KPOV Volunteers of the year

KPOV is grateful for incredible group of volunteers who have given countless hours of their time and energy over the years to help our station. Without them, we couldn’t stay on the air and provide the type of broad based programming that reflects our High Desert Community.  Each year we honor individuals who have excelled in their service to KPOV with our Volunteer of the Year award.  We are grateful for the many ways in which they have helped us, and thank all of the volunteers who have assisted us in the past and continue today to make us a station that remains dedicated to serving our community.

2020

“The COVID Crew”- Carolyn Clontz, Mike Ficher, Bret Graham, Mary Ann Hart, Stacie Johnson, Louise Kaplan, Pete Perry, Ted Schoenborn, Cameron Thompson

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced closure of KPOV in March 2020 a handful of volunteers worked to make sure the station stayed on the air, scheduling programming that was a mixture of pre-recorded, rebroadcasts and remotely produced content. Another group of volunteers began producing a daily COVID update report, which continued into 2021.

2019

2018

Brett Yost

For 13 of KPOV’s 14 years, Brett Yost has been a volunteer and a substitute DJ for KPOV.  Among many valuable contributions, Brett has delivered all of KPOV’s membership drive gifts by bicycle twice a year to donors living in Bend. KPOV and our listeners value this environmentally friendly service. Brett also serves as a weekend coordinator for KPOV, setting up our programming for Saturdays and Sundays. These daily set-ups are critical to KPOV’s broadcasting consistency and quality. Brett often sits in as a substitute DJ on music shows as diverse as Tirebiter Tunes, NW Taproom, and The Radical Songbook, bringing his unique style to those shows.

Randy Harano

Randy has been a KPOV volunteer since 2014.  For most of that time, Randy has written KPOV’s weekly Community Calendar, a listing of public and non-profit events in and around the High Desert. Randy has also recorded the on-air calendar for Wednesdays and he has trained other volunteers to record the calendar for other days. As Ranger Randy he is host of Sasquatch Hideaway, an alternative rock show that airs on KPOV each Monday at 2:00 p.m. Randy also volunteers consistently during KPOV’s membership drives, helps with website matters, and trains new KPOV DJs in broadcasting mechanics.

2017

Carolyn Esky

Carolyn served as host for “The Point” on Wednesday and Friday. She was a mentor to new Point DJ’s and filled in as needed on days when the regular host was not available. She provided additional important office assistance and was a consistently encouraging and supportive presence in the station.

Gideon King

Willing to take on virtually any task, Gideon did a range of odd jobs around the office, including data entry, filing, stuffing letters and website updates. He also takes on the thankless tasks such as dishwashing, cleaning floors, handling trash and recycling, stocking supplies and watering the plants. He assisted with set up and break down at live broadcasts and covered the front office on Tuesdays.

2016

2015

Paul Arebalo

Paul’s commitment, energy and expertise kept our computer systems running all year, upgrading equipment and addressing problems with our server, network and workstations. He spent weeks dealing with problems with the uploading system for our show archives, until it was finally working reliably. He procured and installed a new network server to replace our aging one. He also helped with the set up and with technical issues for every live broadcast during the year.

Kathryn Wood

In addition to her role as host of “Kathryn’s Kitchen”, Kathryn spent many hours volunteering in the office and played a key role in KPOV’s pledge drives. A tireless promoter of the station in the community, Kathryn was a fixture at KPOV events around town, bringing in many new listeners to High Desert Radio.

2014

Bret Graham

Bret was co-host of the “Friday Point” public affairs program, and also served as daily coordinator, a programming committee member and as a trainer for new DJ’s. He jumped in on many occasions to deal with computer and electronic issues. He could be found at KPOV both day and night, and his commitment, expertise and insights proved invaluable to the station.

Jack Elliott

Jack served as host of “The Sunday Classics” show, but also focused his attention on improving the sound of KPOV and upgrading the station’s broadcast equipment. His organizational skills and leadership role on these issues enabled us to continue to improve our broadcast quality and better serve our listeners.

