Tom Petty once said, “Nothing scares corporate radio like public radio.” Independent radio keeps the dream of free airwaves alive. This new recurring feature shines a spotlight on these stations, starting with the one that inspired Petty’s quote, Los Angeles’ 88.5, the SoCal Sound.
“‘Lifeboat’ is such a good descriptor of public media, and specifically The SoCal Sound. When my boat sank, I swam up to the raft, climbed in, and I’ve been laughing about it ever since,” says station manager Pat Osburn. It’s been exactly that for him, program director Marc “Mookie” Kaczor, and music director Julie Slater. All three are veterans of the commercial radio trenches, where they learned—per Osburn—“how cruel and difficult the world can be.”
The station’s call letters, KCSN, have been around since the ’60s, but its evolution into The SoCal Sound began in 2011. Famed public radio DJ Nic Harcourt jumped over from a local rival to host KCSN’s morning show and, according to Osburn, “Nic wanted to really duke it out with (his previous show) “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” so he got his own thing going.” This was around when Osburn and Mookie also joined the station, and off of Harcourt’s more alternative leanings, Mookie saw the chance to take the whole station in a new direction. “I always admired those non-commercial stations for their trailblazing, taste-making sensibilities,” Mookie explains, so he set out to create one for L.A., one that also screamed, “‘Hey, you disenfranchised K-Rock listeners!’” The plan was to play classic alternative songs from the ’80s and ’90s, but always mixed with great indie rock, Latin alternative rock, and, “Local bands who would never get the opportunity to be on the air elsewhere.”
This change quickly made 88.5 a beacon for listeners and other DJs. Slater joined in 2016, saying, “I’d been through the wringer with commercial radio, like just the same songs over and over and over… So now, it’s a dream to be able to play what you want.” Slater’s not alone in this sentiment, as The SoCal Sound has also attracted DJs like the iconic 120 Minutes host Matt Pinfield, and musicians like Ben Gibbard, who’s headlining the station’s year-end concert on Saturday, December 7. Passion fuels The SoCal Sound, inspiring them to, as Mookie puts it,“do fun things and align ourselves with great artists that commercial radio wouldn’t even sniff.”
What would you say separates independent radio from commercial radio?
Pat: One of the things that we don’t talk enough about is public music stations play close to 54, 56 minutes of music an hour. In commercial media, we’d run 16, 18 minutes an hour of commercials. So when you put ’em side by side, why would anyone sit through that now?
What is your process for finding and playing new artists?
Julie: Just listening to so much music. Even from social media, like if I see a friend post, “I love this song,” I check it out. And if I love it? I’m sure (listeners) will too. One of my missions as a music director is to really focus on the local music spotlight and give them a voice.
Pat: And of course, the thank you letters you get from those bands, like, “We heard our song for the first time on the radio thanks to you!” It’s fun to read those because I don’t think that element of media has changed in 50 years.
Any celebrity listeners or supporters?
Mookie: Once, during a pledge drive, a volunteer answered the phone and it was Ringo Star, Joe Walsh, and Steve Lukather from the band Toto. They were in the back of a limo going to the Hollywood Bowl, because Ringo’s son was playing drums in the Who that night. They’d heard we were in pledge drive and all donated during that drive.
Current artist you want more folks to hear?
Julie: There’s a band named Francis of Delirium. The lead singer, Jana, is from Luxembourg… I can’t even remember how I came across this record, but I was like, “I absolutely love this record. I think I’m gonna make it my favorite album of the year.” So when they came through to L.A., I invited them to do a SoCal Sound session. Jana came in and played, and those are the moments like… I don’t want it to make it about me, but like, this artist is here, on the radio, because I found them. And that… that’s the excitement of what we do.
Who is your dream guest artist?
Julie: Radiohead. Not just Thom Yorke, the whole band. I’m holding on.
Mookie: There’s two artists that I’ve been knocking on the door of forever: the trio of SoCal siblings known as Haim—they’re elusive but beloved around these parts—and Phoebe Bridgers. Also, maybe not the most non-commercial choice, but we know the Foo Fighters have a rehearsal space just a stones throw from here…
Pat: Oh yeah, Dave Grohl! I don’t know why he is not coming over. Come on, Dave!
Any goals for the future of the station?
Mookie: My long-term dream is to eat up different frequencies all around Southern California. That way, it doesn’t matter if you’re on 89.9 or 88.5, whether you’re in San Bernardino, San Diego, wherever… you could be hearing The SoCal sound.