Did you know we have two community radio stations in the Treasure Valley? Today's story is by Sonya Feibert-Kuhn and takes you behind the scenes of Boise's community radio stations, how they got started, and why people-powered radio is so important. You can listen to me read this story on today's podcast episode.

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Frequency for the people

By Sonya Feibert-Kuhn

“Are you interested in community radio?”

These words on a flyer stapled to a power pole in downtown Boise caught Wayne Birt’s eye. Yep, he was interested. He’d been involved with KBSU when it was a student-run station, then saw the void it created after it became a syndicated station and local DJs were let go. “Knowing what a fully people-powered operation was like, it was a shock to my young sensibilities,” Wayne said. “Once it was snatched away, that stuck with me.”

Wayne left Boise to travel and attend graduate school. He tuned into local community radio wherever he went. When he returned to Boise in the late 90s, he found the prospect for community radio even slimmer than when he’d left. At the time Boise was the largest midsize city that didn’t have an independent radio station — radio powered by people, for people.

So when Wayne saw the sign on a pole with tear-away stubs, it was like a signal reaching him on the frequency of a soon-to-be station. It led him to, as he puts it, the “estimable Jeff Abrams.” A group of fellow community radio advocates met in 2002, and, as Wayne said, “the rest is history. I witnessed the process of just how fragile building something like this is. We succeeded by just that much.”

Wayne became the program director a year after Radio Boise went on air. He makes sure programming runs around the clock and oversees volunteers. Every Friday morning, he gets on air to co-host his weekly show, V3, with Gabe Dunn, and returns on Sunday evenings to host Drift Correction. He also helps coordinate Radioland every year in collaboration with the Treefort team. “It can be busy. We’re a low-staff radio station performing miracles with what we have,” Wayne said.

Radio Boise: People-powered radio for Boise & beyond

Radio Boise was founded in 2003. The station was broadcasted over the internet for five years before it aired its first live broadcast in 2011. Today it features about 8 shows daily, totaling almost 70 weekly shows. “Just to put it into perspective, that’s over a 100 DJs. We have DJs who sub in, shows that have rotations of hosts, and students who come in on their summer vacation to host,” said Radio Boise general manager Nichole Albertson-Winkle.

Like Wayne, Nichole (whose voice you might recognize as Nichole Marie from her Tuesday afternoon show The Rapture) found Radio Boise after coming back to Boise following college. In search of community, she connected with Radio Boise. Right away, she knew: “I’ve found my place,” she described. Nichole and many volunteers she’s talked to have found positive mental health benefits through the station. “You find a way to give back to your community in a way that also brings you joy, in a way that’s impactful, and it gives you a sense of purpose,” she said.

Tune into Radio Boise and you’ll enjoy a range of music, from jazz to Brazilian music to disco to funk to folk. The station also features a full lineup of public affairs and arts and issues programming covering social justice topics, community events, and arts and culture. “From the beginning, it’s always been the people who participate driving the direction of it,” Wayne said. You can browse all Radio Boise shows here.

In its 13 years on air, Radio Boise has succeeded because of community. It truly is people-powered radio, whether that’s folks volunteering, joining the Hi-Fi Society, or calling in every Radiothon to support the station. Grants from organizations like the Idaho Commission on the Arts and underwriting from local businesses also help to cover the costs of running a full-time station.

The Radio Boise team is focusing a lot on community these days, from inviting listeners to visit the station in the Alaska Building to collaborating with nonprofits and bringing in live bands. “It’s not just about the broadcast. It’s about community. We want to hear everybody’s story,” Nichole said. “We hear stories from people who remember the days of freeform radio, or folks who come from other cities that have independent stations. We get to put a lot of faces to names.” People are welcome to visit the station anytime, Nichole shared. It can be particularly fun and festive during events like the spring and fall Radiothon, Listen Local Day, and National Radio Day, which was on August 20.

