Welcome friends. This month’s newsletter has a little something for everyone. Enjoy!
State of the Station
Echo Sherman
It’s fall y’all and we have a lot to be grateful for in our monthly harvest at KEPW 97.3 FM. This season has brought steady growth, new energy, and plenty of work behind the scenes to strengthen the station for the year ahead. Our engineering and technical systems continue to improve, with equipment upgrades underway, better metadata tracking, no more repeating songs, and an expanding music library featuring local and community voices. We’re also continuing to develop youth radio, welcome new programming, and create more opportunities for people to learn, create, and find their voice on community radio.
There’s plenty happening beyond the broadcast booth, too. We’re building a new social media team, developing a new station website, and working to make communication and participation easier through improved committee outreach and a new station listserv. Our Outreach and Fundraising Development Committee is also gearing up for an important year, with consultant John Fauci helping us strengthen our fundraising efforts and prepare for KEPW’s 10th anniversary in February 2027. We’re looking at ways to diversify fundraising, expand community participation, and build a stronger foundation for the next decade. The Radio For All campaign is another important part of that work, connecting outreach, volunteer development, programming, and fundraising into a larger vision for a more inclusive and community-centered station.
As we move into autumn, we’re grateful for the people who keep KEPW moving: producers, volunteers, engineers, youth participants, committee members, listeners, donors, and everyone who contributes their time, ideas, music, stories, and enthusiasm. There is still plenty to build, from strengthening our organizational structure and producer support to expanding youth programming, improving our online presence, and preparing for our 10-year milestone. But community radio has never been about doing everything at once—it’s about building something together, one voice and one connection at a time. Thank you for being part of KEPW 97.3 FM, and for helping us grow what comes next.
Underground Echo
Something new is creeping into the Wednesday night air at KEPW 97.3 FM. Beginning this last month, Underground Echo has a new co-host: Nova K, aka the Indelible Nova Kitten. They are bringing their own particular brand of curiosity, perspective, and willingness to wander into the places most people politely step around. Together, we’ll be taking Underground Echo somewhere a little stranger, a little darker, and hopefully a lot more interesting. You can find us every Wednesday at 6 PM on KEPW 97.3 FM, with the show simulcast online at kepw.org.
October seemed like the obvious month to go poking around in the shadows. As the harvest comes in, the days shorten, the weather turns, and Samhain reminds us that the year has entered its darker half, we explored true crime, past-life regression, near-death experiences, the spooky and macabre, and all those wonderfully strange questions that tend to appear once the veil between “probably nothing” and “okay, but what if?” gets a little thinner. We also wandered through Halloween, changing seasons, homecoming and school traditions, grief, family gatherings, and the complicated business of moving through a world that doesn’t always make room for everybody. And because it was October, we reserved the right to surprise you with a trick or treat—or two.
But there’s a reason Underground Echo goes looking beneath the surface. If you hear a topic and your first thought is, “Why don’t more people know about this?”—that’s probably where we belong. We’re interested in the stories that fall through the cracks, the questions that don’t fit neatly into a headline, the people whose experiences get dismissed because they’re inconvenient, unusual, uncomfortable, too local, too complicated, or simply difficult to explain in thirty seconds. That includes the weird stuff, absolutely—but it also includes the very real things happening in our communities that deserve somebody willing to stop, listen, investigate, and ask better questions. This is community radio, after all. We don’t need every story to be tidy. We need it to be worth hearing.
So consider this your invitation to meet us somewhere underneath the ordinary. Wednesday nights at 6 PM, Echo and Nova K will be wandering into the woods with a flashlight, a microphone, and absolutely no guarantee that we’re coming back with the same questions we started with. Sometimes the underground is where the strange things live. Sometimes it’s where the important things have been buried. And sometimes, if we’re very lucky, it’s where you find something nobody thought to look for. Tune in. Bring your curiosity. Leave the door cracked for the unknown.
October episodes of Underground Echo can be heard in the KEPW archive.
