The U-Files–Jeff Dickrell

As a part of Ms. Rudio’s Broadcasting class, Killian Baker interviewed Jeff Dickrell for The U-Files.

Nickname:   Mr. Dickrell

Hometown:   Naperville, IL.

Birthday:   1965

Occupation:   Teacher

What you really want to be:    Teacher

Longest time period you’ve been weathered out or stuck on a plane:    5 days

Why are you here?:   I like being outside

First employer in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor:    UCSD

Favorite memory about Unalaska/Dutch Harbor:    Seeing a bunch of whales in the bay

How long have you been here?:    19 years

Favorite seafood dish:    Scallops

Favorite pasttime:    Hiking/being outside

Least favorite thing about Unalaska/Dutch Harbor:    People leave

Secret vice:    The Daily Show

Some people may be surprised to know that:    I’m really quite tall

How you stay sane during the insane weather:    Read, write

Strangest item in your refrigerator or bathroom:   Ice

Your relationship to the fishing industry:   I teach their kids

Calling All Artists!

The Alaska Legislature is seeking Alaskan art for the new Thomas Stewart Legislative Office in Juneau.  They hope to acquire art from all regions of the state for hanging in hallways, conference rooms and committee rooms.  Here’s a great opportunity to showcase our fabulous Unalaska artists!  Contact Adam Berg in Representative Bryce Edgmon’s office at 800-898-4451.

Bering Beat–Navigating the World of Music on KUCB Radio

Our new World Music radio program, Bering Beat, is bringing music from all over the world to Unalaska on Monday nights at 9 PM.   We’re still looking for lots more music to add to our library, so let us know if you  have some world tunes you’d like to let us download into our system!  We are recording station identification announcements and program IDs in the many languages of Unalaska, so give us a call at 581-1888 if you’d like to take part.

“Fall Back”–Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning!

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour when you go to bed tonight!   Daylight Savings Time officially ends at 2 AM on Sunday, November 1, 2009.   For more information on Daylight Savings Time, click here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091026-daylight-savings-time-2009-fall-back.html

Have a Spooktacular Halloween, Unalaska!

Watch for lots of little ghosts and goblins out and about this weekend!

There are several Halloween events happening on

Saturday, October 31:

PCR’s annual Halloween event takes place at the Community Center from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, including games, trick-or-treating and a costume contest.  Join the fun and have your picture taken in your costume!  The whole family is invited to join the festivities.  No inappropriate costumes, please!  It’s free and you may call the Community Center at 581-1297 for more info.

UniSea is sponsoring a Night of Terror Haunted House on the second floor of the UniSea Central Building beginning at 7 PM.  Everyone is invited to this free event!

Planet Dutch will be having Halloween activities for teens and families from 8 to 10 PM–scary movies, karaoke, a costume contest, photos, and a “creepiest scream” contest.  Call Planet Dutch for more info, 581-3809.

Be careful and have a fun-filled Halloween!

Domestic Violence Awareness

Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence held its annual awareness luncheon at the Grand Aleutian Hotel today.  USAFV provides a myriad of services, including education and outreach to the community and the region, as well as support and advocacy for those dealing with domestic violence and other issues.  Taking part in a panel discussion were M. Lynn Crane, Executive Director of USAFV, Judi Ruder, Clinical Social Worker at the Oonalaska Wellness Center, Darcel Williams, Behavioral Health Aide at OWC, John Conwell, Superintendent of the Unalaska City School District, Keils Kitchen, Physician’s Assistant at the IFHS Clinic, and Officer Meta Mendenhall from the Unalaska Department of Public Safety.   Michelle Cochran, Human Resources Director at UniSea, Inc., and former director of USAFV, moderated the event which included a variety of audience questions about confidentiality, definitions of domestic violence, the physical and emotional toll of domestic violence, steps to take if you are aware of someone needing  help, and information about local services and resources.

If you feel that you might be in an unhealthy relationship, or know someone who is struggling with relationship issues, you may talk confidentially with someone at USAFV  to obtain information, options and assistance.  USAFV has an extensive library of materials available to the community,  and its staff and advocates are available 24 hours a day by calling the Crisis Line at 581-1500.

Thanks to all for a very successful radio pledge drive!

Wow, what a week we had here at KUCB 89.7 FM!  When all the pledges were tallied Friday night, our grand total was

$21,056!

We can’t thank you enough, Unalaska!

Thanks again to all of our great local musicians who entertained us in the studio with Daniel Weirich Monday through Thursday.  It’s been so busy that we didn’t have a chance to post photos of Our Band and Jeanne Duhan after their performances late in the week, so they are included here.  The radio studio is very small so we weren’t able to capture all of the members of Our Band–our apologies to Chris Hladick and Sharon O’Malley who aren’t seen!  We also had some performers who were taped in advance and we don’t have photos of them here but want to thank them very much as well–Eric and Skye Hoover and Alyssa McDonald.   We appreciate all of these artists for sharing their music, time, energy and passion with us!

