Quietly back in October, a new radio station took to the airwaves, broadcasting from its perch on the Norse Home on Phinney Ridge.
It’s called KBFG (107.3 FM) — which stands for Ballard, Fremont and Greenwood (sorry, Phinney) — a new low-power station that covers much of Northwest Seattle. The volunteer team has worked four years to secure their FCC license and start testing both recorded and live broadcasts. Now they’ve scheduled an official launch party for Dec. 10th.
“We are all pretty much lovers of radio,” explains Pam Burton, a volunteer at the station. “Our big job at the moment is to get the word out that there is a new radio station in North Seattle.”
For a small community station, KBFG’s programming slate is impressive even its its early days: local music, public affairs shows, community events and live play-by-play of Ballard High School varsity basketball games, just added this week.
There’s also Tristan’s Bedtime Radio Hour, airing Sunday’s at 7 p.m., hosted by the father-son duo Tim and Tristan (above) as they talk about dinosaurs, play favorite songs, and take requests from Tristan’s big sisters.
“So far we have been producing programs on our home computers, and then we submit to our KBFG website,” explains Burton. “A team of program volunteers work their magic in the cloud and put the (audio) into AirTime, which is a program that uploads to our station’s computer.”
The programs are distributed both over-the-air on 107.3 FM and live streaming online.
Burton says KBFG is on the hunt for more community programming. “I feel a great need for giving the public a forum to discuss the issues of the day,” she says. “We are preparing to train those who come forward.”
KBFG is also looking for a place to call home. “We would love to find an affordable space in Ballard for the station,” Burton says.
If you’re interesting in pitching a programming idea, here’s how to contact the station. And if you’d like to attend the launch party, it’s December 10th from 2 to 6 p.m. at Peddler’s Brewing in Ballard.