Speakers

"Fight for First Amendment Rights"

  WBPU-LP would like to share our experiences and successes in fighting back against violations of our First  Amendment rights, and to connect with other stations that may be facing similar challenges. WBPU-LP, aka  “Black Power 96” is a Pacifica-affiliated FM radio station serving the black community of south St.  Petersburg, Florida since 2017. It is currently suing its local county government, the Pinellas County  Commission, in federal court, for denying $100,000 in federal COVID relief grant funding, with the local  Commissioners expressing their displeasure with the First Amendment-protected political affiliations and  editorial positions of the station. This attack on free speech through defunding parallels the recent  unconstitutional defunding of major universities for allowing pro-Palestine demonstrators to exercise their  rights on campus. Another aspect of our federal lawsuit cites racial discrimination because the federal  funding was distributed disproportionately to nonprofits serving white communities.

- Presenter Bios -

WBPU-LP’s Station Manager Eddie Maultsby is 100% blind, with a local background as a gospel performer. He has built a strong team of volunteers and community connections. WBPU-LP is “not just explaining the world but changing it!”

WBPU-LP’s volunteer grant writer and technical consultant Sandy Forrest has four decades of experience in radio broadcasting, fundraising and media work.

 "Rivendell User Group Meetup"

  Session for stations using or interested in using the Rivendell radio  automation system. 

- Presenter Bio -

David Klann has been running an independent Community Radio consulting service called Broadcast Tool &  Die (BTD) since 2016. BTD assists stations with their audio chain challenges, focusing on audio playout  systems (aka automation) and online audio streams. Klann also volunteers at the legendary WORT, Madison,  WI. 

"Community Radio Myths and Facts"

 An updated version of the session I did at the 2025 NFCB conference, in which I take down a dozen widespread community radio myths concerning the rules surrounding underwriting, copyright, streaming,  indecency and more.  

- Presenter Bio -

Ken Freedman is the Station Manager of WFMU (wfmu.org), the longest running and most renowned  freeform radio station in the United States. Under his guidance, WFMU became independent of Upsala  College, WFMU's original owner. Freedman also developed WFMU's internet presence, making it one of the  most popular and forward looking internet radio stations in the U.S. WFMU was the first radio station to  offer full on-demand listening, podcasts and a working iPhone stream. He recently founded Congera PBC which is developing the Audience Engine, an open source platform for small and medium sized broadcasters and journalists. He previousy founded the Free Music Archive (freemusicarchive.org), an 

online music library and social site based on curated music licensed under alternative copyrights such as creative commons licenses. He pioneered the use of copyrights and waivers to address restrictions placed on broadcasters by the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Freedman has served on the board of public science 

and technology company New Brunswick Scientific Company and was a board member and technology advisor to the National Federation of Community (NFCB) broadcasters. He has spoken and presented at conferences sponsored by The Future of Music Coalition, O'Reilly Media. National Public Radio, the Integrated Media Association, and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

"Media & Democracy"

"Media & Democracy" is a fortnightly series of interviews with leading experts on media reform to improve  democracy. The goal is to help educate the public on what might be done to reverse the trend towards  increasing political polarization and violence worldwide. In addition to posting 29:00 mm:ss MP3 files to  Audioport, each MP3 file is also posted to Wikiversity with a brief description, inviting others to join a  discussion of the issues raised, subject to the standard Wikimedia rules of writing from a neutral point of  view citing credible sources. This extends each interview to a wider audience,  including people who may  not have previously heard of Pacifica. Attendees are invited to contribute show ideas, experts to interview,  and join the production team. All episodes are available under "Category:Media reform to improve  democracy" (https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Category:Media_reform_to_improve_democracy).

- Presenter Bio -

Spencer Graves is a Vietnam era veteran with a PhD in statistics, books, patents, technical papers, software used all over the world. Progress on every substantive issue I've studied is blocked, because every countermeasure threatens 

someone with substantive control over the media. I started volunteering with KKFI in 2016 hoping in that 

way to overcome some of these obstacles. This work led me to  produce the "Media & Democracy" series 

featured in this presentation.

"History of KYRS Thin Air Community Radio"

How KYRS went from a low-power to full power radio station. Exploring the conception of Thin Air 

Community Radio, the alliances, development, and legal issues surrounding its creation. Also including a bit 

of a future vision of community radio.

- Presenter Bio -

Lynnea Urania Kaylor is the Office Manager and Archivist for KYRS Thin Air Community Radio, the host 

station for the Grassroots Radio Conference. She is also a feature news reporter for KYRS Local News. She 

has been previously published in Shabbat Shalom, TV Epic, and Trans Muse Planet as well as self-publishing 

books and language study modules. She has also been a civil rights activist for a quarter century.

