“It seemed like the perfect way for me to apply my interests and develop my skills,” said Sam Knight. Sam is one of the Two Harbors High School students responsible for the weekly production of The High School Show which airs Fridays & Saturdays at 1:30 PM. The young Mr. Knight joined the team as a self-taught audio engineer/editor.
The High School Show, a half hour of music and news relevant to all ages, is part of the Youth Radio Initiative which is funded via a grant from the Northland Foundation. The initiative seeks to promote intergenerational grassroots participation in a variety of endeavors throughout Northern Minnesota. Some of its goals are assisting students in acquiring the production skills and interview techniques required to produce a weekly show, developing relationships with mentors in business, government, and civic organizations, as well as a knowledge transfer from senior to freshmen participants in the program.
The program is overseen by on-air personality Mychele, who spearheaded a similar project while working in radio on the Iron Range. The students describe her as an easy going and accepting mentor who champions and relishes their uniqueness. She speaks glowingly of these young adults when she recounts lessons learned from them and tales of the 120+ hours of volunteer effort the students have contributed to various projects both in and outside the studio.
The credit for the show’s inception goes to THHS student Dale Peterson, who submitted the initial proposal for the High School Show. Dale was already somewhat of an accomplished interviewer and reporter before KTWH went live. He served as Two Harbors Community Radio’s ‘man on the scene’ during a 2015 summer food networking event and has conducted many of the interviews during the H.S.S.’s early days.
The Leon brothers, David & Jackson, make up the other half of the student production team for the show. Jackson, the subject of an interview by Dale, enjoyed himself so much during his time in the station that he joined the team. His brother David soon joined him. Both plan to pursue careers related to radio and audio/visual engineering.
KTWH-LP, 99.5 FM, is a volunteer run non-profit serving the town of Two Harbors and surrounding area with a broadcast range of 10 miles. It streams online at ktwh.org.
January: granted IRS 501(c)(3) status – tax exempt and tax deductible donation status
February: granted a construction permit by FCC to build our 100 watt low power FM station and broadcast at 99.5 Mhz FM; let the fundraising begin!
February through August: Tom Stender, owner of the historic Harbor Landing Building at 7th and 7th donates office space to our nonprofit, providing a venue for us to get our act together, hold meetings and have a public presence. Thank you Tom!
March: we are granted KTWH (also known unofficially as KTwH – get it?) for our call letters.
April: CLP roundup program grants us $500!
April: training of students begins for using our Age-to-Age-sponsored portable recording equipment for interviews
May: Two Harbors Area/LaBounty Fund grants us $4985 for studio equipment!
October: Lloyd K Johnson Foundation grants us $20,000 for equipment and operating expenses!
November: we raise over $2250 with our Raise the Antenna campaign including November 13 GiveMN Give to the Max day, bringing our total raised from individual contributions since our inception in 2012 to over $8,000 – thanks to so many of you! Also in November, Shane Dickey of Toimi is elected to our Board of Directors, bringing his background in nonprofits, music curating and storytelling
December: Wallin Foundation of Minneapolis grants us $1,000! We sign a lease on the Harbor Landing future studio site (the office space between our former office and Jaws Computer Service); we elect Eddie Parke of Two Harbors to our Board of Directors, bringing his extensive experience in broadcast technology as well as nonprofit administration; and the Lake County Board of Commissioners approves our agreement to use a communications at the county garage for our antenna. We’re good to go!
2015 promises to bring us to the airwaves, likely sometime this spring. Most of the equipment is purchased but expenses still remain, including hiring an engineer to install our antenna and transmitter, studio construction expenses, music licensing, and streaming fees.
NOTE: Programmers will soon be contacted about their program ideas and beginning training once the studio is in place.”
It is never too late to make your donation to Two Harbors Community Radio, still tax deductible for 2014 if you do it byi the 31st, or for 2015. You may donate online at ktwh.org, by mail to PO Box 622, TH 55616, or in person at our Harbor Landing office, Mon – Thursdays, 1-3pm (though the office is unstaffed this Wednesday and Thursday).
