Kathryn Nelson, KRCB-FM's Station Manager
Our speaker for Thursday, January 18, 2024, was Kathryn Nelson, the Station Manager for KRCB-FM in Rohnert Park. KRCB-FM is part of Nor Cal Public Media. Kathryn is a native Californian and has managed commercial music and new stations for many years. Prior to joining KRCB, Kathryn was the Operations Manager at KPBS in San Diego.
Kathryn’s talk focused on KRCB's program called One Small Step created by StoryCorps. This program seeks to bridge the gap that divides American by putting two people with different political views together to discuss their common issues. The goal is for the people not to discuss their political views but to get to know each other as people and find their common ground. These are typically video-taped 50-minute conversations. Some of these conversations are edited for brevity and broadcast on KRCB. The concept is largely based on the “contact theory,” which suggests that intergroup contact under controlled conditions can effectively reduce prejudice and stereotypes among people with divergent political and social views. KRCB is actively seeking participants to engage in these discussions. Kathryn noted that it has been difficult to recruit conservatives, many of whom have concerns about such participation. KRCB partners with several community groups, including SSU, Braver Angels, and the Sonoma County Library, on this project.
Thank you, Kathryn, for bringing this interesting and imaginative program to our attention. Good luck!
