“We’re always here to play the music and to announce area communities events and fundraisers to help non for profit agencies,” said KKFI DJ Robert Rodriguez (top). And KKFI Dj Tommy Andrade (bottom) said, “It’s exciting to know that Kauffman has been so generous to help us so that we can help the community.”
BY JOE ARCE AND COREY CRABLE
Longtime community radio station KKFI 90.1 FM might be small to some in the industry, but the effects it has on Kansas City is large – and it’s about to get larger, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Kauffman Foundation.
According to a press release from KKFI management, the grant “will allow the station tåo expand its free, hands-on training opportunities to volunteers, many from marginalized communities, helping to develop critical skills in broadcasting, media production, marketing, web design, scheduling, time management, and content creation, contributing to career development and meaningful participation in public discourse.”
The station, largely run by a team of dedicated volunteers, has long been a mainstay for the city’s communities of color and traditionally underrepresented communities, offering music, local and national news and live talk programming geared toward Black and Hispanic listeners.
Kelly Dougherty, KKFI Director of Development and Communications, said station employees and volunteers are “absolutely thrilled” to receive the grant, adding that she sees it as an indicator that the station is seen as having meaning and value to Kansas Citians.
“What we want to do and continue to do is to bring in people who don’t have the voice and other media outlets,” Dougherty says. “We can provide that.”
KKFI, operating on a 100,000-watt broadcast and extending throughout the metro area including Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas. KKFI has been serving the community for more than 30 years.
“It just shows for one, that the Kauffman Foundation recognize us and see the potential and know that we are engaged as we are now, and being able to engage even further is just awesome,” Dougherty adds.
The $250,000 grant supplements income made from the station’s three fundraisers each year, as well as an annual band auction, making up an estimated 80 percent of the station’s income.
Dougherty reminds listeners that KKFI is a small business, and she intends to keep it that way, untouched by corporate interests and serving people who might not otherwise have a voice.
“It’s really very important that we stay on the air because to have a station like ours that is not driven by corporate media and corporate entities is even more important. Everybody’s struggling right now, and we need to make sure that we get those voices that are struggling out,” Dougherty says. “We need to make sure that we continue to support the community’s small businesses. … That’s exactly what they are.”
Dougherty says she thinks the station’s success is due in large part to the diversity of programming it offers. “We actually do have a k -pop show we have an indigenous content, all of that. And it’s, so important that if there’s a community that we’re missing here in Kansas City, then we need to reach that community. And it’s really important to engage them.”
“The content by itself is crucial, but it’s the people behind the scenes who bring the station to life – people including the late Lisa Lopez Galvan, who brought Tejano music to the masses before losing her life in the February shooting at Union Station following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally.”
“Also The late Viviana Medellin and others like Manny Martinez, Raul Garcia, Maria Vasquez-Boyd, Robert “Bob” Rodriguez. Tommy Andrade. And the list goes on.”
“All the people who have helped us and also the opportunity for us to help the people in the community -- it’s a win -win situation for both the radio station and for the community at large,” said Andrade, also known as DJ Tommy, “so it’s exciting to know that Kauffman has been so generous to help us so that we can help the community.”
In addition to individuals, Kansas City-area organizations have had a hand in the station’s success, Andrade adds. “The organizations that support us daily because they know that we’re trying to do a lot of good in the community and take care of the community. We have a lot of collaboration with the Black and Hispanic communities, so that gives us a good feeling that we can take care of them,” said Andrade.
Rodriguez, who has volunteered for KKFI for 18 years, calls the station’s team “a little family.” In turn, the station’s volunteers tend to think of their own listeners in the same way.
“We’re always here to play the music and to announce area communities events and fundraisers to help non for profit agencies,” said Rodriguez. Many of the DJ’s at KKFI get involved in their communities, many of them find themselves becoming the Master of Ceremonies for area event. This allows them to learn more about the community that they
are serving.
“There’s really a pretty small community that listens to our show, and we are there to fill a need, plus try to entertain people a little bit, giving them something that they don’t normally hear on regular radio,” said Rodriguez.
For more information, listen to KKFI 90.1 FM or visit www.kkfi.org.