Friday we kicked off our big one day pledge drive at 7 AM with Lauren Adams and Anne Hillman on the radio during “Morning Edition.”  Hot coffee and homemade muffins enticed several folks down to the station to visit with us early in the morning.  The donations started coming in right away and kept us on our toes answering phones, opening emails with online pledges, chatting with people who came by, and handing out our new sweatshirts.

Dan Young and Darrell Lee Walker really got things rocking with their early morning show.  These guys are so high-energy and full of fun that the pledges just kept on coming!  It didn’t hurt that Tom Enlow and the Hospitality Division of UniSea, Inc. had pledged to match all employee donations during Darrell and Dan’s second hour.  Not only did we have lots of phone calls but several Hospitality employees showed up in person with cash in hand.  Thanks so much to Tom and all of the UniSea folks who supported us so generously.  We  had 17 UniSea employees pledge during the hour, for a total of $1770!  A few more also weighed in later, and we appreciate every single one of them.

We are also grateful to the many individuals who called in their own pledges and then challenged others to do the same.  There were quite a few challenge wars going on, and KUCB benefitted from this good-natured competition.  We are thankful for everyone who donated at any point during the week and for every donation of any size–we are listener-supported radio and every dollar counts!  You really came through for us, Unalaska!

Morning guest DJs Melanie Magnusen and Jane Bye channeled Donnie and Marie Osmond with “a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll,” though they admitted that Darrell and Dan were a hard act to follow!  We had a packed house for pizza at lunch time–thanks to the Airport Restaurant and the Harbor View Bar and Grill for donating pizzas!  Shawna Rudio’s high school broadcasting class –Ariel, Elizabeth, Tau and Killian–then took over the airwaves to bring us their favorite tunes, followed by Aura Beatty, Sharon O’Malley and Sarah Brewer, aka “The Procrastinators Club,” with a guest appearance by Jeff Dickrell.  Anne Hillman and Juliette Vries kept the midafternoon positive vibe going strong.  Kristine King (along with Maxwell) and Juliette Vries “womaned” the phones and helped us catch up a bit–thanks to these fabulous volunteers, along with Pipa Escalante who pitched in wherever she was needed.  Board Vice-Chair Chris Bobbitt DJed for a bit, Alvin Trinidad commandeered the mic for a few minutes, and others dropped by the studio to request a song or make a pitch for us. Frank Kelty and Forrest Bowers brought us the Fisheries Report live and later, we welcomed M.Lynn Crane from USAFV to tell us a little bit about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and upcoming activities, as well as Terry Abarro from Planet Dutch and Tai Tolai  from the Samoan Community to talk about their relief efforts.

And the pledges just kept on coming!

We finished off the night at the Harbor View Bar and Grill with an after-party organized by Daniel Weirich and Randy Batten and music by Bunker Battalion.  Thanks to this great band for donating their time and energy to help us celebrate a most successful pledge drive.  Sergei Roraback won the round trip Alaska Airlines ticket–congratulations, Sergei!  Thanks to all who pledged $125 or more to be entered into the drawing.

We want to thank our Board of Directors, our volunteers and guest DJs, and those who donated giveaway items–Alaska Air, the PCR, Planet Dutch, Mac Enterprises, and the Harbor View Bar and Grill, as well as all of the musicians who donated their time to help make the pledge drive a success:  Darrell Lee Walker, Tom Goodwin, Lynda Lybeck-Robinson, Vinnie James, Mike Daniels, Alyssa McDonald, Sharon O’Malley, Jeanne Duhan, Eric and Skye Hoover, Our Band and Bunker Battalion.  We couldn’t have done it without all of them and all of you who listened, called, came by or logged onto the website to show your support.

Please send us your comments about what you liked, what you would change, and any suggestions for next year.  Did you like the ONE DAY format better than having a weeklong pledge drive?  We want to hear from you!

Wednesday Music and Updates

Mike Daniels and Sharon O’Malley provided us with another great afternoon of music in the studio today.  We appreciate these talented musicians donating their time and energy to our fundraising drive.  Thanks, Mike and Sharon!  There’s some good natured competition going on among some of our local musicians, who keep challenging each other to “up” their pledges–and KUCB keeps reaping the benefits!

Even though we are keeping our calls for pledges to a minimum till Friday, we are excited to see all of the support we’re receiving from the community already.   Our goal is $10,000 and we are already halfway there, with a total of $5035 at the end of business today!   Many thanks to all who have pledged early by phone, email, or stopping by to see us.  We appreciate you very much.   Of course, there’s still plenty of time to get your pledge in and we are most grateful for pledges of any size.

Tune in to KUCB 89.7 FM on Thursday for another exciting afternoon of local music:

1 PM           Our Band

2 PM          Eric and Skye Hoover

3 PM          Alyssa McDonald

4 PM         Jeanne Duhan

Join at the $125 level and receive a Suzi Golodoff designed sweatshirt AND an entry into a drawing for an AK Air plane ticket to Anchorage or Seattle.  Your pledge must be PAID to be entered into the drawing, which will be held at Harbor View.  You need not be present to win.

Don’t forget that Friday will be packed with fun and special events!

7 to 8 AM  Morning Edition with Lauren Adams and Anne Hillman

7:30 to 9:30 AM  Coffee at KUCB

8 to 10 AM  Darrell Lee Walker and Dan Young

9 to 10 AM Grand Aleutian matching employee pledges!