From Ragtime to No Time
This is one of our newer shows on KEPW. Airing Fridays at 10am and the last two shows are available online in the KEPW archive. Larry Koenigsberg is your host showcasing a range of jazz from early recordings (the “Ragtime” side of things) up through contemporary ones. Jazz is many-sided and Rag Time to No Time offers all those sides, including avant-garde jazz (the “No Time” side of things), with the lyrical side.
Q & A with Larry
Have you ever done radio before?
I was a jazz DJ at KLCC off and on from 1984 until 2020 (a classics DJ there 1983-1984). When I didn’t have a show, I occasionally subbed as a DJ on jazz shows when other volunteers didn’t want to make their shift, or were unable to do so. During Covid the new Program Director locked all the music hosts out of the premises; in response, they learned how to create shows remotely. The PD let me go at that point, as he thought wired-in shows better served the audience than substitute DJs.
What inspired you to do this new show on KEPW?
I think perhaps I encountered an ad that KEPW was seeking local programmers? I thought I’d enjoy doing radio again. My initial hesitancy evaporated after I talked or corresponded with Pete LaVelle, a KEPW host formerly at KLCC.
Name some artists you like to play on your show.
Duke Ellington
Art Tatum
Lester Young
Charlie Parker
Bud Powell
Ornette Coleman
Name 3 albums everyone should hear before they die
Jive At Five: The Style-makers of Jazz 1920s -1940s (New World vinyl)
Charlie Parker on Dial Volume 4 (Spotlight vinyl)
Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (ECM)
Favorite KEPW show that is not your own?
I don’t listen to radio much but I’ve enjoyed Pure Jazz Revisited and have long appreciated Democracy Now.
People should support KEPW because….?
It offers insights and cultural riches that are not easily available elsewhere.
Shady Grove with Pete LaVelle
Airing Friday’s at 6pm and the last two shows are available online in the KEPW archive. Pete’s show is a replica of “The Back Porch” a program he originated in March of 1987 at KLCC. When DJ schedules were altered due to Covid, Pete opted not to do his show remotely, thinking he would be back in a few months. In 2020 he confirmed that KLCC was not an available option. He was happy to be welcomed to KEPW. Pete has amassed a huge library of folk, traditional and world music after 40 years of radio hosting, producing house concerts, attending festivals, and Folk Alliance conferences. Sharing this “Good Stuff” became a passionate obsession and he’s extremely grateful to KEPW for allowing him to do so! He describes his show as a TEA Party, (traditional, ethnic and acoustic). Join him at 6 pm on Friday eve for 2 hours, from Steven Foster to today and beyond!
Strange Oregon
This is also one of the newer shows on KEPW. Airing Mondays at 8pm with prior episodes in the KEPW archive. Hosted by Michelle Heaton and Jason Kenzie, Strange Oregon ranges from legendary cryptids lurking in the dark shadows of the rugged backcountry, to haunted waterfalls cascading through the PNW rainforests, mysterious voices in the archaic redwoods, ghost ships stuck in the unforgiving coastline, and bizarre natural, or unnatural, phenomena that defy explanation. Oregon is a state where the paranormal is woven into the landscape itself and the sky fills with lights that were never there. Every legend has a story, every mystery leaves a trail, and tonight we’re diving headfirst into the unknown. Join your hosts real-life monster hunter Jason Kenzie and Author Michelle Heaton for Strange Oregon.
Q & A with Michelle and Jason
What inspired you to do this show?
Michelle:
Definitely my love of cryptids and the macabre and I’ve always been told I have a very nice voice. Also, I love to talk. I think I inspired Jason when I called him and told him I needed a co-host. *wink
Jason:
I’ve always loved bringing people together, sharing adventures, and inspiring others to step outside their everyday routines and embrace the extraordinary. Life is full of fascinating mysteries, strange encounters, and unexplained phenomena, and I’ve always been drawn to the things we can’t easily explain. So, what better way to bring people together than to explore the weird, the wonderful, and the paranormal? Whether we’re sharing chilling stories, exploring the unknown, or simply having a few laughs along the way, my goal is to spark curiosity, entertain, and remind people that the world is a far more mysterious place than we sometimes realize!
