Finding a locally owned media company these days is like spotting a buffalo in Iowa. They still roam a few prairies, but you have to know where to look. Most locally owned media companies have been rounded up and skinned by giant corporations headquartered on the East or West Coast, where executives believe Iowa is famous for potatoes.
Print media has suffered through it. So has television. Radio, too. Unfortunately, local ownership has become an endangered species.
That’s one of the reasons I appreciate KFMG, 98.9 FM in Des Moines. Another is that I have long admired its general manager, Ron Sorenson. He owned KFMG from 1992 to 1996 and now serves as president of The Des Moines Community Radio Foundation. He, along with a 14-member board of central Iowans, guides the station. KFMG is about as local as local gets, and Sorenson, who was “progressive before progressive was cool,” remains its driving force.
KFMG and our CITYVIEW publication have more in common than hometown ownership. We also share some familiar voices. Jim “The Food Dude” Duncan co-hosts “The Kitchen Insider” with George Formaro. Kristian Day, whose “Des Moines Forgotten” column appears in CITYVIEW, presents “Iowa Basement Tapes.” John Busbee, author of CITYVIEW's “Center Stage” column, brings listeners “The Culture Buzz.”
KFMG has now added even more local talent to its lineup.
Veteran broadcaster Maxwell Schaeffer now hosts “Morning Music with Maxwell” from 5 to 10 a.m., Monday through Saturday. With more than 40 years behind the microphone, Schaeffer has done just about everything in entertainment, including singing, songwriting, acting, directing, audio and video production, and earning induction into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
Following him from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is Lee Ann Bakros, former CITYVIEW writer and longtime arts champion. She hosts the “Midday Music Show” and brings decades of experience, including leadership at Metro Arts, the organization that launched Jazz in July, and more than 30 years with The Des Moines Playhouse.
Sunday mornings feature Tommy Doggett, host of “Take the Jazz Train” from 6 to 8 a.m. Doggett has performed with rock musicians, composed for stage and film, and was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame with the band Freestyle. He has also spent years teaching music in the Urbandale Community School District.
On Saturday evenings, Dr. Negus Rudison-Imhotep hosts “Nuf' Reggae Music.” His impressive public service includes leadership roles with the city of Des Moines, the Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans and numerous community organizations, all while sharing his lifelong passion for reggae.
Corporate radio certainly has bigger budgets, larger marketing departments and consultants who charge thousands of dollars to explain why every station should sound exactly like every other station, but KFMG does something much more radical — it sounds like Des Moines. That may not impress a corporate executive staring at quarterly earnings from 1,200 miles away, but it is music to the ears of those of us who still believe local voices matter.
Long may the buffalo — and stations like KFMG — continue to roam.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thank you for reading (and listening). | 
