This week, Spokane Public Radio made some changes in the formats for its three program streams. For 45 years, KPBX has mixed national and local news with several genres of music. During its time on the air, KSFC has been a news and public affairs station. KPBZ has presented an eclectic mix of spoken word programs. All three have experienced some degree of change. We’ll talk about those — and listener reactions to them — with General Manager John Decker and Program Director Henry McNulty.
"It's mostly about opportunity and about saving the station. And it seems like a really dramatic way to focus it, is that we are saving the station. But this station has had a rough patch over the past few years, and doing the same thing over and over again is not a recipe for success. And that became very, very clear in the first few weeks, first few months of my tenure here at Spokane Public Radio. So there's that, there's the financial reality of who we are and what we're doing and how we're trying to survive in this world. On the other hand, there's this opportunity that we have with the frequencies that the station owns."
Also, we’ll learn more about a new written history of Washington’s Methow Valley. Owen Henderson talks with anthropologist and Methow Valley resident Julie Tate-Libby about her new series of essays.
"I think some of the changes that I see occurring, you know, are—I wouldn't say they're necessarily sad to me, but they're different. And I feel like the ethos is changing a little bit. And so I feel like I wanted to bring something that reflected on those changes and that it's a bit of nostalgic, you know—it's a little bit lamenting the changes, but I mean it in the best way possible."