2015 will also bring our first Radio Variety Show at Two Harbors’ historic Harbor Theater!!! The event is being planned for Saturday Feb 28 at 7pm.
It will feature local music, storytelling, and the debut of our own local radio theater troupe. Stay tuned for more details, but put it on your new calendar today!
Our marbled deep blue THCR mugs make a great holiday gift! They are still available as a premium for a donation of $20, two for $30.
Perfect for your winter’s hot beverages – and for feeding the chickadee-dee-dees! Pick a couple up at our office in the Harbor Landing Building, Monday through Thursdays (closed the 25th of course!) 1pm-3pm, or at Sweet Peas or Moosecellaneous gift stores, or email or call us, THCommRadio@gmail.com, 218-830-0489
In November, our effort to raise funds to put KTWH-LP on the air brought in $2,250 to our Raise the Antenna campaign.
Donations came primarily during Give to the Max Day, November 13 via GiveMN.org, as well as through contributions made on the ktwh.org website, and by folks sending checks by good old U.S. mail to PO Box 622, Two Harbors.
The campaign continues but we are so much closer because you gave when we asked. You all share a place in our grateful hearts this Thanksgiving season!
Support KTWH by donating today!
THCR is thrilled to announce that we are recipients of a generous Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation grant. After nearly three years of preparation, planning and countless volunteer hours, the effort to bring a community radio station to Two Harbors is now becoming a reality. A portion of the $20,000 award will help purchase nearly 75 percent of the basic needed equipment needed to get KTWH-LP 99. 5 FM on the air. Studio space rental and operational costs are also priorities to be funded from the award.
Michelle Ronning, fundraising chair of THCR expresses her gratitude,
“Thanks to the generosity of the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation, local businesses and especially the individual support, we will raise the antenna for your community radio.”
We are in fact rolling out the “Raise the Antenna” campaign this week to help get KTWH-LP (low power) on the air by summer of 2015. Now your individual contributions to THCR mean more than ever. Of course, we realize many of you have been volunteers, financial contributors, and steadfast bearers of local good will for this effort, for which we are ever grateful. However, much hinges on our ability to raise the remainder of the money we need to purchase and install the studio and transmitter/antenna equipment.
You may easily click here to donate on this website or at the Donate tab on the home page or by visiting our THCR offices in the Harbor Landing Building at 7th Avenue and 7th Street, Two Harbors hours are Monday through Thursday, 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Checks made out to THCR can be sent to THCR, PO Box 622, Two Harbors, 55616. Our phone contact is 834-2247.
There is even more to update you on:
Radio Station TrainingTuesday, September 30, was a successful night of introductory information sharing and training exercises for some of the roster of people interested in being on air at KTWH-LP. We expect to have more training sessions yet this year. Remember to submit your program ideas on the Programs page of this site, even if preliminary, so that we can keep in touch with you about your proposal and let you know about upcoming programmer training.
We are working out details for our studio and transmitter locations. We will post more updates soon as agreements are settled for these locations.
We continue to seek volunteers for committees, radio theater, working with our youth training, important archiving and clerical work, and many other on- and off-air tasks that will need doing to make Two Harbors Community Radio a “sound” operation. Let us hear from you!
The THUGs (Two Harbors Ukulele Group) have become an integral part of the Two Harbors music scene, often gracing our community events with their songs and tunes. Here you can listen to their performance of White Sport Coat at the Heritage Days 2014 stage.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Two Harbors Community Radio captures a sight to behold: Santa on a motorcycle, looking for a new home. Hear the sellers give their pitch – maybe Santa is looking for you! [Update: THCR has learned that Santa has already found a new home, so please don’t call the phone number mentioned]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
At Heritage Days 2014, Age-to-age intern Kiersten Haaversen interviewed Two Harbors native and THCR supporter Alice Sande at our tent. With intermittent choruses of cheers and groans coming from the annual lutefisk toss event in the background, Alice captures the spirit of Heritage Days.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Working together toward our goal of $25,000 for start-up equipment, your support in the form of a tax-deductible donation can earn you these premiums:
Visit us during office hours, mail* to PO Box 622, Two Harbors, MN 55616, or click the donate button below!
*Make checks out to THCR
