New Voices On The Mighty Zephyr!
As an educational organization, KZFR offers a free training in the historical, legal, and technical aspects of non-commercial radio broadcasting. We are excited to provide this opportunity to community members on how to be a radio broadcaster and have a program on community radio.
Since we relaunched our free Programmer Training Program (post pandemic), we've successfully trained and certified some amazing new programmers! You've heard these new voices on air co-hosting on some of your favorite shows and are probably curious who these new folks are. Well, we're proud to introduce you to them...
Welcome Chester, Christine, Molly, Nikoal, Rebecca & Shirley!
Chester Clever - "What's up Zephyr-Heads!?! I'm Chester and I came to Chico shortly after the station was formed and immediately was able to tune in to the fact that KZFR was something special. It took some time to finally begin the process of training to be a programmer and creating my own radio program has changed my life. I am so thankful to the community for supporting FM 90.1 KZFR for the last 33 years and counting. To be among the programmers and the good people of this community really has given me a sense of purpose. I am so grateful to be able to give back in this way. Please, "tune in" on Friday mornings at 5am for an hour-long,
alphabetical expedition into the wonderful world of music that is
ABBA to Zappa! Also available on the archive section of KZFR.ORG for two weeks after the original airing. Thank You for supporting community radio!!"
Christine Ponce - "Originally from the Bay Area, I has been a Chico resident for 22 years. My husband and I moved up here for school, fell in love with all that Chico had to offer, and chose to raise tour kids in Butte County. I recently graduated from Chico State with a Masters in Public Administration, which compliments my love of politics, current events, and social justice. Hosting a radio program has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid; in fact, I began college as a Broadcasting major, with an emphasis in radio. I hope to explore difficult topics in hopes of fostering community discussions about possible remedies. I am interested in utilizing community radio as a platform to have these necessary discussions, while also highlighting just how important community radio is to small cities like Chico. Being that Butte County can often feel like a population desert, KZFR allows us all to connect and explore relevant topics that may be unique to our region and impact our quality of life. I truly believe there is more that unites us than divides us."
Molly Knight - "My name is Molly Knight and I am one of the DJs for
Throwback Attack on KZFR on Thursdays. I moved to Chico in 2005. I am originally a northern California native who grew up just down the road in Red Bluff. I am a middle school math and science teacher in Paradise and I just love love LOVE music and community radio. Teaching is my profession but music is my passion. I was introduced to djing on the radio by my now husband, Grant Parks, AKA DJ PHG. We both enjoy music and being able to play our favorite music for our fans. Being able to provide feel good throwback music to my fans makes being on the radio extraordinary. I look forward to every time I can be in the studio spinning jams that we all enjoy and dance to!! Thank you for supporting your local radio station and for rocking out with me on Thursdays!"
Nikoal Phantom - "The first time I tuned in to KZFR, I was excited to hear music and shows that were live and authentic. I was immediately drawn in as a listener, much like an insect caught in a web! American Graffiti is one of my favorite movies and it highlights how I feel about radio. Living in the moment and sharing experiences with other listeners through music and with a live DJ bringing it to life! Though we no longer cruise the streets or hear the Wolfman, having a station like KZFR is the closest you can get to that feeling of community! And we are so fortunate to have that here in Chico! Becoming a volunteer programmer is a dream come true for me. I am a lifelong music appreciator and record collector. In the past, I did a few live Dj gigs at venues here in Chico and also in Sacramento. It was fun interacting with a crowd, but I much prefer radio over night clubs! My favorite music genres (both new & classic styles) are: gothic rock, post punk, and dark wave. But I also LOVE oldies, Rockabilly, punk and Garage, so it’s fun to throw some of those tunes into the mix. We are so lucky to have a plethora of emerging artists out there producing music right now. And I feel that many are under-represented and deserve a chance for more exposure. I hope to have my own show one day, but until then I am open to filling in for existing programs as I enjoy researching different styles of music. I look forward to helping out and meeting new friends! Thank you for welcoming me to the KZFR family!"
Rebecca Charles - "I've been working in media production for about 10 years, with stints at local stations KRCR and KIXE. I'm passionate about art, music and information, and about supporting our local arts, which has prompted me to get involved here at KZFR. I'm grateful for an opportunity at a community owned independent resource such as this, and am excited to be part of the
All Mixed Up team of DJs on Saturday evenings. They're a welcoming and fun group to work with, and willing to humor my eclectic and weird tastes in music!"
Shirley McCoy - "I grew up around music- my dad exposed me to a lot of his music and he and I still go to concerts together, even to this day. I graduated from Chico State with my business degree but knew that I wanted to work in music, somehow, someway. I got into burning mix CDs for a while and then after about a year of working in the front office at the station, my interest in being on the air casually evolved. It's so much fun to get to share my music and knowledge with people and know that it brings joy to people. I'd like to sub for any of the blues shows/classic rock shows and am looking to bring in more touring talent to
Studio 416. Community radio is great- it's unique, and I think that's what I enjoy most. It's more personal than commercial radio. The people DJing here at KZFR, you can see the pure passion, joy, and love they put into their programs. Community radio further strengthens connections and I am glad to be a part of it."
Interested in having your own show on KZFR?
The first step to becoming a KZFR Programmer is to attend an Orientation. There are 4 orientations a year and space is limited. Go to kzfr.org/pages/becomeprogrammer to learn more and to secure a spot.
