A Word from Our CEO
Every day when I walk through the Gathering Space, I see the power of radio at work. I see its power to connect people and build community. To break down walls and build bridges. To heal and bring joy. To inspire and lift our spirits. To take us on a musical journey that challenges us with something we’ve never experienced before. When I reflect on 2023, I think about the deliberate work we did to amplify this power.
We adopted a new strategic plan to help us be more responsive to the needs of our music loving
community. It focused us on three areas: being a leading voice for music in the Pacific Northwest
and building deeper relationships locally, reinforcing humanity in digital media by creating enduring
connections, and making music discovery more accessible by diversifying our creative products and digital offerings.
In September, we invested in growing our ability to discover new connections and music with a new radio lineup. These changes are keeping us on the front foot with music that’s alive and fully in the moment—and with DJs who are bringing new voices, perspectives, and personalities to all areas of the organization, not just on-air.
We invested in our digital foundation. We hired our first CTO, a leader who will help us level up and make possible the visions we have for our digital experience. We migrated our data and infrastructure to more modern systems, implemented new security protocols and critical upgrades, while conducting regular maintenance to ensure everything is dialed.
One thing we’ve learned at KEXP over 52 years is how to use our incredible programming and modest broadcast signal to build a connected, vibrant, music-loving community. It’s right in our wheelhouse.
Which brings me to the Bay Area. We took a risk—while also playing to our strengths—when we put in a winning bid to buy the 92.7 KREV signal in a bankruptcy court auction in late 2023. The Bay Area is home to such rich and diverse music scenes, but it hasn’t been served by a vibrant radio signal on a regional scale for decades. It’s an opportunity to provide some connective tissue across and between music scenes in the PNW, the Bay Area, and the rest of the world. It’s exciting. And, all things equal, I’d rather invest in building community than in the stock market.
As I write this, I am already seeing these investments paying off. It’s making us stronger. It’s re-focused us on our core mission. And it’s giving us the chance to live up to the ambition we built in our strategic plan. Again, the power of radio at work. I’m so grateful to you for being a part of this community. We couldn’t do any of this without you—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you!!
Ethan Raup
Chief Executive Officer