10 to 11 AM Melanie Magnusen and Jane Bye

Noon to 1 PM  Pizza Party at KUCB!

Noon to 2:15 PM  Daniel’s Mid-Day Music Mix

2:15 to 3:15 PM Shawna Rudio’s Broadcasting Class

3:15 PM  Aura Beatty

4:00 PM  Frank Kelty’s Fisheries Report and More

4:30 to 6:00 PM Special community guests in the studio

7:00 PM After Party at Harbor View with music by Bunker Battalion

Drawing for the winner of the AK Air ticket (need not be present to win)

Many thanks to those who pledged today:

Jeff Dickrell

Jeanette Alas

Anne Hillman

The Pound Family

The Magnusen Family

Ray and Sonia Streitmatter

Paul Wilkins

Mary Schwenzfeier

Forrest Bowers and Shawna Rudio

Kathy Grimnes

Mike Daniels

Michael Edenfield

Ron and Lillian Ford

and several individuals who wish to remain anonymous.    We thank you sincerely for all of your support!

Call us at 581-1888 to make your pledge, or click here www.kucb.org for easy online giving on our secure website.   Tune in Thursday for morre live music and updates!

Day Two of Pledge Week

 

Today we were excited to have the talented Lynda Lybeck Robinson and Vinnie James live in the studio!   Thanks, Lynda and Vinnie for  your support of community radio.  Both made pledges and picked up their KUCB sweatshirts while they were here–we appreciate their support!

We were not able to get Eric and Skye Hoover on the air today as planned so they have been rescheduled for Thursday at 2 PM. Be sure to tune in for this talented duo!

Tomorrow’s guest performers will be Mike Daniels at 2 PM and Sharon O’Malley at 3 PM.  Don’t miss either of these wonderful musicians!

Although we have not been spending a lot of time asking you for money, we are thrilled that many community members are jumping right in and making pledges anyway.   We appreciate everyone who came by, called in or pledged on line today:

Mike and Cat Hazen

Robinson Crusoe Music

Linda and Spencer Ellsworth

Matt Lightner and M. Lynn Crane

Donna Rahn

Bryan Stafford

Pipa Escalante

Vinnie James

Anne Hillman

Jeanette Alas

and a $1000 Corporate Membership from The Discovery Channel–Original Productions–producers of “The Deadliest Catch.”

Thanks so much to all of our generous donors!

Don’t forget that Friday is our big ONE DAY PLEDGE DRIVE with guest DJs, prizes, promotions and all kinds of fun.  Come for coffee between 7:30 and 9:30 AM, or for pizza at noon, visit KUCB at the Burma Road Chapel, request some tunes and pledge your membership. We are happy with donations of all sizes and appreciate anything that you can give.   At the $125 level, you will receive a KUCB sweatshirt and an entry into a drawing for an AK Air ticket to Anchorage or Seattle.   Your pledge must be paid in order to be entered into the drawing.

At 7 PM on Friday, join us at the Harbor View Bar and Grill for music by Bunker Battalion and more promotions.

Stay tuned to KUCB 89.7 FM  for more details.  Thanks again to everyone who has made donations so far this week.

Musicians in the Studio and More

 

We’re working our way to our ONE DAY PLEDGE DRIVE on Friday, October 23rd while bringing you regular and special programming Monday through Thursday and keeping on-air calls for pledges to a minimum.  Today we were excited to have  local musicians Darrell Lee Walker and Tom Goodwin live in the studio with Daniel during the Mid-Day Music Mix.  Hopefully you were able to catch their sets and enjoy each of their unique talents.   Thanks, Darrell Lee and Tom for donating your time and supporting community radio!

Tune in again tomorrow to hear Lynda Lybeck-Robinson at 1 PM, Vinnie James at 3 PM, and Eric and Skye Hoover at 4 PM.  We are thrilled to be able to showcase such a variety of talented individuals who live right here in our own community!

We’ve also added a couple of other events to Friday’s schedule.  First, if you are a morning person, we will be hosting coffee at KUCB from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM on the 23rd.  Stop by for a hot cup of coffee, visit with KUCB staff, request a song, and sign up for a membership!  If you join or renew at the $125 level and pay for your membership while you are here, you can walk away with your brand new KUCB sweatshirt designed by Suzi Golodoff.  Don’t delay–we have a limited number of shirts in each size (adult small through 2x).

If you’re not so much a morning person, we’re having a Pizza Party at noon!  Drop in, have some lunch, and take care of your membership while requesting a song or chatting with staff.  We’d love to see you.

Check out the previous blog post for the entire schedule and stay tuned for more announcements of everything that’s going to be happening this week.

Although we are making Friday our big pledge day, we are happy to accept pledges and donations of any size all week.  We’ve noticed several people have used the easy online pledge feature on our website (www.kucb.org) and encourage you to give it a try.  Thanks to the following generous individuals who joined or renewed today:

William and Anne Marie Ammons

Chris Richards

Wendy Hladick

Bailey Kirkland

Sheila Walker

Ray and Sonia Streitmatter

We appreciate you!