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Meet Four of KOOP’s Newest Programmers

Posted on: July 21, 2023
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Miss Be Haven (her radio name), Ann Davis, Simon Waxman, and Jeff Keen are introducing themselves via their answers to these questions:

  • What attracted you to KOOP?
  • Your prior experience with radio as a listener and perhaps as a broadcaster too?
  • What was easy and what was challenging in programmer training?
  • What’s next for you at KOOP? Show plans, community involvement, etc?

Miss Be Haven

Years ago, my son participated in the Youth Spin program at KOOP. It was such a wonderful way for him to serve the community, so I decided that one day I would pitch a show idea that would enhance the lives of the listeners. 

I’ve always had a love for music. I have vivid and fond memories of listening to the radio while doing chores, reading, cooking, dancing, and too many other things to name. 

It was easy for me to contact programmers to apprentice on their show. Multitasking on the board is challenging, but the more shows I broadcast, the easier it becomes.  

Because Hypnotic Mood is a new show, my overall goal is to grow my audience of listeners. And, eventually, I want local artists to play their original songs live on Hypnotic Mood.

Ann Davis

I’ve lived in Austin for 15 years and have been a long-time listener of KOOP. At the end of 2022, a friend who knew I was super passionate about music suggested volunteering with KOOP and I said “YES!”

I’ve been an obsessive music fan since childhood. I constantly sought out new music and discovered community radio and college radio in my early teens in Rochester, NY. I listened to 90.5 FM WBER and 89.7 FM WITR and these stations really expanded my musical world. I also listened to WBNY 91.3 FM at the state college across town and it turned me on to so much great music I wasn’t hearing on commercial stations. I travel a lot and always seek out community and college stations wherever i go.

KOOP has a great group of programmers who are super eager to share their knowledge, so the programmer training was not as hard as I had imagined. Having the opportunity to get my hands on the board and getting on the mic during my apprenticeship was invaluable.

I did apprenticeship sessions with The Lonesome Stranger and was invited to join the collective, so I am now in rotation with the other DJs on that show and on the air as Saint Annie. I’m absolutely loving it and am looking for other opportunities to get on the air. I also work with the events team, so I get to chat with folks about KOOP. It’s an amazing organization with a fantastic group of music-minded folks. I’m so happy to be part of it!

Simon Waxman

I became interested in KOOP because I wanted to participate in the bluegrass show and because the station promised a possibility of finding community in Austin. As a remote worker who moved to the area right before the pandemic, I haven’t always found it easy to make inroads locally.

My only prior broadcast experience was a couple appearances on public radio talk formats, but I am a long-time fan of community radio. When I lived in Boston, I was an avid listener to WUMB, a non-profit Americana/blues/roots/folk station.

Programmer training was easy as could be, thanks to the clear instruction of the trainers and the valuable apprenticeship program. The only tough part was carving out time in my schedule.

I have joined the Strictly Bluegrass collective, am hosting other shows as a sub, and am focused right now on improving my broadcast skills. In time, I’d like to learn more about audio production and potentially develop a show focused on a broad palette of instrumental music or an intellectually-driven N/PA show.

Jeff Keen

I got connected with KOOP in 2018 via my brother and his former co-worker Andrew Dickens. It came up in their conversation that I had built some of WNYC’s (New York) web audio infrastructure and Andrew wondered if I could build anything for KOOP. At first I thought it would be a paid project, but quickly learned that KOOP is all-volunteer. But even without the bucks, here I am … and glad to be with the station.

I’ve been a radio fan since 1989, mostly because of the magic that is live radio. Connecting with a DJ’s music taste and having it be a vehicle for music discovery is still the best. I connected with Austin’s radio stations in a big way when I moved here in 2008, and it’s one of the things that really made me fall for this town. I had no on-air experience, but people have said that I should do voice work. And now I’m finally doing it!

I felt at ease dealing with the tech side of KOOP, but getting on-air and talking was a little nerve-racking at first. But after training and apprenticing on a few shows and guest-hosting a couple, it’s feeling more natural every day.

I’m really enjoying subbing for shows currently, and I joined the Lonesome Stranger collective, But I’m still figuring out the details of what kind of show I’d like to make my own. Stay tuned!

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This feature was compiled and produced by Michael A. Brown. Please congratulate and welcome all our new KOOP programmers!