2013

Creig Jones

Not only was Creig aka Tirebiter the host of the popular “Tirebiter Tunes”, he actively promoted KPOV. He put up posters for events around town, set up KPOV window displays at Ranch Records, obtained sponsorships for fundraising events and worked diligently during our pledge drives. He even installed antennas for people who lost KPOV’s signal after our transmitter moved to Pine Mountain.

Judy Petullo

In addition to hosting her own show, “All Things Vegan”, Judy volunteered on a wide range of projects, from letter mailings, website editing and participating on the programming committee. Her supportive approach and positive attitude contributed to the camaraderie of the station and was greatly appreciated by everyone at KPOV.

2012

Mike Ficher

A multitalented volunteer, Mike has served KPOV in many capacities over the years. In addition to hosting the “Ultimate Oldies Show”, Mike wrote and produced many station promos and legal identification spots. He served on the KPOV Board of Directors and as chair of the programming committee. He also taught new DJ’s how to record and edit audio, helping to bring new talent and energy to the station.

2011

Jacquie Elliott

Jacquie chaired the KPOV fundraising committee for several years. She creatively and successfully helped raise funds for the station via a range of events and activities, including an appearance by Will Durst and a Spike and Mike animation festival. 

William Johnson

William hosted the weekly jazz show, “Straight No Chaser” and also worked as Thursday programming coordinator. He was a member of the programming committee, processed all incoming music and communicated with musicians, effectively serving as volunteer music director.

2010

Rhoda Jones

Rhoda played a pivotal role in KPOV’s fundraising efforts over the past several years. She procured sponsors for major events like the Bela Fleck benefit and secured the Domino Room for fundraising concerts like the birthday bash with Pokey LaFarge. She also sent out weekly interview announcements and provided energy and support for pledge drives.

Liam O’Sruitheain

Liam was the host of “Slainte”, a Celtic music program, and was one of KPOV’s most active volunteers. As a daily coordinator, Liam came in early every week to prepare programming for Tuesdays and the weekends. He also frequently produced the on air Community Calendar.

2009

Ellen Golodner

Ellen wrote all of the station’s public service announcements. She hosted the New Orleans Review program “Jazz ‘n Jambalaya”. As an active member of the programming committee, she played an important role in expanding and improving KPOV’s broadcasts.

Chuckaroo

In addition to hosting his popular show, “Calling All Cowboys”, Chuckaroo organized the station’s annual report and set up the new schedule template, making it easier to work with and edit. He was also incredibly helpful with Mac problems and Megaseg issues.

2008

Michael Funke

Michael hosted the weekly show “Psychedelic Protest”. He also helped bring Arlo Guthrie to town, a concert that many considered to be the music event of the year. Michael served on the fundraising committee and also wrote the press releases for KPOV.

John Glass

As a radio engineer by profession,  John still found time to volunteer his services for KPOV. He installed much of the equipment at the studio over the past year and helped with the fine tuning and repairs needed to keep us sounding professional. He also recorded the Arlo Guthrie concert so that it could be rebroadcast on special occasions.

2007

Kris Arnold

Kris hosted the music show “Contraband” on KPOV. After moving to a commercial radio station, she still helped out in a number of ways, soliciting event sponsors, working on Freethinkers Ball, marketing, phone banking, movie nights and recruiting other volunteers.

2006

Tristan Reisfar

With his own weekly program, “Citizen Alert”, Tristan featured local election coverage that included interviews with nearly every local candidate in Central Oregon, providing valuable education and insights to all listeners. Tris was an active member of the Operations Committee, helping keep our programming on the air consistently.

2005

Jef Hinkle

Jef was the leader of the many volunteers who toiled for more than a 1000 hours to construct the KPOV studios at 501 NW Bond Street. Even though he did not have a show of his own, Jef lent his time and expertise to help maintain the sound and integrity of KPOV.