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BISBEE — Ryan J. Bruce has extensive experience in public radio and plans to put it to work at his new position as station director of KBRP, Radio Free Bisbee, at 96.1 on the dial.
“I am exceedingly excited about the opportunities that are ahead of me at KBRP,” he said. “I have been involved in radio since 1996 when I was a programmer, program director and later the station manager at WIUS (now WIUX) in Bloomington, Ind.,” he added.
After earning his college degree in Indiana, he moved to San Francisco to become communications and technology director at the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. In 2002, he accepted the general manager’s position at WFHB, where he had worked as a college student, and spent five and a half years there. In April of 2007, he accepted the general manager’s position at KXCI Community Radio in Tucson. He also hosted two programs at KXCI — The Connection, which was obscure funk and soul, and The Headphone Tourist, which was an experimental music program combining field recordings and found sound into a multiple audio source mix at different compressions to give each person a unique audio listening experience depending on what type of radio they were using.
“The time that I spent at KXCI was fantastic, but also helped me pinpoint where I would prefer to spend my time in this field, which is at a small, community-centric station,” Bruce said.
 Ryan Bruce, the new station director of KBRP Radio Free Bisbee, talks with Joy Walden on Sunday before the broadcast of her weekly radio show, Comfort and Joy. KBRP LP 96.1 is a low-power community radio station in Bisbee. (Vera Davis•Herald/Review) |
One of the programs he wants to institute is to put a tape recorder into the hands of the average citizen and let them go out and gather people’s opinions on current and local events.
“Once somebody gets behind a microphone, (he or she) realizes how much fun it is and doesn’t want to leave,” he added.”
He knows. That’s what happened to him in college when he joined the volunteer staff of WFHB a community radio station. He broadcast his own show from 4 to 6 a.m.
“I got bit by it,” he said with a smile. “I ended up working 40 to 60 hours as a volunteer and eventually became program director.”
He’s happy to be moving to Bisbee. It reminds him of his hometown with trees and rolling hills. He said he came down to Bisbee last summer to scope out the tower capacities in the area for the Tucson station KXCI. He fell in love with Bisbee.
“It was hard to get used to the desert. It had its beauty, but I really missed trees. When I saw all the old buildings, I said, ‘This is just like home.’ At the time I thought about getting a small place down here so I could write. I even brought my family and friends down here to show them Bisbee,” he explained. “I feel comfortable down here.”
Even though the station is manned by volunteers from Bisbee who plan and broadcast their own shows, there is still the matter of paying utilities and repairing or replacing equipment. He’s taking a different view on fundraising, though. Instead of the one big membership bash held in December, the effort has already been shifted to an October date when people can come enjoy the music at a street dance right there at the Central School Project and see the benefits their memberships or donations can bring. He wants to build membership to around 300 people, up from the 200 the station now has. The December celebration will just be a fun event, with a decreased focus on memberships and donations.
While he will be looking into boosting KBRP’s range so all of Bisbee will be able to listen, he’s leaning toward boosting the volunteer DJ’s numbers. Anyone, he points out, can be a DJ if they can present their content and how they will manage it to the Community Programming Board. The staff provides the training; the hopeful DJ provides the commitment. And you do have to be committed. You don’t just get a radio show, you have to spend a certain number of hours as a volunteer in the studio. Since there aren’t enough DJs to handle 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the station runs automated music.
“Right now, that will be one of the areas we focus on,” he added.
The actual content the station broadcasts consists of a good variety of music and news. The nationally-transmitted Democracy Now! is one of the most popular news shows, he said.
“But, there’s no reason we can’t do a sports show and rather than broadcast it, put it on the Web site,” said Bruce.
As station director, his plan is to “listen, learn and understand the spirit of KBRP. I hope to help make what all of the volunteers do a little bit better by providing the support and leadership necessary to continue to evolve the station. These individuals are the people that make the station great and I hope that I facilitate the type of atmosphere that will build a solid foundation for the future.”
Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
Lee Spinks wrote on Sep 22, 2008 12:31 PM: