, and The 159ers. In October, 2013 Kristie and her partner, Lori Isabell, welcomed their adopted baby son, Charlie, into their family. In April 2014 Kristie released her 6th solo record, and the 9th full-length release of her musical career of over 20 years. SONGWRITER was released on her own label, Stremeltone, it was Kristie’s first self-produced album. Stremeltone Records, was created in her home in Lawrence. The last track, “It’s Enough” was released early, as a video, featuring photos of couples in partnerships, relationships, marriages, unions, families. The video was Kristie’s response the the KS House of Representatives passing HD 2453 allowing businesses the right to refuse service to LGBT customers. In 2015 Kristie released, WILDFLOWERS, her children’s book of song and poems with accompanying CD recording with contributions from Victor & Penny, Kelley Hunt, Ron Megee, Kasey Rausch and more. In 2016 Kristie released the single “Orlando (Keep Dancing).” The song was written by: Kristie Stremel in response to the Pulse Nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, when Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in a hate crime inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Pulse was hosting Latin Night and most of the victims were Latino. About 320 people were inside the club, which was serving last call drinks at around 2:00 a.m. After arriving at the club by van, Omar Mateen approached the building on foot, armed with a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol and bypassed security and began shooting and taking hostages. After a three-hour standoff, he was shot and killed by Orlando Police Department officers. It was both the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter and the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in United States history. It was also the deadliest terrorist attack in the US since the 9 /11 attacks in 2001. “Keep Dancing” was included in the new release SKY CREW. More info at: http://www.kristiestremel.com]

11:38 – Interview with Lesley Pories – “The Future”

Lesley Pories is President of the MidCoast Radio Project Board of Directors, Lesley moved to KC seven years ago and has been volunteering at 90.1 FM for most of that time, and has served on the Board of Directors for five of those years. A DC native, Lesley has a Masters in Urban Planning from UNC Chapel Hill and a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Aside from the East Coast, she’s lived and worked in Uzbekistan, India and Guinea. Here in KC, she also serves on the Board of BikeWalkKC. During the day, Lesley works as a Manager, Sector Strategy for the non-profit, Water.org.

Lesley Pories, Thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

Lesley has two Masters Degrees

She served in The Peace Corps in Uzbekistan

She worked with The Carter Center – observing political elections in Guinea

Lesley works as a Manager, Sector Strategy for Water.org based in Kansas City.

Since volunteering at KKFI over 6 years ago Lesley has been very involved with Membership and Active Membership, and became a Board Member

Lesley has been instrumental in bringing more of the community onto KKFI’s Board of Directors.

Lesley has worked on KKFI’s long-term strategies, and the continual effort to make 90.1 FM sound as great as possible, while creating a place for volunteers to learn and grow as hosts, producers, engineers and collaborators.

Lesley and Mark discussed the great Staff Members at KKFI 90.1 FM

Bill Sundahl, Development Director, Developmen@kkfi.org

Bill Sundahl became Development Director in July of 2017. He joined KKFI 90.1 FM in May of 2014 as Events & Volunteer Coordinator. He has completed the Fundraising Leadership Series at Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership in the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of management and is working to expand the fundraising capacity of KKFI. // Prior to that he was owner of Spice of Life Productions. For more than a decade he has produced the Crossroads Music Fest, the Spring Dance, The Donkey Show. and many more great Kansas City events . He is also a working musician, playing bass and singing in the Starhaven Rounders. // In 2020, Bill has been a presenter for the NFCB (National Federation of Community Broadcasters) on Event Management an Underwriting as well as a panelist on Monthly Giving presented by the Greater KC chapter of AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals). He has also been honored with an Urban Hero Award from the Kansas City Downtown Council in 2007 and has won two Pitch Music Awards.

Chad Brothers, Chief Operator & Traffic Coordinator, Chief Operator@kkfi.org

Chad Brothers joined KKFI as Chief Operator in August 2019. He has been an avid listener, donor, and often guest on various KKFI programs for nearly two decades as a resident and working musician in Kansas City. // Chad grew up on a small family farm outside of Winfield, KS, where he developed a love for music and listening to radio while spending long days on a tractor working in the fields. He attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. It was there where he also logged hours as a late night DJ on campus radio station The Wildcat 91.9. Chad has been playing guitar and performing music for over 28 years and operates a home recording studio out of his basement. // You can find Chad performing live in his various musical projects in KC and beyond with Old Sound, Shapiro Brothers (with his wife Mikal Shapiro), Supermassive Black Holes, Scott Stanton and The Butter Band, Howard Iceberg, and Chris Hudson.

