Tacoma public radio station gets $225,000 grant to boost jazz programming
Tacoma-based jazz and blues radio station KNKX is getting $225,000 to bolster its jazz music programming.
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced Jan. 28 that it’s providing $1.3 million to five radio stations across the nation to create a partnership in the form of a Jazz Media Lab.
“Each of these stations has been committed to jazz a long time and is very active in their local communities with jazz artists and education,” said KNKX general manger Joey Cohn.
The money will support efforts already underway at KNKX, including live studio sessions, the School of Jazz program and other new content. The station’s studio sessions have garnered 29 million views on their website and on YouTube.
KNKX (88.5 FM) recently launched three new shows including “The Grooveyard” hosted by Tacoma singer Stephanie Anne Johnson. Johnson plays classic and modern blues and soul-jazz on Saturday afternoons.
“That (show) came from talking to younger listeners and discovering what they like about jazz,” Cohn said.
The Duke Foundation describes KNKX and the other four stations as, ”Some of the country’s most dynamic and forwarding-thinking nonprofit jazz radio stations.”
The Jazz Media Lab will provide KNKX with a peer network and strategies to diversify its listening base, create new media platforms, engage with venues and community organizations and strengthen relationships with jazz artists, the Duke Foundation said.
The money, $75,000 over three years, also will provide a stable income for the stations during the economic downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
KNKX will be eligible for a supplemental grant of up to $50,000 for a targeted project involving one or more of those themes.
KNKX is also a carrier of National Public Radio programming, including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered”.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