Michael Moon Bear has been with Thin Air Community Radio since 2004, when he began producing a popular weekly music program, Around The World with Michael Moon Bear, which aired for 13 years. He has worked in several positions at KYRS, including Underwriting Coordinator and Program Director. He currently works as the Station Manager. With over two decades of community radio experience, Michael has been very active in training volunteers and staff in every aspect of station operations.

Dana Matthews started off as a volunteer working on graphics in 2008. In 2016 Dana took on the position of Program Director at Thin Air Community Radio. Among his other responsibilities in this position, Dana is responsible for oversight and ongoing training of all of our programmers.

When he is not wearing his motorcycle helmet, Jim Tate wears two big hats at KYRS. In addition to being a devoted, hardworking member of KYRS, Jim is our Volunteer Coordinator, and at a volunteer run organization that is a big job. Jim ensures that we have the people power to keep KYRS running like a top! Jim also produces and hosts Americana Avenue, Spokane’s destination for progressive roots music including rock, folk, blues, gospel, outlaw country & honky tonk.

"Is This Story Worth Getting My Ass Kicked?" – Street-Level Reporting for Today's News Environment

This workshop brings together experienced street-level reporters to share practical tips and real-world experiences. We'll discuss DIY press credentialing, working with both cooperative and uncooperative law enforcement, the Seven Dirty Words, "B-roll," "Cameras UP!," and the evolving question of whether everyone is now a reporter.

This is a BYOBa session—Bring Your Own Body Armor. It may include some call-and-response, occasional strong language, and a few images that could be disturbing.

We'll also cover developing local news reports for your station and for broader coverage through the Pacifica Network. Topics include basic reporting skills, safety for reporters, building news capacity for stations of all sizes, and ways to connect with national and international outlets to ensure local stories are heard. Bring your questions and be ready to explore practical strategies for effective, community-focused journalism.

- Presenter Bios -

Lisa Loving was has been involved in many forms of news media and is the author of “Street Journalist:  Understand and Report the News in Your Community”. She was News Director at KBOO Community Radio in  Portland, Oregon and has been the national news coordinator for the Pacifica Affiliate Network since 2024.

Austin Airwaves has been involved in community media for 40+ years putting stations on the air; including 

Austin & Kyle, Texas. Put radio station RZPF back on the air in Fonda, Haiti following 'quake; put station on 

air at Houston AstroDome following H. Katrina. Former Int'l BoD member of AMARC. Longtime member of 

GRC, NFCB. Next stop: Bhutan.

"The Role and Function of Local/Community Radio in the Preservation of Oral Literature and Culture"

Shedding light on how and why local community radios must record and save oral literature and 

culture.

- Presenter Bios -

Khoro Rasouli, from Iran. I have two decades of experience in Iranian national and local radio as a 

writer, producer, director and editor journalist. Academically, I hold a Master of Art Research degree in my 

own country and I have also been educated in the field of radio feature production at Deutsche Welle  

academy in Germany. I am an award-winning professional, having received the gold medal at the 2011 URTI 

Radio Grand Prix in Paris, first place at the 2025 UK international audio festival, and ABU prizes 2009.

- Co-Presenter -

Mehrdad Ehsanizad

 "DIY FM Monitoring and Silence Sensor" (workshop)

In this workshop I will demonstrate and share how I built several DIY FM (on-air) monitors and silence sensors with common off-the-shelf parts and software.

- Presenter Bio -

David Klann has been running an independent Community Radio consulting service called Broadcast Tool &  Die (BTD) since 2016. BTD assists stations with their audio chain challenges, focusing on audio playout  systems (aka automation) and online audio streams. Klann also volunteers at the legendary WORT, Madison,  WI. 

 "Saving College and Community Radio History"

College radio has a rich history, dating back more than a century, with community radio emerging a few 

decades later. Are you working to preserve and archive your station's materials? You might be surprised by 

the items that are of interest to researchers and historians. Multiple efforts are underway to help college 

and community radio stations preserve both audio as well as paper artifacts from the past and present. 

We'll share resources from the Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications, a 

project that collects and digitizes amateur, college, and community radio materials.

- Presenter Bio -

Jennifer Waits is Assistant Curator of the Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio and  Communications (DLARC), where she manages collections focused on college and community radio.  Additionally, she is co-founder of Radio Survivor, a website, podcast and syndicated radio show devoted to  radio and audio culture. She loves digging into the history of college radio and champions the importance of  preserving that history through her work as co-chair of the College, Community and Educational Radio  Caucus for the Library of Congress’ Radio Preservation Task Force. She's also a long-time DJ at Foothill  College radio station KFJC-FM in Los Altos Hills, California. 

"Governance & Mgmt."

An introduction to governance and management, and their vital importance to the life of your station: From 

effective boards to volunteer handbooks and station policies.

