KWVH hosting pledge drive

Believe it or not, the dream of having a radio station in Wimberley was in the works for three decades. Back in the old days, before HEB and the new Ace building, there was a dire need in the community for some sort of instant alert system in case of an emergency.

There were a lot of people who saw the need for this in the form of a radio station. Instant communication would be possible for the entire valley. News by way of Austin or San Antonio would have Wimberley far down the list when an emergency hit the area.

Then, back in the early 2000s, with a Federal government program, Wimberley’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) planned on a low power emergency radio station to help the community during times of local emergencies. KWVH’s Board Emeritus members, Susan Raybuck and Dr. Robert Pierce were two of the volunteers that helped get the station on the air.

Then the 2015 floods hit, and when the city was divided in half by the roaring Blanco River, the radio station kept everyone connected and informed about what was happening in emergency efforts, even during the worst of the storms.

Here they are now broadcasting 24 hours a day, with live programing aimed at a Wimberley audience. Public affairs, Wimberley High School football, volleyball and other sports, country, rock, jazz, classical, and even a show for kids, all with a bit of a Wimberley accent. And who knows what group or musician will drop by to help Coach and his show?

Being a community radio station, non-commercial at that, it’s hard to operate on a small budget. Funds from the community are always needed, and this year’s pledge drive will keep the station going.

KWVH is a non-Profit/501(c)3 organization. “This is to support the community and as a non-profit we’re asking the whole community and donors to help sustain us,” said KWVH Station Manager Tim Kiesling.

“We need to do upgrades to our broadcast system, to be able to be more flexible, so we can be in more than one place at the same time... Software that will allow us to be at home and do stories remotely. If there is flooding, we can be on immediately.” He continued. “If somebody has a need at 10 o’clock, we can be on the air at 10:01.”

Community needs in want of publicity often turn to the station. “We promote everybody who needs airtime. If a non-profit needs publicity they turn to us.” Keeping an outlet like the radio station in a growing community is a must.

One way to help keep the station meeting the community’s needs is by participating in the Pledge drive. There will be periods of matching funds throughout the next two weeks during the drive.

You can call in a pledge at 512-722-3266,

Email - [email protected] (your name/phone/ number and pledge amount

Or the donate button at KWVH.org.