KOTO History

"KOTO-FM radio was a communal love child born in the fall of 1975 to a group of adoptive parents and raised and nurtured over the years with a gentle and loving hand."
from Romancing the Radio, by Mavis Bennett

KOTO is one of only seven community radio stations (one of only three broadcasting entities) nationwide that is (and always has been) completely commercial-free AND non-underwritten, and is very proud of and committed to that doctrine. Since its inception, it has been of utmost importance for KOTO to be true "community radio" and provide the news, information, and entertainment that its members (as opposed to commercial or corporate interests) defined. Being almost entirely listener-supported, KOTO has always raised the majority of its operating costs by hosting fundraising events that are creative and fun and involve and reward the whole community.

Jim Bedford was the man with the mission to form a community radio station in 1974. He formed the volunteer Board of Directors of the non-profit San Miguel Educational Fund with Ken Mondlin, David Sklare, Ed Withers, and John Payne. They recruited Jerry Greene to start the non-commercial radio station and, on October 3, 1975, KOTO-FM was legally and officially on the air`. broadcasting 10 watts from 7 to 9 am and from 5 pm until around midnight. Now, KOTO broadcasts with 3,000 mighty watts using our main transmitter and 4 translators twenty-four/seven.

While station employees Terry Selby and Stephanie Shandera occasionally reported the news, KOTO News was officially launched in 1978 with the hiring of Rita Robinson as the station's first news reporter. KOTO currently broadcasts a local and regional broadcast every weekday and produces special coverage of elections, emergencies, and other events that warrant it.

KOTO's offices and studio have always been located in the heart of town where listeners, supporters and the army of DJs and other volunteers can walk in any time to hang out as part of the KOTO family. The first studio was located in the Miners' Union Building. In 1984, KOTO moved into the newly designed and constructed "house" behind the Miners' Union, where it currently resides.