“Our mission is connecting to people and nurturing the community. It’s that moment when you turn on the radio and hear something and you have to find out where it’s coming from,” Nichole said. “We’re just the people who run the station, but as a community, as DJs, listeners, and volunteers, we’re here to celebrate owning our own media.”

“It’s a real driver of a healthy community,” Wayne added. “I couldn’t imagine living here without Radio Boise.”

You can tune into Radio Boise at 89.9 or 93.5 FM if you’re downtown, or listen online and catch past shows and playlists at radioboise.org. You can support Radio Boise here.

Upcoming Radio Boise Events

Oct 2-15: Radiothon at Radio Boise. Come say hello!

Oct 19: Radiothon Wrap Party at Shrine Social Club with Japanese psych-rock band Minami Deutsche and LaGrande, Oregon combo Catskills.

Tropico FM: Bringing Latin, Caribbean, and Cuban Beats to Boise

If Radio Boise is the big sister of community radio in Boise, Tropico FM might be like their hip sibling. The new Low Power FM station hits the airwaves at 103.1 FM and features a funky, eclectic mix of Brazilian, Latin, Caribbean, Cuban, and more—a diverse offering that seeks to reflect the diversity of people and interests in Boise.

Tropico FM’s president is Kyle Scheffler, who hosts Beijo Brasiliero on Saturdays at Radio Boise. His passion for Brazilian music, Tropicalia, and community radio helped bring Tropico to life. In 2019, Kyle learned about an available license through a board member of Common Frequencies, an organization that supports the launch of independent, noncommercial radio stations around the country. The seeds were planted, and Tropico’s first live broadcast went on air in October 2022.

Tropico FM focuses on bringing a wide variety of music to the Treasure Valley, most of it featuring music from outside of the U.S. Many of the songs you’ll hear are sung in Portuguese and Spanish. There’s DJ Najean, who features future beats, older Brazilian music, and some indie on her show Raw and Filtered. Saturday evenings Noelito takes the mic, a Cuban DJ who you might recognize from his food stand, Adelfas Comida Cubana. Noelito’s show, AZUCAR, features Son Cubano, Afro-Cuban music that’s the foundation for salsa and Latin jazz.

In addition to bringing Brazilian, Caribbean, and Latin music to Boise through the airwaves, the team behind Tropico also brings musicians into town whenever they can. You may have spotted Tropico’s shows at Treefort, which have included bands from Brazil and the Bahamas. Year-round, hosts including DJ Litino, DJ Fresh, and the Perreo Boys play at Treefort Music Hall. “These DJs have a loyal following,” Kyle said. “I’m glad to see music that’s so eclectic, both with DJs and genres, in downtown Boise. Treefort Music Hall has been a great venue for that.”

Rodrigo Thuja, a Brazilian musician, composer, and programmer, recently moved to Boise and has added his show, Brasil Primerio, to Tropico’s lineup, bringing music from his homeland of Salvador in Bahia.

Brazilian music has always been a passion for Kyle, and Tropico FM is one way he gets to share his passion and connect with others. He visits Brazil as often as he can and collaborates with musicians there whenever possible. This summer, he took a trip to Rio de Janeiro to film a short series of documentary-style films featuring upcoming Brazilian musicians like Ricardo Richaid. You can follow along with the series, Rio: New Generation, on Kyle’s Instagram.

Last month, Kyle moved Tropico’s antenna to Table Rock, extending its reach to all of Boise, Eagle, and much of Meridian. Depending on your signal, you might be able to tune in from Nampa and Caldwell.

Asked about what Tropico hopes to do in the future, Kyle said he’s excited to keep contributing to the growth of community radio in Boise.

“We’re still pretty young as an organization and continuing to steadily increase our listener base,” Kyle said. “We’re trying to make a radio station where every time you turn it on something good is playing.”

For something good, tune into Tropico FM on the radio at 103.1 FM and at tropico.fm. You can support Tropico FM here.

Thanks for reading!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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