SONG TO SONG MOMENTMOMENT TOTO MOMENTMOMENT HEART TO HEART KEXP ANNUAL REPORT 2018 MIXES WITH MEANING MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE MIXES WITH MEANING: THE POWER OF ONE SONG NEXT TO ANOTHER And a big part of that is the way role of music in peoples’ lives. this music community embraces We left 2018 with a greater awe of the inherent humanity of hand- music. picked playlists. Even when it means what you hear is not always So step back for just a moment, predictable or popular. Sometimes and think about how your support it’s imperfect, or raw. But it’s real. brings the music you care about into that space between the music Together, you’ve created a space lover and the artist—person to for music lovers to honor all the person, heart to heart, song to experiences that make us human, song. 2018 was an extraordinary and to connect through music in a year. You have so much to be way that makes our lives better. proud of. In addition to the highlights you’ll Tom Mara, read about in this report, the Executive Director hen you choose to play one example that most stands out for W song next to another, there me is KEXP’s Music Heals series. P.S. And when you email is meaning in that choice. Throughout 2018, we shared [email protected], or send thousands of listener stories of healing and the song requests to the DJ booth via These choices can tell a story, role of music in these experiences, text … yes, there’s a real human make a statement, evoke an with days dedicated to addiction on the other end of the line. emotion, set a mood, put pieces and recovery; mental health; Always. of music in context, or lead the cancer; and grief. These stories are listener toward something new. important, powerful, inspiring. But Human curation allows us to more broadly? You’ve made room craft a message in realtime, to for us to respond and react in the celebrate, to commemorate, and moment, to build connections on to question. The heart and soul of the air, and these things create an KE XP. even deeper understanding of the Photo/credit: Gathering Space // Photo by Nataworry P - 2 MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS YOUR IMPACT IN NUM- BERS Photo/credit: Phoebe Bridgers at KEXP, 7.13.2018 // Photo by Jake Hanson MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS 106,606LISTENER TEXTS TO KEXP DJ BOOTH 1,011,145,759MINUTES OF KEXP YOUTUBE WATCHED 2,051,212KEXP YOUTUBE VIDEOS SHARED 175,179GATHERING SPACE VISITORS 25,837VOLUNTEER HOURS CONTRIBUTED 18,910INDIVIDUAL DONORS 114FREE PUBLIC CONCERTS 578TOTAL VOLUNTEERS ARTIST6 EDUCATION WORKSHOPS P-4 MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS PRO- GRAM- MING HIGH- LIGHTS 2018 was packed with programming that could only happen at a place fueled by community — full of soul, spontaneity, and the power of human curation. Photo/credit: Antibalas at KEXP, 3.16.18 // Alan Lawrence MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS “I love that the DJs at KEXP have control over song selection and I look forward to special days like Six Degrees. Keep up the great work!” - Brian, New York // KEXP Donor SIX DEGREES OF CHUCK D SELECTING SONGS ON THE FLY There are endless ways to fi nd connections between songs, and KEXP explores them all with Six Degrees—a day of inspired segues, starting and ending with the same artist. 2018’s Six Degrees celebrated the infl uence and musical contributions of Chuck D, the Public Enemy co-founder and Prophets of Rage frontman. Only the fi rst two songs were pre-planned. And over the next twelve hours? Spontaneity reigned, as DJs followed the common threads of shared producers, guest vocals, backing players, songwriting credits, samples, and more ... always with the aim of circling back to Chuck D by day’s end. Throughout it all, each track and transition was captured by Seattle-based artist Andrew Wicklund, stationed in the Gathering Space, illustrating a mural-sized map of musical connections as they unfurled. SONG TO SONG, MOMENT TO MOMENT. CHOOSING MUSIC WITH INTENTION. AS DJS DO EVERY DAY ON KEXP — THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT FOR PLAYLISTS CURATED BY HUMANS, NOT ALGORITHMS. Photo/credit: Six Degrees of Chuck D // Photo by Andrew Wicklund P - 6 MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS “It was a really positive experience for me. The program became a part of my life when I needed it the most. It helped be revolutionize my music taste and change my mentality to art as a whole. It truly was one of my favorite experiences of my entire life.” - 2018 Youth DJ YOUTH VOICES AT KEXP THE NEXT GENERATION OF HUMAN CURATION Using the mixer in the booth. Following federal regulations. Creating a set that fl ows. Running the show. Youth ages 15-19 learned all this and more in 2018 as participants in the fi rst cohort of KEXP’s Youth DJs program. The extracurricular course offers mentorship and hands-on training in radio and music