Greetings,
I’ll always remember 2025 as a year filled with profound change. That was true for KEXP but even more so for the broader public media landscape. Along with a lot of challenges came some truly magical moments that bonded our community more than ever. It was a year where you proved how resilient we can be when we stand firm in our support for each other.
You might remember last June when some long-standing threats to public media became a reality. We didn’t just sit back and passively let it happen. We caused a 27-hour-long ruckus to define and bring attention to what this fight for public media was really all about. And the KEXP community showed up in a bigger way than we ever thought possible, reinforcing something we already knew - that this place matters to you. It matters enough that you didn’t just help us weather a storm, you helped us get on stronger ground than ever before.
As you read this report, you’ll see a great example of that is the response we continue to get from the Bay Area. It’s remarkable. We’ve been broadcasting there for over two years now and we can see the difference it’s making from the joy and love that gets reflected back to us from a growing community of music lovers. It’s humbling and deeply gratifying.
You’ve also powered improvements in our digital infrastructure - an investment that’s really starting to pay off. Some of that came to life for us in 2025, with the launch of the new KEXP app (built in-house by our own team!) and a smoother donor experience on our site with the donor portal. We also started upgrading the back-end systems our DJs and producers use to program music the old-fashioned way, empowering human creation without any of the algorithms and automations that every single piece of radio station software relies on everywhere else.
There’s nothing static about human creativity, of course. And, wow - did we ever lean in and let it rip last year, countering all the doom and gloom by embracing creativity, celebrating curiosity and broadcasting a whole ton of joy out into the world. That’s the power of human-curated radio at its best, which is very nearly impossible to find anywhere else right now.
But that’s what we’re all about, along with a deeply held belief that music makes our lives better. Based on your support last year I know you feel that way, too. This shared belief holds so much hope for the future. Music opens doors for curiosity and connectedness. It creates joy and it brings us together. And that’s exactly what we need right now.
In the immortal words of Daft Punk: “let the music of your life give life back to music!”
Ethan Raup
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One of the most significant moments of 2025 happened right before our Summer Fundraising Drive. The news had come down that Congress was about to vote to get rid of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and claw back its funding, and John Richards and Morgan Chosnyk (along with producer Owen Murphy and much of the staff acting as support) had the brilliant idea to stay on the air for a 27-straight-hour radio marathon to raise awareness for the fight for public media. They spoke with other public radio representatives from around the country, talked with listeners about the impact public media has had on their lives, and managed to make it 27 straight hours only repeating one song.
Maybe the craziest part of all? We kept the Gathering Space open the entire time. We set up an “I Love Public Media” banner and asked everyone who stopped by to sign. Local listeners showed up in support throughout the night, and not even a planned power outage on the Seattle Center Campus could slow the momentum down. Even Cafe Vita got on board, with staff volunteering to stay overnight to serve up some very necessary 3:30 AM espresso shots.
This radio marathon was capped off by the biggest single day of fundraising in KEXP’s history. But the fight isn’t over—though we received all of our CPB funding in 2025, KEXP has lost over 800k+ each year that follows in budgeted funding. When listeners like you participate - by donating, texting in, or even showing up in the middle of the night, you get an active hand in creating the culture that protects this public media from losing its voice. We’re excited to move into the future, the most independent we’ve ever been, and thankful to you for making it possible.
