On Wednesday afternoon, February 25, eight community radio humans gathered in Seattle for coffee, cookies, and a good old-fashioned conversation about the future of local media. NFCB has done this from time to time, we visit a region and gather the local member stations to get a sense of what is happening in their region, where NFCB can help and ease some of the pain points that the stations are experiencing. Our gatherings are part group consulting, part peer-to-peer learning, and part communal venting, (Learn more about NFCB consulting here.)
And I forgot to take a single picture.
Not one.
For someone who spends a good portion of her life talking about documentation, storytelling, and institutional memory, this is deeply humbling.
So instead, please enjoy the official visual record of the event: the highly accurate, museum-quality stick figure rendering above.
For the record:
I am the stick figure all the way on the left.
Our former board member Sharon is the stick figure all the way on the right.
You can identify us because we are shorter than everyone else.
Accuracy matters.
Who Was in the Room
We had six folks join from five stations, representing the depth and energy of Seattle-area community radio:
- Garett Michaels, General Manager, KSER 90.7 FM & KXIR 89.9 FM
- Crystal Fincher, KVRU Community Radio LPFM
- Ben Brandow (he/him), Interim General Manager & Director of Development, 91.3 KBCS
- Mark Patterson, SPACE 101.1 FM (KMGP)
- Gabrielle Gearhard, SPACE Board President — who most excellently came prepared with name tags for all of us to use
- Genevieve Barlow, Executive Director, KPTZ in Port Townsend
Yes. Gabrielle brought name tags.
Because I forgot those too.
In my defense, I did remember to show up.
Sharon Maeda — Seattle legend and former NFCB board member — co-hosted and, most importantly, brought the yummiest cookies. This detail is not minor. It materially improved strategic clarity.
The Scene
Picture it:
Coffee cups.
Cookie crumbs.
Six station leaders.
Two community radio instigators (Sharon and me).
Beautifully organized name tags (thank you, Gabrielle).
Zero photos.
Sharon generously laid out the history of the Seattle community radio landscape — the advocacy roots, the LPFM movement, the ways stations have supported each other across decades. It was a reminder that this region has long treated community radio as civic infrastructure, not just a broadcast license.
And then we did what community radio people do best: round robin.
The Round Robin of Everything
We shared:
- Board governance challenges and successes
- Policy and procedure frameworks
- Youth engagement strategies
- Foundation relationships
- Fundraising pivots
- Community outreach ideas
- How to grow audiences without losing identity
- What NFCB can offer and how we can better support local stations
It wasn’t theoretical. It was practical. “Here’s what worked.” “Here’s what didn’t.” “Here’s a template.” “Here’s who to call.” “Here’s how we handled that.”
You could almost see the musical notes floating above our heads.
(See stick figure rendering for reference.)
A Region That Shows Up
What struck me most was how active this group is in advocacy and lobbying — not just for public media broadly, but for local civic issues. They understand that community radio does not exist apart from policy, funding, and local governance. They show up at city hall. They engage state conversations. They track federal shifts.
They are not passive broadcasters.
They are civic actors.
And they are deeply collaborative.
By the end of the afternoon, there was a clear sense that this would not be a one-time gathering. Folks appreciated coming together. There was energy around continuing to meet, share resources, and strengthen the regional network.
Which is exactly how ecosystems grow — not by decree, but by coffee, cookies, and emergency name tags.
The Official Caption
Below: Stick figure rendering of the February 25 Seattle Community Radio Gathering.
Rima is the stick figure all the way on the left.
Sharon is the stick figure all the way on the right.
We can identify ourselves because we are shorter than everyone else.
The rest are clearly mid-gesture, clapping, or about to make an excellent point about board governance. If you look closely, you can also imagine each one wearing a perfectly labeled name tag.
The boombox in the middle represents community radio: slightly retro, still powerful, and absolutely central to the room.
Final Reflection (With Mild Self-Reproach)
I am genuinely sad I forgot to take a real photo. But in some ways, this rendering feels appropriate.
Community radio has always been a little scrappy.
A little DIY.
A little “we’ll draw it ourselves if we have to.”
What mattered wasn’t the picture.
What mattered was this:
Six leaders.
Five stations.
Shared history.
Shared challenges.
Shared laughter.
And a commitment to keep showing up for each other.
Next time, I promise to take the photo.
And maybe bring the name tags.
