Songs & Stories18 Okt 2025

Freedom, Community, and Jazz: KCSM’s 60 Years on the Air

Episode overview

KCSM 91.1 FM has been a lifeline for Bay Area jazz for six decades. Station Manager Dr. Robert Franklin joins Steve to talk about the station’s live-curated sound, its massive library and preservation work, and the new documentary celebrating KCSM’s history and community impact.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Franklin — Station Manager, KCSM 91.1 FM; Executive Producer of KCSM: 60 Years of Broadcasting and Jazz.

KCSM is one of the nation’s last full-time jazz stations. Its curator-driven programming, archival footprint, and education mission make it a cornerstone of Bay Area music culture.

· How KCSM’s “live curator” model builds a real-time bond with listeners.

· Inside the library: scope, preservation, and digitization efforts.

· The documentary’s purpose—putting faces to the voices and placing KCSM within Bay Area cultural history.

· Student pathways via College of San Mateo and Studio 91.

· KCSM’s community compact: listener support, local artist visibility, and freedom on the air.

· What “keeping jazz alive on Bay Area radio” looks like over the next decade.

Host & Producer: Steve Roby

Show: Backstage Bay Area

Contact: backstagebayarea.com

Screening Information

Event: KCSM: 60 Years of Broadcasting and Jazz (documentary screening)

Venue: Alameda Cinema, 2317 Central Ave., Alameda

Date & Time: Friday, November 1, 2:00 PM

Extras: Post-film reception with refreshments; live DJ set by KCSM’s Harry Duncan; tours of the California Historical Radio Society’s vintage radios, historic studios, and hands-on broadcasting exhibits.

Tickets & info: https://californiahistoricalradio.com/event/kcsm-documentary-screening-at-alameda-theater/

Listen & support KCSM: https://www.kcsm.org

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