KSER - Hanging Out at Wintergrass

If you love bluegrass, you won't want to miss Wintergrass, which starts Thursday and runs through the weekend...indoors...in Bellevue. 

You'll be able to see great artists like Pickled Okra; the Seldom Scene; the Deadly Gentleman and more. The full Wintergrass lineup is here.  

And KSER will be there.  Some of our DJs will be hanging out and shamelessly handing out KSER refrigerator magnets, buttons and program schedule. If you wear a KSER pin you never know who might stop you to strike up a conversation.  And, who knows, those refrigerator magnets are rare and could become extremely valuable someday.

Some of the rare pins to be given out at Wintergrass

 Stop by the KSER booth at Wintergrass and say 'hi' this Thursday through Sunday!

And don't forget, you can hear Bluegrass Express every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. and String Band Theory Sundays at 1 p.m. on 90.7fm and online at KSER.org.

KSER's Basic Broadcast Class

UPDATE:  The KSER Basic Broadcast Class has sold out. All class slots have been filled.  We will be scheduling another class soon, so check our website for updates KSER.org


The next KSER Basic Broadcast Class is about to begin, and there are still a few open slots available for this class if you're interested.

If you're a regular listener to KSER you know that nearly all of the on-air DJ's and public affairs contributors are volunteers.  And most of them got their start by taking the KSER Basic Broadcast Class.

Many people take the class simply to learn more about community radio and how they can get involved.  It's an evening 2-hour class, six weeks long, one Wednesday evening per week.

The class is limited to just 15 attendees, but there are still a few slots available. The cost for the class is $75.  So if you, or someone you know, is interested you can sign up at Brown Paper Tickets.

Another KSER Thumbnail Theater Special!

Get ready.  Another great hour of radio is about to be produced before a live audience at Tim Noah's Thumbnail Theater.  And if you missed out on the chance to see the last special live during the Christmas holiday season, you should get your tickets now.

The next Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater Kaddywompas Radio Show, "Keepin' Secrets", will be performed twice this coming Sunday, February 17th in Snohomish. You can order tickets here.

The 1-hour special will be recorded before a live audience this Sunday.  Playback dates and times on KSER will be announced soon!

"Color Commentary" & Schedule Changes on KSER

KSER is proud to announce a new commentary starting this week every Wednesday morning and afternoon!  And we also have a schedule change for our Tuesday evening music programming.

The Communities of Color Coalition's new radio show, "Color Commentary" debuts on KSER on Wednesday, February 6. Each 5 minute KSER C3 Commentary will air once at 8:35 am then again at 4:35 pm. C3's first report is an interview with Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. on Black History Month. Other pieces this month will be about the White Privilege Conference and excerpts from Dr. Angela Davis' presentation at the Lynnwood Martin Luther King Celebration.If you have suggestions for topics for interviews on "Color Commentary" you can contact the Communities of Color Coalition at their Facebook page here.

In case you missed it last week, there's a new schedule adjustment for the KSER Tuesday night line-up.  Two of the most popular music shows on KSER are now on the air at earlier times.  Nordic Roots and Branches now starts at 7 p.m. 

Karen, host of Nordic Roots & Branches

 Join Karen every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. for music from the Scandinavian countries.  Travel to the forests, lakes, mountains, high seas, and to the urban centers of the Nordic Lands: Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden!!  Take this musical journey with Karen, your host, on Nordic Roots and Branches Tuesdays at a new, earlier start time.

Then at 9 p.m. join Chris for the new, earlier start time for Classical Edge.

Chris, host of Classical Edge

Join Chris Tuesday's a 9 p.m. for the best in 20th & 21st Century classical music on KSER's Classical Edge.

Even Nashville Appreciates KSER

KSER DJ Jeff Hofman, host of Dusties every Satruday afternoon at 5 p.m. plays some great classic R&B and soul music. Even the music experts in Nashville are jealous.

Richard Knight; Bobby Easton; Jeff Hofman; Ben Knight; JJ Barnes

Check out this write-up in the Nashville Scene::

Hear Nashville R&B on the radio — courtesy of a DJ in Washington state 

Giant Steps

by Ron Wynn

 Leave it to a Washington state DJ to broadcast this weekend what Nashvillians can't find on their own airwaves: nuggets from the city's treasure trove of R&B recordings. Longtime DJ Jeff Hofman has been playing classic R&B/soul records and celebrating tthe music's legends and history for almost 20 years on radio station KSER-FM in Everett, Wash. His "Dusties" show (a term he discovered in Chicago music historian Robert Pruter's exhaustive volume The Blackwell Guide to Soul Recordings) airs Saturdays from 7-9 p.m. CST.