curation, and acts as an introduction to careers in broadcast media. And of course, the high point of the program: getting behind the mic and on the air. The DJs showcase their mixes on 90.TEEN—a youth-led, youth-programmed block in KEXP’s regular schedule, created in 2018 and offi cially launched just after the new year. 2018 was also the fi rst full year with an active youth advisory council to KEXP, the Youth Resonance Board. PASSING THE TORCH ... AND PICKING IT UP: YOUR SUPPORT FOR YOUTH PROGRAMMING AT KEXP OPENS OPPORTUNITIES AND ENRICHES THE AIRWAVES. Photo/credit: Youth DJs // Photo by Niffer Calderwood P - 7 MIXES WITH MEANING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS “I love that you’re playing the entire Sub Pop catalog. Back in the early nineties I was in a wonderfully terrible band called Sick & Wrong that released a single called SUB POP “Wesson Oil” on Wesson oil- colored vinyl. These are all COUNT UP my labelmates — both the BECAUSE WE CAN well-known and less well- (THANKS TO YOU) known artists — and I am tremendously enjoying this entire thing. Please keep it up!” Believe it or not, 2018 marked the 30th anniversary of renowned Seattle label Sub Pop. To dig into the cultural - Jim, Seattle // KEXP Donor history captured by thirty years of music-making, KEXP “counted up” all 1,268 Sub Pop releases. Deep cuts, forgotten tracks, and listener favorites alike — in chronological order and in the original format, whenever possible. It was, in the words of DJ John Richards, “a really fun pain in the ass.” Why? Well, why not?** RELAUNCH OF KEXP.ORG It took nearly fi ve months to play through the entire BETTER WAYS TO LISTEN, catalog, averaging about eight songs a day. The tribute was WATCH, AND READ rounded out by a series of editorial features, interviews, and album retrospectives published on KEXP.ORG. KEXP relaunched its website in 2018 to bring you a more **BECAUSE AT KEXP, WE CAN—THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT FOR intuitive interface and a single unifi ed spot for everything MUSIC AS A CELEBRATION, AND NOT A COMMODITY—MAKING your support makes possible at KEXP: audio, video, and SPACE FOR DEEP DIVES, GEEKING OUT, AND GOING OVER THE TOP. written editorial content. As Geekwire noted in a February 2018 article “The [online] content is further proof how far beyond just terrestrial radio the station has progressed over the years — especially with its extremely popular video offerings.” Photo/credit: Sub Pop albums with original DJ notes dating back to KEXP’s origins as KCMU // photo by KEXP P - 8 MIXES WITH MEANING HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL & MANAGEMENT MAN- AGE- MENT & FINAN- CIAL HIGH- LIGHTS In 2018, KEXP combined prudent financial stewardship with deliberate, strategic investments in programming, education, and community engagement. Photo/credit: AURORA, live broadcast from Iceland Airwaves, 11.8.2018 // Photo by Jim Bennett MIXES WITH MEANING HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL & MANAGEMENT INCOME & EXPENSES BUSINESS SUPPORT $2,591,004 TOTAL: $11,754,075 IN-KIND $2,392,168 INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT ONLINE ADS $4,983,106 & ROYALTIES $340,285 MISCELLANEOUS $10,196 PROGRAM SERVICES $268,168 EARNED / RENT $107,473 CORPORATE / FOUNDATION $153,989 ENDOWMENT INCOME GOVERNMENT $153,328 $754,351 PROGRAMS $7,334,316 TOTAL EXPENSE: $11,538,151 ADMIN $864,956 FUNDRAISING $3,338,878 P-9 MIXES WITH MEANING HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL & MANAGEMENT INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE, FOUNDATION BUSINESS SUPORT & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT The largest portion of KEXP’s support The Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding for KEXP’s broadcast came from 18,910 individual donors, service and annual operations in 2018 totaled $717,302 or 6 percent of donor-directed funds, corporate the total budget. This amount supported KEXP’s broadcast service and matching programs, and family costs related to KEXP’s syndicated live performance program Under foundations. The $4,983,106 raised by the Needle. Additional support for operations, totaling $191,040 or these combined groups made up 42.4 1.6 percent of the total budget, was provided by Lucky 7 Foundation, percent of the organization’s operating Vilcek Foundation, Seattle Offi ce of Arts & Culture, 4Culture, US Bank, revenue. Business support represents ArtsFund for the Costco Youth Arts Access Award, and the Washington $2,591,005 or 22 percent of total revenue. State Council of Firefi ghters. PROGRAM SERVICE REVENUE KEXP’s programming endeavors — including event ticket sales — accounted for $268,169 or 2.3 percent of total revenue. EXPENSES In 2018, KEXP’s operating expenses totaled $11,538,151. Of that fi gure, 64 percent was dedicated to programs, while fundraising and administrative costs accounted for 29 and 7 percent, respectively.