Community radio doing its part
Since the news broke on the now 70,000-plus acre Valley Fire, radio programmers at Lake County’s only community radio station have been reporting updates, 24 hours a day. They’re also taking calls, answering as many questions as they can and referring callers to the resources available throughout Lake, Mendocino and Napa Counties.
The outpouring of help during this tragedy is literally unquantifiable. People are helping in ways too many to know, at shelters donations of all kinds continue to pour in and the volunteers at the 15 or more shelters now operational are seemingly tireless. It’s an unparalleled show of support at an incredibly difficult time. Some of the volunteers are themselves victims of the fire and KPFZ radio programmers are no exception.
KPFZ, 88.1 FM is all volunteer radio delivering music and talk radio programming 7 days a week. It’s mission, providing a forum for freedom of expression and cultural diversity, is unique. There’s something for everybody.
But the programming focus shifted almost immediately when news of the fire took hold and for the most part, regular programming has been side-lined for the primary purpose of making sure the latest information is available to victims, their families and friends — and anyone who wants to help or is interested in keeping up with the latest information from official reporting agencies.
There are many mediums for getting information and keeping up with the latest on the Valley Fire; print media, on-line media, television and commercial radio are all important sources doing vital front line reporting and compelling accounts of damages and losses sustained. In these unprecedented times, through its volunteer programmers, Lake County Community Radio is doing its part, providing a unique forum for on-air interaction with listeners and doing an amazing job for our community.
Call 707-263-3435 to reach a live programmer if you need information or want to share information about the fire. Tune your radio dial to 88.1 FM or find the station on the Internet at www.kpfz.org, Tunein.com or Live 365.
Olga Martin Steele, KPFZ