Read the rest of the story.

Anna Coogan; Daniel Kirkpatrick visit KSER

A couple more local singer-songwriters visited KSER's Sunlit Room recently.

Former field biologist and opera singer Anna Coogan, an up and coming Seattle singer-songwriter,  visited with Ron in the Sunlit Room and played a few of her songs.

A week after having Anna in the studio, Ron then spent some time talking with Seattle's Daniel Kirkpatrick of Daniel Kirkpatrick and the Bayonets.  Daniel talked with Ron and playing a few songs on KSER.

Thanks to Anna and Daniel for spending some time with KSER.  Listen in the weeks ahead for your chance to join Ron in the KSER studio for some upcoming performances!

Happy KSER New Year - 2013

Happy New Year from everyone at KSER.

We're honored that you've made KSER part of your listening habit in 2012 and we look forward to continuing to serve the Pacific Northwest in 2013.  We couldn't do it without your support.

We feel like all 365 days of KSER broadcasting in 2012 were highlights...but a few events do stand out more than others.  In October, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! came to Everett to support KSER and spoke before a standing-room only crowd at Everett Community College.

Amy Goodman at Everett Community College

In November we were honored to present the 5th annual KSER Voice of the Community Award Ceremony.  This year's awards were presented to the Snohomish County Music Project; MS Helping Hands of Edmonds and Lillian Ortiz-Self.

Roger Pawley; Jan Vance; Lillian Ortiz-Self

Every week of 2012, KSER's Ed Bremer featured local newsmakers and community leaders on Sound Living, weekday afternoon's at 4 p.m.  One of the top stories featured in 2012 was the closing of the Kimberly-Clark paper mill and the debate over what to do with the valuable water-front property.  A number of local leaders talked with Ed about the future of the Kimberly-Clark site, including Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson.

Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson talked with Ed Bremer

You'd be amazed at the famous people who want to be interviewed by KSER's Ed Bremer.  In July, we had an in-studio visit from Ben Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin

Dozens of local bands and musical artists visited KSER during the year, including Left Hand Smoke; Sightseer; Northern Departure; Tony Lucca, Ian McFeron and a lot more.

In September, KSER's Sondra Santos was named a hero. Really! By the government, no less. The Snohomish Health District presented its Public Health Hero award to the host of KSER's morning news show for her weekly interviews on health issues in the northwest.

Suzanne Pate; Sondra Santos; Dr. Garry Goldbaum

Speaking of health, our own KSER doctors answered your questions every Thursday afternoon for 52 weeks in 2012. Primary Care Physicians Kasra Pournadeali, Rebecca Dirks, and Stacy Wells, have been answering listener calls live on KSER since 1998. This summer the weather was so nice, we actually moved them outdoors in August...to do a live show from the sidewalk on Wetmore avenue. Now that's taking the doctors to the people!

KSER's Sidewalk Doctor Show

In 2012 KSER's Jim Hilmar celebrated 15 years of hosting Frettin' Fingers, the popular Saturday guitar music show and KSER's Jeff Hofman, host of Dusties on Saturday afternoon, marked 25 years of doing public radio.

Jim Hilmar; Jeff Hofman

We started what we hope is a long-running new tradition this holiday season with the first ever Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater Kaddywompas Holiday radio show.  Tim and his crew are working on a few more specials...maybe more...for 2013.

Tim Noah

And, actually, 2013 is an important anniversary for our predecessor.  KRAB-FM started broadcasting 50 years ago.  One of the country's first true community radio stations started broadcasting as December turned to January in 1963. In 1991 KRAB became KSER and moved to Snohomish County. In 2003 we moved to our current location in Everett.

If you'd like to make sure that great independent public radio continues in the north Puget Sound, you can help with a donation. Most of our operating income comes from individual listeners like you.  It's easy to make a contribution.  You can go to our website KSER.org and click on the 'donate now' button.  We're a non-profit and your contribution is tax-deductible...a great way to get one more deduction before the end of the year.

Some people also take advantage of our easy-to-use automobile donation plan.  You can also do that online here. It's fast and easy, we do all the paperwork. And you may be eligible for a tax deduction.  Running or not, we'll be happy to help.

And if you accidentally left somone off your holiday gift list, you can support KSER and buy a nice gift for someone at the KSER Store.

So thanks for your support and thanks for listening to KSER.

And Happy New Year!