Our Mission

The mission of Natural Bridges Media/KSQD is to build community through quality broadcasts, podcasts, training programs and community events. We celebrate the uniqueness of our region through news, arts, and culturally diverse programming.

Vision

KSQD audiences are well-informed about the issues affecting their lives. Listeners feel a sense of belonging through interacting with a station that is responsive to their needs and interests. Broadcasts are primarily live and local, volunteer-hosted and produced. KSQD facilitates quality local journalism, information, culture, and music. Differing views are aired respectfully. KSQD gives a voice to individuals, groups, issues and music that are underrepresented, a clear alternative to corporate media. KSQD will broadcast emergency alerts and updates.

Natural Bridges Media is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to run and operate KSQD-FM, a noncommercial, listener-supported community radio station for Santa Cruz County. We are incorporated in California and have our federal tax-exempt status from the IRS.

Theory of Change

Natural Bridges Media/KSQD believes that a well-informed, engaged local community can actively solve its own problems given the right tools. People change systems because there is social support and structures within which that change can be brought about. In an era of mis and disinformation, having accurate, immediate, and credible information is the basis for a healthy democracy. Communities with their own media outlets that focus on local issues and culture can be more resilient places to live, as people feel a sense of belonging, and a sense of wanting to implement real change from the grassroots.

Brief History:

KSQD was conceived in 2016 by a group of people who believed that the region needed a community radio station after the demise of KUSP, a community station that went dark that year. In 2018, we were granted nonprofit status as Natural Bridges Media, and in 2019, with the help of many generous donors, we were able to purchase a radio license from a religious broadcaster, EMF, and went on the air in February, 2019. Since that time we have maintained a mostly-local radio program schedule that gives local people a voice. We have a board of ten committed individuals, and a staff of two part-time employees. In 2023, again thanks generous donors, we were able to complete our local community broadcast plans by purchasing two more FCC licences/stations at 89.7 and 89.5. One is a full-power FM station out of Fremont Peak (89.7FM) and the other is a translator that fills in gaps in coverage in Carmel and Monterey (89.5 FM). With this signal expansion, the station is now a truly regional resource for local communities from Monterey, Salinas, Watsonville and Marina. Our program offerings continue to diversify and serve our expanded audience. We have also been streaming since we began, and now can see we are growing an audience that loves the local culture here, but lives elsewhere, from North Dakota to Germany. We are on the verge of launching a mobile app that will share our programming with people from anywhere in the world. We continue to host local events that celebrate the local music scene, and are developing connections to other cultural and journalism institutions.

View Our Business Plan

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View Our FCC Public File

staff Members

DAVID BEAN, STATION MANAGER

David Bean began his professional career as a Disc-Jockey, Music Director, and Program Director at KLRB FM in Carmel. CA. He became General Manager of KZEN FM in Seaside, CA, where Michael Nesmith listened when deciding to hire Bean, who ultimately became President of Nesmith’s Pacific Arts Video Records. He left Pacific Arts to join acclaimed record producer Creed Taylor as President of his CTI Records label. After four years with CTI, David launched his own independent label, BeanBag1 Entertainment, signing Jesse Colin Young among his clients. When music went online, David Bean became one of the earliest developers of music streaming, first at OnRadio for the Vibe and Spin magazine websites, and then at MusicMatch, which sold to Yahoo. After that, Dave programmed music at Slacker.com and was involved with other digital music initiatives. He also launched a successful Label Services subsidiary under BeanBag1 to support Indie artists with marketing and promotion. Mr. Bean is a past voting member of the Grammy organization NARAS, past Executive Director of Friends of the United Nations, was Executive Director of the profitable inaugural Monterey Film Festival, past member of the Monterey County Film Commission, and founding member of the KAZU FM Board of Directors.

Howard Feldstein, Program Director

In addition to many years working with natural foods, Howard has been active in community radio on the central California coast since 1992. He listened to AM radio as a child in Baltimore in the 1960s. In the 1970s He discovered the exciting offerings of FM and non-commercial stations from Baltimore and Washington, and college radio in Providence; in the 1980s He listened to WORT in Madison (Wisconsin), KPBS in San Diego, and KUSP in Santa Cruz. He volunteered as a music programmer at KUSP from 1992-2016, and served as Program Director between 1996 and 2004. He’s thrilled to be part of the rebirth of community radio in the form of KSQD, and to help coordinate our rich variety of quality programs – He learns something from what he hears every day, and hopes other listeners do, too. Besides jazz in general and John Coltrane in particular, his personal music library is full of Brian Eno, the Beatles, and many others. Other passions include photography, meditation and spiritual/consciousness growth, my family and his pets.