Today we’d like to introduce you to KCHUNG Radio.
Hi KCHUNG Radio, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
KCHUNG is a community-first, volunteer-run radio station broadcasting on the air at 1630 AM and streaming online at kchungradio.org. Our programming ranges from local news to experimental talk radio to live music to just good old-fashioned DJing. KCHUNG began broadcasting from Chinatown in 2011. Everybody at the station has a different story about how and when they first encountered KCHUNG. I was probably 17 years old when I joined the station. I heard about KCHUNG from a friend and immediately knew that it was something I needed to do. I sent in an application and started as a substitute DJ. After a year of covering people’s shows, I finally got my own slot late on Wednesday nights – I had never been more excited about anything. The Chinatown station was our only location then – membership took a hit during the pandemic as people left L.A. and generally reprioritized their lives. However, since September of last year, we’ve had a residency at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA that has generated a ton of new interest.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
“Smooth” feels like the wrong word. Fun? Yes. Exciting? Absolutely. Challenging? Also accurate. Our biggest challenge is money, definitely money. We’ve always been able to make ends meet, but it’s hard surviving solely off of monthly dues from community members. We’re currently trying to find a more accommodating space for KCHUNG so that community members of all abilities can access the physical station and enjoy what KCHUNG has to offer; we also need to upgrade our gear, some of which is a decade-plus old. All of these things require a little overhead, which KCHUNG does not have in abundance. However, our DJs and staff members work hard to fundraise, write grant applications, generate interest from benefactors, and volunteer their time/energy in ways that hopefully lead to a little more stability in KCHUNG’s future.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work with the DJs and a small team of volunteers, maintaining KCHUNG’s social media presence and coordinating merchandise. However, the beauty of KCHUNG is that everyone’s roles are somewhat fluid. Anybody interested in undertaking a project can use the organization to try something out, and staff members are often happy wearing different hats in order to support one another. Personally, I’m most proud of the fact that we offer an affordable, volunteer-run community space for artists, creatives, and thinkers in Los Angeles when spaces like these are becoming rarer and rarer. Everybody pitches in their time and energy to keep this unique institution alive, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see KCHUNG just get better and better because of it.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important thing I’ve learned along my journey is that people working in tandem with one another can accomplish pretty much anything. It takes a common goal and a lot of sweat, but KCHUNG is a genuine community institution, bolstered in ways both big and small by the contributions of each DJ and each staff member. I see our community members doing exciting, radical, ambitious things every single day – when you take a step back, you can see the whole wild vision of KCHUNG, and it blows me away.
Contact Info:
- Website: kchungradio.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kchungradio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kchungradio
Image Credits
Christy Roberts Berkowitz, Julie Doyle, Andrew Goldberg, Tom Hurst
