Attention San Francisco public radio lovers—mark your calendars for September 8, because our Board of Supervisors has proclaimed it KALW Day—a day to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the aforementioned public FM radio signal, chartered by the San Francisco Unified School District.
Here’s some of the proclamation, which will be delivered at a ceremony at San Francisco City College (1125 Valencia Street) by Supervisor Eric Mar:
With nearly 60 FM radio stations in the greater Bay Area, why is September 8 being declared “KALW Day” in San Francisco? Because:
>>KALW became the first FM radio station west of the Mississippi when it began regular broadcasts in September 1941, and it continues as an innovative community resource today.
>> The station has been a leader in the growth of public radio. KALW introduced NPR to the Bay Area in 1972, and popular public radio programs such as “Fresh Air,” “This American Life,” and “Radiolab” were first heard by Bay Area listeners on KALW.
>> At a time when local news coverage is shrinking, KALW provides award-winning locally-produced news and information programs, such as the morning call-in show Your Call and the evening local news magazine Crosscurrents.
>> The station’s tradition of training generations of broadcast professionals continues through internships and partnerships with Mills College, UC-Berkeley, Youth Radio and others.
>> KALW works with community partners to create intriguing programs, such as Philosophy Talk; 99% Invisible; Binah; Explorations in Music; and New America Now.
Amen to all this, I say. KALW is my favorite public radio station—a hotbed of creative sanity. I subscribe and listen to it all the time: at home in the morning, in my car, and on my Droid X. I’m a huge fan of programmers Rose Aguilar, Sara Cahill, Kevin Vance, JoAnn Mar, its General Manager Matt Martin, and pretty much everyone else in and around the place.
Plus all the great BBC programs like World Have Your Say. What an awesome radio station.
And don’t forget: this Saturday is another big KALW celebration, a big night of music and dance at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. The music will include the The Flatt and Scruggs Tribute Band, George Brooks and Kai Eckhardt’s Tangential Experience, and Wake the Dead, “the world’s first all-star Celtic Grateful Dead jam band.”
The jamming starts at 8 P.M. Here’s the September 8 data again, straight from the press release:
WHAT: COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF “KALW DAY” WHEN: Thursday, September 8; 9 – 11am WHERE: City College/Mission Campus; 1125 Valencia Street, San Francisco, Room 109 WHO: San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar; Station Manager Matt Martin; School Board members; KALW staff, volunteers, listeners and community partners
KALW Day release.
