Radio Connects Us All

As of Monday following KPTZ’s Welcome Home fund drive week, we need to raise $24,993 more to reach our budgeted goal. We can do this only with YOUR HELP.

Thanks to everyone’s generous support ~ not just your dollars but also whenever you cheer on our work at the station, this buoys and uplifts everyone’s spirits to carry forward the creative, and sometimes challenging, service that we provide, through KPTZ’s stellar programming lineup. In addition, KPTZ’s Local News and Community-focused Calendar and public service announcements, keep everyone informed about all the goings on in our area. Our emergency response team is always at the ready.

It is so very encouraging to us, when you have stopped by to drop off your donations this past week at our table outside, and at the air studio’s weather window, or during one of our flagship broadcasts from the new station. And we dance with joy to receive your online donations, through the kptz.org website. All this support feeds us through the needed fees, equipment, maintenance and supplies to keep our DJ hosts on the airwaves.

What truly makes KPTZ strong is the quality of the community we serve. Our town and region are blessed to be the home of such a wide and varied array of incredible service, arts and culture organizations. Much of what talk goes out through the 91.9FM airwaves is information about the nonprofit and business world in our wonderful area.

All radio stations, and especially, community stations entirely run and staffed by a volunteer workforce, are intricate organizations. KPTZ’s operational infrastructure, other than my modest salary and the payroll of the 4 part time station staff, Is supported entirely by the hands of our amazing team of dedicated volunteers. It’s truly a beautiful thing to behold, whether as a listener or as a participant in the creative process whereby the station delivers the goods via the airwaves and live stream. These are people from many backgrounds and across age and lifestyle interests, who volunteer at KPTZ alike in their dedication to their collective contributions.

Yes, you can count on us! We, in turn, depend on you for support and sustenance. If you’ve been intending to donate to KPTZ, today is the PERFECT TIME. Your help at this pivotal juncture will allow KPTZ to continue and to grow into the new station, over coming weeks. Indeed, I hope we can count on you!

With Great Thanks for Your Community Spirit,
Kate Ingram, KPTZ General Manager
[email protected]

Following the major milestone that coincided with the station’s week-long fundraiser, four keynote KPTZ DJ hosts have broadcast live from our new broadcast studio, beginning October 4 with Robert Ambrose, DJ host of Rhythm Connection and Peter Robinson with Out of Nowhere. Robert and Peter will be back there on Tuesday, October 11, to give some trials of the newly installed equipment. Quite an accomplishment!

The 7-day event signifies a huge benchmark, now that KPTZ’s engineers have installed the needed infrastructure to enable these broadcasts. As they showcase our long-awaited migration from the tiny Mountain View Commons building to newly renovated Building 305 at Fort Worden, we turn now to you who listen, asking you to support and sustain KPTZ’s continued home grown radio as a fixture that serves this community.

Moving to the Fort will enable us to add responsibilities to become even more reliably functional ~ this can happen only with enough funding to support this dedicated offering.

The buildout, together with continuing on the air and streaming 24-7 has stretched us all to full tilt capacity ~ especially since the pandemic, when we came up with workarounds so that many of our creative crew could work from home. Even now, the station remains closed to the public due to high COVID-19 transmission rates.

Meanwhile KPTZ continues to grow, serve and entertain! Please contribute what you can towards our $60,000 goal to meet budgeted operating expenses. We very much appreciate you, your listenership, and your support!

Tune in! All of KPTZ’s live shows between October 2 and 8 are devoted to special programming for the week-long fund drive. 
 
Special Fund Drive Programming Additions:
Wednesday, October 6 Fund Drive Shows
3-3:30pm – DJ host Jerry Osborne joins Taylor Clark to swap stories and play some tunes.
3:30-4pm – Broadway Showtime’s Don White shares a fundraising glass!
4-5pm – Dalana on air with Tim Quackenbush, for some Music to My Ears flair.
 
Saturday, October 8 Fund Drive Shows
Heads Up! with Jim Burke
9-11am – KPTZ Local News Reporter Casey Dolan joins Jim on air to throw some pitches. 
Johnny’s Garage with Jonathan Evison
3-6pm – Jonathan Evison, author of Small World, Lawn Boy, and West of Here, is a record collector and will bring a variety of his favorite music to play on Johnny’s Garage.

KPTZ joins the League of Women Voters-Jefferson County in encouraging everyone to vote by airing the BOCC Position 3 election forum, broadcast live on KPTZ at 6pm on Tuesday, October 11. This hour-long forum featured candidates Greg Brotherton and Marcia Kelbon.

The LWVJC strives to ensure that questions reflect a wide range of concerns from across the county, and note that forum-asked questions are never released to the candidates in advance.

Please check back to view and hear the forum, once it is edited.

On Tuesday, October 18 from 5:30-7pm, KPTZ will re-broadcast the LWVJC 7/11/22 Forum, facing off the two candidates for Jefferson County Sheriff: Art Frank and Joe Nole. 

And on Tuesday, October 25 from 5:30-7pm, KPTZ will re-broadcast the LWVJC 7/12/22 Forum that featured 5 of the 6 primary candidates for the two seats from Washington’s 24th Legislative District: Mike Chapman and Matthew Rainwater for Position 1, and Darren Corcoran, Brian Pruiett, and Steve Tharinger for Position 2. Position 1 candidate Sue Forde was unable to attend.  

Key City Public Theatre’s new season kicks off with Always…Patsy Cline by Ted Swindley, a musical tribute to the legendary country singer, based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with Louise Seger, a Houston fan. The musical has enjoyed success throughout the U.S., including a well received run off-Broadway. Always…Patsy Cline features with down-home country humor, true emotion, and even some audience participation ~ and it all comes now to Port Townsend.

Always… Patsy Cline stars PT’s own singer-songwriter Aba Kiser as Patsy Cline, and Michelle Hensel as Louise Seger. Locally loved Aba Kiser has toured nationally as back-up for the likes of Eleanor Murray and Ings. Veteran KCPT performer Michelle Hensel previously appeared in Men on Boats and Enemy of the People. The show is directed by Denise Winter, with musical direction by Linda Dowdell, leading a six-piece band including Dowdell, Bud Brewer, Maggie Jo Bulkley, Robert Bulkley, Bobbi Nikles, and Angie Tabor.

Running from Wednesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 23, Always… Patsy Cline showtimes vary, with evenings and matinee showings available. Advance tickets are available at KeyCityPublicTheatre.org, by phone at 360-385-KCPT, or at the door.