- Presenter Bios -

Paul Bame - After chatting with Prometheus Radio Project folks at Grassroots Radio Coalition conferences for a decade or so, and leaving his Fortune 100 R&D job, Paul volunteered at Prometheus in 2010 and is currently their nerdiest engineer. His electrical engineering degree and ham radio experience comes in handy for FCC application engineering, station design, construction and troubleshooting.  Paul also created and maintains the free-to-use RFree software to make application engineering easier.

Betty McArdle - Betty has been around radio, both commercial and non-commercial for many decades.  She has been 

the Executive Director of Community Media Assistance Project (CMAP) for twenty years doing a variety of 

tasks.  She also has served on many non-profit organizations' boards of directors.

"How to Promote the Helloutta Yr LPFM Station...for Cheap or Even for FREE!"

 Workshop focuses on 'old school' promo items and events. How to write a Press Release, hold a press 

conference, do publicity stunts, including local community events.  Signage, stickers, business cards, swag, 

(with little or no plastic crap.) Working with the corporate media to get your station on the front page. (For 

free.)

- Presenter Bio -

Goodness, where to start?  Promo person for Wheatsville Food Co-op, promo'd numerous radio stations, 

shows, newspapers, cable access shows, etc.  I seem to have a knack for dealing the press on behalf of 

poor and inexperienced folks. This workshop was most recently presented at the AMARC A/P conference in 

Bangkok and the last several GRCs.

"The Voice to a Network:

Syndicating a Radio Show"

Sometimes a program covers a topic, or presents a voice, that is relevant beyond a single station. How does a community radio show begin to syndicate to other stations? Panelists involved in syndicating shows will discuss what's worked, and not worked, as they have grown their shows. We'll cover the outreach to candidate stations, signing on affiliates, editing shows for syndication, and making shows available for affiliate download.

Mark Hurst (host of Techtonic, now on 20 stations) will facilitate. Panelists are planned to be Ursula Ruedenberg (Pacifica Affiliate Network Manager) and Iris Berkeley (host of Modern Jetset, on 

60 stations) and/or another syndicated program host.

- Presenter Bio -

Mark Hurst is the host of Techtonic (techtonic.fm), a show broadcast weekly from Jersey City, NJ-based  WFMU to the New York area and affiliate stations around the country. Hurst, a 30-year technology veteran, is  an apostate of Big Tech, having become disillusioned with - then actively resisting - the exploitative  companies of Silicon Valley. He now spends much of his time reading, writing, and speaking out against the abuses of power by the world's most powerful companies. 

"The Role Of Radio During Disaster"

This session will address these signifigant areas:

Challenges during disasters for communication.

Need for communication during disasters. Significance of Radio in during disasters.

Timely alerts and warnings to vulnerable populations.

- Presenter Bios -

ACORAB, stands for Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, which is an organization working towards the promotion and development of community radio in Nepal. As the president, I have been instrumental in shaping and advocating for policies that support community radio stations and their impact on society. Under my leadership, ACORAB, Nepal has played a vital role in  facilitating communication and information dissemination at the grassroots level in Nepal. Community radio stations, empowered by ACORAB,'s efforts, have become a powerful medium for local development, addressing social issues, and promoting peace dialogue within communities.

- Co-Presenter -

Tula Raj Adhikari, Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal

"Let’s Visit the Fundraising Buffet and Fill Our Plates"

  We all have great missions but money is always tight. We can have more mission-driven impact with more  resources. To help nourish our stations, this session will cover both fundraising strategy-setting and specific  tactics you can borrow and adapt.  The session will include an overview of a lot of dishes on the fundraising buffet: mail & email campaigns,  cultivating larger donors, stewardship & engagement, and more. It will also give attendees a framework to  really look at their plate and think about what to put on it. That is, assessing one’s organizational capacity  and setting intentional goals for the fundraising methods one wants to work on.

- Presenter Bio -

  Nathan Moore got his start in radio in 1998 and has managed WTJU 91.1 FM at the University of Virginia for  the last 14 years. He launched and serves as staff advisor for UVA’s student-run station WXTJ 100.1 FM. He  serves on the board of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and runs the nonprofit  organization Virginia College Radio Alliance. Nathan was the lead organizer of the 2006 Grassroots Radio  Conference in Madison, WI. 

"Free & Low-Cost AI for LPFM: Smarter Sponsorships and Station Automation"

 This session introduces free and low-cost AI tools that can transform the way small LPFM and community  stations handle programming and sponsorships. Learn how to create a better community sponsorship  experience with tools that automatically generate polished underwriting messages, organize sponsor  materials, and keep your station sounding professional.  We’ll explore practical automation workflows including:Detecting and flagging “bad” or off-brand songs  before they air.  Automatically searching and copying sponsor content or station assets  Auto-adding files to the right folders straight from emails for smoother station management.  Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies for improving workflow, saving hours of manual labor,  and creating a professional experience for both listeners and sponsors—without expensive software or  technical headaches.  This hands-on presentation is perfect for stations looking to do more with less and keep their local voices strong.

