Beyond Broadband: How Our Work with KGNU Community Radio Highlights Our Digital Equity Strategy

Hotspot is a series of articles drawn from interviews with people across the digital equity and inclusion ecosystem. In this issue, our Executive Director, Adam Miller, sat down with Tim Russo, Station Manager at KGNU Community Radio to discuss the intersection of digital equity and community radio.

When wildfires, high windstorms, floods, or prolonged power outages (an increasingly common occurrence) in Boulder County, Colorado require reliable emergency community communication, KGNU Community Radio faces a critical test — how to keep broadcasting life-saving information when the infrastructure connecting them to their audience goes dark.

The answer comes through backup batteries, strategic planning, routers with mobile service, and something common to digital equity discussions — hotspots. Provided to KGNU by the 35 Mile Foundation, mobile hotspots help KGNU stay on the air and shift operations as needed — to keep transmitting over the air and online during emergency situations.

"Those hotspots and the service that 35 Mile Foundation and other partners provide has been really crucial for us over the last couple of years," says Tim Russo, Station Manager at KGNU. "We're able to keep the community informed and engaged in a way that otherwise can be difficult for them to do."

Digital Equity When It Matters Most

Emergency connectivity is one aspect of what digital equity looks like in practice. And as KGNU's experience demonstrates, digital equity is about broadband connectivity —it's about ensuring communities can access life-saving information when traditional infrastructure fails.

During wildfires, floods, and other emergency situations, KGNU has relied on hotspot technology to maintain broadcasts from remote locations, keep transmitter sites online, and coordinate emergency coverage. "We've had both wildfires, urban fires, floods, shootings, and bombings, unfortunately," Russo notes. "So it's very important for us to be able to make sure that we can stay online and on the air to provide critical updates to the community."

The hotspots serve multiple functions:

• They provide backup connectivity at transmitter sites
• Enable remote broadcasts from areas where emergency events are unfolding
• Maintain service during periods of cell network saturation when residents desperately need information

"Those hotspots tend to be more reliable even when we see some cell phone network saturation during high-use times or when power's being turned off by the electrical companies," Russo explains.

Community Radio: A Foundational Component of Democracy

To understand why KGNU's connectivity matters so profoundly, it helps to understand a bit about community radio. Unlike larger public media entities such as Colorado Public Radio or NPR, community radio stations are volunteer-driven, community-centered operations that are direct expressions of local voices, and interests.

Licensed in 1978, KGNU serves approximately 35,000 to 40,000 unique listeners weekly through terrestrial signals across the Boulder and Denver area. Today, they also serve a growing online audience — reaching people across the US and internationally.

With approximately 400 active volunteers — over 200 on-air — and only nine full-time staff members, KGNU embodies a model of media production that prioritizes community participation, local issues, and underrepresented voices.

The station's roots trace back to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “…where he cited the importance of public media, community media being under that umbrella, as crucial to democracy for informed and engaged communities, in particular for underrepresented communities and issues around the country,” according to Russo.

That corporation voted to dissolve itself in early 2026 following congressional funding rescissions in July of 2025, making KGNU's independent, community-funded model even more relevant and important to democracy.

The Intersection of Media Literacy and Digital Access

KGNU's vision includes "…working together to advance a more equitable, just, and environmentally sustainable society…" and places media literacy and community participation at the center of its equity work. "The role that we have is really to make sure that we're creating access and that helps to reflect the issues of the community so that the community's better engaged, more connected, more informed, and can be more actively participating — not only in KGNU, but influencing local governments and driving the importance of local policy," Russo says.

This philosophy extends to KGNU's youth media training programs, which have evolved to address digital equity directly. Rather than focusing solely on producing radio content, these programs have helped young people examine how they're represented across media platforms, identify issues important to them, and develop critical media literacy skills.

"How do we bring folks who have traditionally been marginalized in these media spaces into these spaces from their perspective and through their own critical lens?" Russo asks. This question applies equally to youth media makers and to communities that need reliable information.

The Digital Shift: Meeting Audiences Where They Are

Like many legacy media organizations, KGNU has navigated the transition from linear programming to on-demand content that audiences can access whenever and wherever they want.

