Happy Holidays!
As the year comes to a close, I would like to extend warm holiday greetings and sincere gratitude for your support this past year. Together we have achieved some incredible things with meaningful impact in our community.
In 2022, we started an initiative to bring greater news coverage to Northern Minnesota. This past year, we were able to complete the first phase with the hiring of News Director Chelsey Perkins and Bemidji Area Reporter Larissa Donovan. Together, they launched the Up North Report, a five-minute daily news podcast.
They have covered events like the Blandin Paper Co. strike in Grand Rapids and the 2023 elections, plus shed some light on a mysterious boom in Bemidji. That story alone had over 33,000 views on social media! Looking ahead, we aim to broaden this initiative by adding a reporter based in Grand Rapids, further strengthening our connection with the communities we serve.
This fall we hosted the SOLD-OUT 3rd Annual Grand Rapids Riverfest. Described as magical by festivalgoers, it included an incredible lineup of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Amanda Shires, Shemekia Copeland and Dessa. While the entire KAXE team came together to pull this whole event off, a special thank you goes out to Music Director Kari Hedlund and Development Director Chris Walkerfor their leadership on this project. And thanks to our co-sponsor, the city of Grand Rapids, and headline sponsor, Grand Rapids State Bank. Mark your calendars for September 7, 2024, for the fourth annual event!
More volunteer voices have been on the air this past year. Thanks to the hard work of Dan Gannon, volunteer coordinator, we’ve had a 98% fill rate of our volunteer music shifts! We hosted four training sessions with over 75 attendees in both Grand Rapids and Bemidji. We’ve brought you even more conversations with musicians, including up-and-coming artists like Mae Simpson to longtime favorites like Dan Wilson. Producer Malachy Koons has broadened our Minnesota music library and given a much-needed refresh to Centerstage Minnesota.
Our KAXE Morning Showteam has new voices as well. Heidi Holtan has added two hosts/producers to her team with the addition of Andrew Dziengel and Jennifer Barr, who moved to a new role after 17 years as our membership coordinator. In addition to hosting, they have been working to get more interviews from the Morning Show on our website. They have rolled out some new segments like Andrew’s Area Voices Picks. For the year ahead, the programming and news team will be coming together to cover the 2024 election with special help from America Amplified.
We celebrated 40 years of Phenology in November. John Latimer, staff phenologist, has been inspiring us to explore and observe the wonders of nature. We had an overwhelming outpouring of thanks from students and community members alike. I highly recommend checking out this video from the students at Prairie Creek Elementary and thank you to Phenology Coordinator Charlie Mitchell and Marketing and Social Media Manager Maria Hileman, who put this video together. John’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards in Northern Minnesota is truly commendable.
Behind the scenes, we updated our studio broadcast equipment. We knew these upgrades would be challenging, but we really didn’t expect them to be as complex as they were. Thanks to Station Engineer Steve Neu for being patient. Hopefully we will wrap them up early in the new year.
Our grant, business and membership team has seen some new faces as well. Heather Johnson joined us in early October as our new Membership Services Associate, she navigated her first pledge drive with a smile on her face. Jennifer Kellen joined our team earlier this month as our new community sponsorship associate. Penny Holcomb, business director, has done an amazing job keeping our finances in order and has received high praise from our grantors for how orderly they are. Peggy Stevens, grants manager, has kept us in line for all our Legacy-funded projects. And last, but not least a big thank you to Brenda Greeley for helping us out on and off this past year.
As our staff takes some well-deserved time off during this holiday season, we eagerly look forward to the opportunities and successes that lie ahead in 2024. Your continued support remains key! Thank you for being an integral part of the KAXE family.
Warm regards,
Sarah Bignall
