Radio Tacoma

This time the guys talk with Louisa Beal and Pam Beal from Radio Tacoma. Radio Tacoma is a low-power FM public access radio station developed to serve Tacoma, Washington, to provide the community with the opportunity for participatory democracy and to provide a voice for progressive groups, union members, minority groups and local talent that might otherwise not get heard. Listeners around Tacoma can find them at 101.9 FM or listeners around the world can listen to them online by visiting their website: radiotacoma.org, and clicking on ‘Listen Live’.

1:59 - Louisa and Pam introduce themselves and what they do for Radio Tacoma, how they got in the radio business, them partnering with a 501(c)3 in the beginning, and the engineer from Portland that helped them fill out the FCC application. Louisa talks about other local stations that came on when the FCC opened up low-power FM radio access, Radio Tacoma’s social media presence, and Scott talks about how they found them and their upcoming events.

12:35 - Pam talks about the Audacity classes they offer to the community, Justin talks about the application he uses when editing podcasts, and Louisa talks about how their antenna positioned on a tree vs building a tower. She talks about the FCC deadline they had to get the station on the air, the stress they went through in putting the antenna up, and how they ended up with the two radio stations.

24:13 - Pam talks about the shows they have on Radio Tacoma, they talk about Radio Tacoma Interviews, and Louisa’s interview with Steve Fossen from Heart. Scott talks about the great people he’s been able to meet with the podcast, Justin talks about growing up in the Tacoma area, and how the face of Tacoma has changed over the years. Louisa talks about how people can reach out to them and the upcoming events they have coming up.

35:48 - Pam talks about the development committee that she runs, the Welcome Wednesdays they offer, their live broadcast on election night, and Laura and Pam talk about growing up in the Tacoma area and the house they lived in. Pam talks about what she loved about living in Buffalo New York, social capital people, and their invite for people to provide their content to their station.

Thanks Louisa and Pam for a great conversation on what Radio Tacoma is and how people can get involved!

• Radio Tacoma - LPFM for the people of Tacoma
• KTQA 95.3 FM - Central Tacoma - Starting Up!