Frequently Asked Questions

What will I hear on KSER?

90.7 KSER brings you news and information from around the world and right here in Snohomish County and the North Puget Sound. We air groundbreaking, independent news programming, such as Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, The Takeaway from PRI, the BBC News,  and other diverse cultural and public affairs programs that offer you an alternative to the trivialities, the hype and the spin you hear elsewhere.

KSER also features an eclectic mix of music. We are not locked into a particular sound or genre. When you try us throughout the week, you’ll hear a lineup of music unduplicated anywhere else on the dial — Alternative Rock, Bluegrass, Blues, World Music, R&B, Jazz, Celtic, Reggae, Hawaiian, Native American, Hip Hop, and more.

KSER offers you choices and broadens the otherwise narrow range of news and music on the rest of the radio dial.

Where can I listen to KSER?

You can find KSER at 90.7 on your FM dial. Our signal is heard as far east as Darrington in the Cascade foothills, as far south as Kirkland, as far west as Pt. Townsend on the Peninsula and as far north as Mt. Vernon.

Who listens to KSER?

We serve a steadily growing, diverse and musically adventurous group of listeners. They are people with a passion for a range of music styles, a proclivity to explore unfamiliar music and an appetite for independent perspectives on the day’s news. They tend to be highly educated, inquisitive and open-minded. They have a degree of affluence and they might often be found patronizing independent stores, performance venues, restaurants, record stores, natural food markets, instrument shops, bookstores, clothiers and import shops.

How is KSER funded?

90.7 KSER is a listener-supported community public radio station, with individual memberships accounting for 50% of the annual operating budget. About a 30% comes from renting our antenna tower to third parties, such as cellphone companies, and the remainder is from local business support and grants. 

As of 2009, KSER receives NO funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or any other Federal agency. We have regular on-air fund drives each year that raise over 50% of our donations budget. 

KSER is a fully independent, self-supporting 501 (c)3 non-profit foundation.

More financial data...

Is KSER a part of a College or University?

No. KSER is one of only three, independent full-power public radio stations in the state. The KSER Foundations holds the license and a publicly-accountable Board of Directors is the fiduciary agent of the foundation, delegating the day-to-day operations to a small paid staff of 3 full-time employees and over 100 volunteer DJs, news producers, and office help.

Why does KSER claim to be “the only public radio station in Snohomish County”?

We’re just 25 miles north of the Seattle Metro area, but with a distinctly separate identity. The other public radio stations broadcasting in Snohomish county are Seattle-focused in their news coverage, and don’t make the local connections that we do. And they do not provide an open doorway for the community to become involved on the air.

What is Community Radio?

Community radio is a term applied to stations across the country that are commercial free, that primarily derive their financial support from the public and whose on-air sound is powered directly by community volunteers. 90.7 KSER has each of these characteristics. KSER’s rich variety of music and culture is unduplicated anywhere on the radio dial, and no public radio station serves the North Puget Sound with so much local public affairs programming.

If all KSER announcers are volunteers, how do you maintain your high-quality, professional sound?

Every one of our community volunteers goes through an extensive training program to ready themselves for the air. Our volunteers are supported by a full time, paid staff of radio professionals. We constantly critique and help our on-air talent to improve their delivery and to better connect with their listening audience. Many of our programmers are well known experts in the community in their particular field.

KSER says it is a “doorway” to expression and creativity in our area. What does that mean?

Our job is to empower the community to share the voice of the people. Toward that end KSER literally has an open door policy, meaning that citizens can come in and participate, whether that means training to produce one’s own radio show or taking part in an on-air debate. We also frequently host local and traveling musicians who come by the station to play their music and be interviewed on the air.

How can I get involved at KSER?

It’s easy. Just make a donation here, or fill out a volunteer application. You can learn to become an on-air host by taking our Basic Broadcasting class.

KSER is a listener-supported, member-driven organization. By joining the KSER family you are able to help craft and guide us in fulfilling our mission to create radio that is original, inclusive and community-minded.