- Presenter Bio -

Chris Castillo is a software developer and LPFM strategist who builds AI-powered tools for a community  radio stations and a few small businesses. He helps WTLE 95.9fm automate content creation, underwriting,  and station workflows, while also helping companies grow faster through efficient AI-driven solutions. With  experience in both radio and software development, Chris specializes in creating practical tools that save  time, improve operations, and keep local stations and organizations vibrant and connected to their  communities. 

"Being Invisible is not a Super Power"

This is a full participation introduction to the concept of Consensus Building. You will state your values and  we will share what they mean. We will discuss the value of Indigenous Media to America and the Republic  for which it Stands. At the end of this session we will share one word that expresses how we feel about  attending it, and we will share how this experience will help us build a better quality of life for what we do.

- Presenter Bio -

Joseph Orozco is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Hoopa CA. and the former Station Manager of Hoopa Tribal Radio, KIDE-FM, 1988 to 2020. He is currently the Vice Chair for the Association of Affiliates of the Pacifica Network. He is a Board Member to the Hoopa Tribal Education Association, and President of the Hoopa Community Association, a non-Tribal Private Non Profit with a focus on Education, Local Economy and Social development. He will never retire from Indigenous Media.

"Bands On The Air: Behind The Scenes of Live @ WAYO"

  Join Max & Jarret as we show how WAYO has developed its live in-studio performance series, "Live @  WAYO", which highlights local musicians and bands performing live in-studio on the radio, via high-quality  video live-stream, and via the WAYO 104.3FM YouTube channel. We will discuss the technical setup and  logistics of producing live in-studio video and audio sessions on a semi-weekly basis.

- Presenter Bios -

Max Kelley and Jarret Whetstone are the engineering team behind WAYO-LP 104.3FM in Rochester, NY. With 

independent past experiences at WITR 89.7FM, the Rochester Institute of Technology’s student-run radio 

station, Jarret and Max met in 2015 when working to design and construct the WAYO studios. Since then, 

they have put their years of electronics and software knowledge to work building highly-integrated tools and 

systems for WAYO and other local radio stations.

"Transmission//Reception — Experimental Narrrowcasting in the Classroom"

    This session will showcase the experiments and outcomes from Transmission//Reception, a special topics  course taught in the University of Tennessee School of Design in Spring 2025. In this studio, students  explored broadcasting through a variety of graphic forms, materials, and technologies. In particular,  students programmed and operated a Part 15 AM radio station transmitting both within the Art +  Architecture building and streaming online.

Using the concept of broadcasting as a framework, students designed both physical (fliers, posters, and  beyond) and invisible (radio broadcasts, sound design, and performance) media that engage with and  complicate the act of communicating, while thinking critically about the importance of medium and  message in their work. We researched and pulled inspiration from moments of intervention and subversion  in public communication, with a special focus on underground, freeform, alternative, guerrilla, and pirate  forms.

Transmission//Reception allowed us to use radio as a metaphor and a tool with which to examine the  intersection of design and communication. How might text and images express the sonic identity of a radio  wave meant to be heard not seen? What happens when graphics are designed to be transmitted via sonic  patterns? How can visible and invisible design work in tandem to communicate a message?

- Presenter Bio -

Matthew Flores is an artist, designer, and educator currently based in South Carolina, where he is an  Assistant Professor of Visual Arts/Graphic Design at Coastal Carolina University. His research practice  engages with design as a tool for communication, and explores alternative and obsolete technologies as  tools to create radical forms and platforms. In particular, he examines the potential of radio as a means to  investigate our relationship with technology. 

  "BOUTILYE – The Social Radio Platform"

This session introduces BOUTILYE, an innovative digital platform that transforms traditional web radios into  interactive, social media-like experiences. Attendees will explore how community radio stations—particularly  in underrepresented or diasporic communities—can use Boutilye to engage their audience in real time  through comments, shares, Likes, and broadcast scheduling. The platform is mobile-first and designed for  simplicity, accessibility, and community empowerment. The session will include a live demo and hands-on  discussion on how broadcasters can join the platform and use it to build stronger connections with their  listeners and sustain their work digitally 

- Presenter Bio -

Jean Venel Casséus is a journalist, poet, and media innovator with over 20 years of experience in  broadcasting and digital transformation. He is the founder of BOUTILYE, a social radio platform that enables Haitian and diaspora stations to interact directly with their audience. His work focuses on bridging  technology, storytelling, and civic engagement through media