"One of the challenges for community radio, community media, and more traditional legacy media outlets is to begin to shift into or at least provide access to non-linear programming," Russo explains. "That means making sure that on your app or on your social media, you're making it easier for folks to be able to access the content they want to listen to and/or engage with at any particular time of the day — when it's convenient for the user — not necessarily convenient for the programmer."

This digital-focused strategy requires robust, reliable internet connectivity. 35 Mile Foundation's hotspots and grants enable KGNU’s multi-platform approach, ensuring that whether someone tunes in on a car radio, streams through the KGNU Mobile App, or checks social media for updates, the information is always there for them.

Building for Resilience: The New Community Media Center

KGNU's commitment to emergency preparedness and digital equity extends to its new headquarters, a multicultural community media center in downtown Boulder designed as a genuine resilience hub. The facility — expected to open in spring 2026 around the station's 48th anniversary — represents a fundamental rethinking of what community media infrastructure should provide.

The facility features flood-proof construction, a 30-kilowatt solar system on the rooftop, and 120 kilowatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries providing power to the entire building. A complex electrical system allows for non-critical load shedding during prolonged power outages, with a backup generator for extreme scenarios. The design ensures KGNU can operate in any conditions — and even potentially serve as a temporary shelter or coordination point with Boulder's Office of Disaster Management during times of emergencies.

"This is a facility that's meant and designed to be able to operate in any type of condition to best serve the community," Russo explains. The center will house not just KGNU but also provide affordable or free space for other nonprofits, arts & culture organizations, and community groups.

Optimism in Uncertain Times

Despite the recent loss of federal funding for public media, Russo remains optimistic. The local community currently provides roughly 70% of KGNU’s operating budget.

"I believe in the decency of humanity and the decency of people," Russo says. "We said we were going to lean pretty heavily into the community. And, we've seen organizations like 35 Mile Foundation also step up and recognize the importance of community assets and community media makers like KGNU. And that's been really heartening for us and allows us as staff and volunteers to really lean that much harder into the community because we do believe that we fulfill several critical roles and services for the community.”

“We've leaned into the community and we've seen the community lean back into KGNU. "

- Tim Russo, Station Manager, KGNU

Russo sees current challenges as opportunities to strengthen collaborations within Colorado's Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition and with local partners like the 35 Mile Foundation. "There are some real opportunities to strengthen those collaborations within our network, but also with other local partners. This just helps to accelerate some of that collaboration and change."

What Digital Equity Organizations Can Do

KGNU's story offers lessons for digital equity foundations and organizations. While broadband access remains crucial, the emergency broadcasting use case reveals how strategic deployment of mobile connectivity solutions creates equity when commercial systems fail.

Digital equity funders can support community media makers, invest in redundant connectivity for critical community institutions, fund resilience infrastructure that keeps information flowing during disasters, and recognize that "information access" means more than fast download speeds — it means trustworthy local journalism on relevant issues, reliable information, and community voices when people need them most.

As Russo notes, KGNU's mission aligns closely with 35 Mile Foundation's definition of digital equity — we both work to ensure communities have the information, technology, and capacity needed for full participation in democracy. The partnership between community radio and affordable connectivity proves that digital equity work succeeds when organizations collaborate beyond perceived boundaries.

Beyond Broadband: Investing Across the Digital Equity Ecosystem

Funding digital equity work beyond affordable internet connectivity and internet-ready devices is central to the 35 Mile Foundation strategy. We look for high-reward opportunities across the entire digital equity sector. Our work with KGNU is an outstanding example.

When the next wildfire threatens Boulder County, the next windstorm forces power shutoffs, or the next emergency requires immediate community coordination, KGNU will be broadcasting — powered by solar panels, backup batteries, and mobile hotspots that turn digital equity from an abstract concept into a tangible benefit to everyone in their service area.

"It doesn't mean that it's easy," Russo acknowledges. "It just means that we’ve got to double down and open our minds that much more, tap into our creativity and become more responsive. I think that through the current challenges, both KGNU and the communities we serve all succeed."

If, after reading about KGNU Community Radio, you are inspired to support them, we invite you to make a donation."