A small Madrid-based radio station that has grown to serve 84,000 potential listeners across five counties will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a free all-day music festival, offering regional residents a rare opportunity to experience live community radio programming and independent music in person.
KMRD-LP 96.9 FM will host its anniversary festival Saturday, Aug. 23, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Madrid ballpark, according to a press release from Station Manager Stella Linder Byrne. The event celebrates a decade of growth since the station began broadcasting in June 2015.
“Since its first broadcast in June 2015, KMRD has grown to become a hub of community for Madrid and for independent music and arts in New Mexico,” Byrne said in the press release. The station now operates 24 hours a day with programming from 99 volunteer disc jockeys ranging in age from 17 to 84.
Despite originating from Madrid, a former coal mining town of just 248 residents, KMRD’s 573 square mile coverage area extends across portions of Santa Fe, San Miguel, Sandoval, Los Alamos and Bernalillo counties, according to the station’s website.
KMRD operates from Madrid, a former coal mining ghost town that was transformed into an arts community starting in the 1970s when artists and others began purchasing abandoned miners’ cabins. The town now features more than 40 galleries along its Main Street, attracting thousands of weekend visitors traveling the nationally designated Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
The station was founded in 2013 as a project of Madrid Cultural Projects, with volunteers installing transmission equipment in 2014 with help from the Prometheus Radio Project, a national organization that supports community radio development.
Beyond entertainment programming, KMRD serves a public safety function through its Madrid-Cerrillos Public Safety Information Network, maintaining the Emergency Alert System and broadcasting safety announcements in collaboration with the Madrid Volunteer Fire District.
The anniversary festival will feature live music across two stages with local and touring acts including Creekbed Carter Hogan from St. Paul, Carson Barry Trio from Madrid, Trashy Annie from Austin, Kevin Russell (Shinyribs) from Austin, Raashan Ahmad from Santa Fe, Hogan & Moss from Kerrville/Santa Fe, The Little Tulips from Santa Fe and Minivan from New York City, according to the press release.
The event includes partnerships with local organizations, including The Madrid Food Program, Santa Fe Community Services, Wise Fool and Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center, as well as art and food vendors and interactive activities, Byrne said in the press release.
KMRD operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and broadcasts live at 96.9 FM in the greater Madrid area while streaming online for listeners outside the coverage area. Festival audio will be broadcast live on both the terrestrial frequency and webstream.
Support for the event comes from a New Mexico Creative Industries grant, along with sponsorship and contributions from Santa Fe County Economic Development, LIVE 505, Java Junction, Casa Bella Loco, Paper Tiger, La Cañada Wireless Association and The Mystic, presented in partnership with Highway 14 Presents, according to the press release.Event details are available at kmrd.fm/festival.