KFFR – Where the listening is good

Live radio? What’s that? Vinyl records? Huh?

Live radio broadcasting is rare and specialized. The craft still has the potential to amaze and astound a listener. Sometimes it’s slick and professional and other times it’s boring, loose or even wobbly. So much can go wrong. But so much often goes right.

Who will deny that nothing is more soul-crushing than the drone of pre-automated fake broadcasters using surreal booming voices to sell you a truck through blaring commercials that assault and insult your intelligence? No wonder that some people don’t know what radio is. Commercial radio almost killed it.

Happily, KFFR offers the opposite experience. Our volunteer announcers are here to play you some music, make you smile and perhaps share some information that may be of use. While other broadcasters are stuck in stiff automation schedules run by robots, we can react to an emergency situation and get vital information out to our listeners, pronto. The lights are on at KFFR.

Our DJs represent the spectrum of Grand County residents, but have one thing in common: The desire to serve the community through broadcasting. Being behind the console is empowering and we take pride in serving our community with dedicated volunteers.

Some might call us old school, and to a certain extent that’s true. We still find joy in cueing up a record on the turntable, or flipping on the mics for a guest or a live music performance or opening up the phones for a direct connection with our listeners. Maybe it’s a live remote broadcast from a concert or community event.

When you listen to KFFR you may hear a rare deep track of music, an important bit of weather or traffic info, the occasional dog barking in the background and a whole lot of good tunes being shared by our friends and neighbors. You will also hear young voices, people laughing and live, local music.

When a listener approaches me to say how much they like our programming it provides affirmation for what we do and why we do it. When I hear you say that the second you pop over Berthoud pass you tune us in, I’m grateful. When you say that you listen online so you can take a bit of Grand County home with you, I know that we are succeeding. Our success depends on buy-in and participation from our listeners. And that’s you.

We hope to continue to serve you with music and meaningful information and entertainment. We don’t rest in our pursuit of quality live, volunteer community broadcasting. We think it’s good listening and we are here for you.

Steve Skinner is KFFR’s Program Director

As more small towns lose their local media coverage, it is more important than ever to support community radio stations like KFFR.  Our KFFR Public Affairs Show is just one way we will try to serve the county in 2024.  Stay tuned for more developments in local news.