Have you ever done radio or podcasts before?
Michelle:
I’ve never done radio but it’s always been a dream of mine, for sure. I have been a guest on over 20 podcasts, and I really love doing them. Jason has been doing podcasts appearances for years but he’s never hosted one. We are having a great time and I hope it shows.
Jason:
I’ve never officially been a radio personality, but producing and hosting my Searching for Sasquatch documentaries has given me plenty of experience talking with people, sharing incredible stories, and feeling comfortable in front of a microphone. Over the years, I’ve learned that I love connecting with people, asking questions, and exploring the strange, mysterious, and unexplained. Radio and podcasting have always been something I’ve wanted to pursue, so I’m excited about the opportunity to take that next step. I think my adventures, experiences, and passion for storytelling are something unique to the microphone. After all, when you spend your time searching for Bigfoot and investigating the paranormal, you’re never short of a good story to tell!
Why will listeners want to tune in?
Michelle:
I think they will want to tune in because we are funny and amusing, we cover strange local news, the main topic and our new segment Bigfoot by County.
Jason:
I think listeners will tune in because Michelle and I have a natural chemistry that makes for great radio! We bounce off each other, laugh, joke around, and share stories in a way that feels fun, spontaneous, and engaging. You never quite know where the conversation will go, and that’s part of the excitement! But it’s not just about having fun. Between us, we bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in the worlds of Bigfoot, cryptids, paranormal encounters, and the unexplained. We love digging into strange stories, exploring different theories, and asking the questions that keep people wondering. Our goal is to entertain, intrigue, and maybe even give listeners a few goosebumps along the way! Whether you’re a die-hard Bigfoot believer, a paranormal enthusiast, or simply someone who loves a great mystery, Michelle and I want to make every show an adventure. Tune in for the mysteries, stay for the stories, and stick around for the laughs!
How did you learn about KEPW radio?
Michelle:
I learned about it through my friend Priscilla Roseman Davidson who was chosen for the original show and asked me to be her co-host. She was busy and passed it over to me and it felt like Christmas!! Jason learned of it through me.
Jason:
I actually learned about KEPW through Michelle Heaton, who approached me and asked if I’d be interested in co-hosting Strange Oregon. Michelle is a big fan of my Searching for Sasquatch documentaries and felt that our personalities and passion for the strange and unexplained would make a great combination on the air. As it turns out, she was absolutely right! We have a fantastic time together, sharing our experiences, exploring fascinating cryptid encounters, discussing paranormal mysteries, and, of course, laughing along the way. We both bring our own perspectives, stories, and enthusiasm to the show, which makes every conversation feel like an adventure. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to step into the world of radio, meet new listeners, and share our passion for the mysterious. When you combine great chemistry, incredible stories, and a few unexplained mysteries, you never know what might happen next!
Favorite KEPW show that is not your own?
Michelle: Stand Up Be Heard. I enjoy the topics Veronica and Buckwild cover. I also love the kids on the radio. What a fantastic and fun time.
Jason:
One show that catches my interest is Underground Echo. I appreciate how it explores important community issues, amplifies overlooked voices, and encourages meaningful conversations. That spirit of independent radio makes KEPW special and worth supporting.
People should support KEPW because….?
Michelle: They do great work and volunteering for the community!
Jason:
People should support KEPW because independent community radio gives local voices a platform, shares unique perspectives, and brings people together through music, stories, and meaningful conversations you won’t always find on mainstream stations.
Anything else you would like mention to KEPW listeners?
Michelle: I just want to thank everyone for listening. We strive to make our show a little lighter, and perhaps a fun getaway from life’s everyday stresses. We want to make people happy, first and foremost. I really hope we achieve that goal. And… “Keep it Strange, Oregon!!”
Did You Know?
Beginning with tax year 2026, if you do not itemize your federal taxes (you claim the standard deduction), you can still deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly) of your cash contributions to certain qualified organizations such as KEPW (Eugene PeaceWorks). Information about this tax change can be found on the IRS website and information on how to contribute to KEPW can be found on our website https://kepw.org/donate-2/.