Darryl Oliver, Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteer@kkfi.org

Darryl joined KKFI as Volunteer Coordinator in May 2020. // Darryl moved to Overland Park from Macon, GA when his family opened the first Bonanza Steak House franchise in the Kansas City area. He attended Alcorn State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. His varied career has included stints in advertising & marketing communications, computer consulting, tech support, broadcasting and telecommunications. // Darryl enjoys live music – especially jazz at any of Kansas City’s fine venues, and is an avowed word nerd. // Favorite quote: “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.” -Winston Churchill

Shaina Littler, Office Manager, Office@kkfi.org

Shaina Littler hails from Kansas City, Missouri’s Waldo neighborhood. She is a recent graduate of MCCKC having earned her AAS degree as an honors student in the Spring of 2018.
During her time with MCCKC Shaina was an active member and volunteer of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, as well as a mentor and tutor to her fellow accounting students. Shaina is a committed lifelong learner, with the dream of becoming an educator. She is continuing her education in the accounting field as a graduate student, with the goal of better serving her community through platforms and opportunities such as those presented by KKFI.
Shaina has over a decade of hospitality management experience working exclusively for locally owned and operated firms in the Greater Kansas City Area. While her background is not in broadcasting or programming, she descends from a long line of musicians and community advocates, who have inspired her to pursue work with nonprofit organizations. In her free time, Shaina is most notably found enjoying precious moments with her husband, children, and pets.

Sam Wisman, Community Marketing Representative, Data & Traffic Specialist, Sam@kkfi.org

If for any reason you need more help please contact the Underwriting Coordinator.
816-994-7869 or email Development (at) kkfi.org.

Volunteer Staff:

Mike Lytle, Station Manager, Manager@kkfi.org

Mike Lytle has been part of the KKFI family since 2003. He has served in many positions from phone volunteer to being a member of the Board Of Directors and everything in between. He enjoys his own long standing radio show that is on KKFI every Friday night beginning at 7pm CST. “The Real Deal” plays a variety of unique and rare rock music that you will not hear anywhere else. // Mike grew up in and around the radio business with his parents being “radio people” in Kansas City all of his life. Mike has spent a good portion of his career in commercial radio, but his love of non commercial radio and serving the KKFI Mission Statement is his primary focus. // Mike graduated from Kansas University with a BA in Psychology in 1978 and is lucky number is 128 1/2.

Norm Browning, KKFI Music Librarian AKA ‘Alley Cat’, newmusic@kkfi.org

Lesley Pories Thanks for being with us on Show 901.

For more info on KKF you can go to http://www.kkfi.org

11:54

9. Emily King – “Radio (Acoustic)”
   from: Sides / ATO Records / January 27, 2020
   [Emily King (born July 10, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In 2019 Emily King was nominated for Best R&B Song for the 62nd Grammy Awards and her album Scenery was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In 2020 Emily King was nominated again, this time for t for her song “See Me”. // Born in New York City in 1985, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly taking her and her older brother with them. At age 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career. She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City including CBGB and The Bitter End. // King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and appeared on Nas’ 2004 album Street’s Disciple credited as simply “Emily”. Her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year. After leaving the label in 2008, King continued her work independently with producer Jeremy Most. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released in July 2011. Throughout this time, King toured domestically and internationally with many artists including Nas, John Legend, Floetry, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and Maroon 5. // In 2012, King was awarded the Holly Prize (a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly) from The Songwriters Hall of Fame for recognition of the “all-in songwriter” whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original. In the fall, King was invited by Emeli Sandé to open for her UK tour playing sold out shows in five cities including at The Royal Albert Hall in London. King collaborated with José James on his album No Beginning No End in 2013 and can be heard on the tracks “Heaven on the Ground” and the acoustic version of “Come to My Door”. In 2014, King performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles’ Little Black Dress tour. //King’s second studio album, The Switch, was self-released by her own label, Making Music Records, on 26 June 2015. The Wall Street Journal remarked that the album is “a tasteful collection of eleven songs that showcase King’s distinctive voice”. // She signed with the independent label ATO Records in 2017 and with them released her third studio album, Scenery, on 1 February 2019. // In late 2019, King once again performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles in her Amidst The Chaos Tour. // In 2019, King helped to compose “Being Human”, the ending theme song for the Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe Future, which she sang. Her song “Can’t Hold Me” was also used in an episode of the series. // King released her fourth studio album, Sides, on January 17, 2020. The album features acoustic takes on her previous songs, and includes a guest appearance by Sara Bareilles on the track “Teach You.” In response to racial unrest in the summer of 2020, King released the song “See Me” in August. The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.]

13. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Next week on WMM, on August 11 we bring you show # 902 with Flare Tha Rebel and Bob Pulliam. Plus Mike Alexander of Hipshot Killer, Plus, MG Salazar & Ignacio Carvajar of La Resistencia Press.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1

Show #901