(KNKX Press Release) KNKX is excited to announce a plan to relocate its Seattle studios into the Madore Building at 1501 Western Ave, Seattle. The Madore Building sits between the Pike Place Market and the reimagined Seattle Waterfront Park, creating new possibilities for KNKX to program in nearby spaces and form partnerships with neighbors such as the Market and the Aquarium.
“We wanted a location that was visible, accessible, and provided us more opportunity to invite the public in. Traditional radio stations are walled off from their listeners, but we wanted something different,” said General Manager and President Joey Cohn. “At the Madore Building, we found a place where we can engage, host and interact with people. We can bring them into our operations instead of just listening to what we do through their radios or other devices.”
The new, larger studio space is nearly 7,900 s.f. and includes a performance space that is double the size of its current Seattle studio. It will accommodate more video production of live jazz and blues performances in the KNKX Studio Sessions series, which now have more than 30 million views on YouTube. The new home includes new recording studios for local production, and more room for its growing news department.
As part of the initiative, KNKX is seeking to deepen relationships and partnerships with historically underrepresented communities who haven’t been well served by public media. The “You Belong Fund” will boost programming and outreach to these diverse audiences.
To support this effort, KNKX is launching a $4.5 million fundraising campaign called KNKX Next. You can learn more about the plan and the campaign at knkxnext.org.
KNKX expects to move into the new studios by late 2022 or early 2023.
Ok, since I pretty much stopped paying close attention to radio years ago, I have to plead ignorance. Wasn’t KNKX in Tacoma?
Yeah, KNKX has a studio, production room, offices and music library in downtown Tacoma. https://qzvx.com/2019/09/13/tour-knkx-tacoma-studios/ and they broadcast from Tacoma from morning until NPR kicks in during afternoon drive…
and they have a studio with performance space in Seattle. They are moving that Seattle base to the waterfront.
Of the four locations I showed up for work at in my 33 years at KMPS, my favorite were in the early 80s in the Fix-Madore building. Yes, I had to give up the free parking at the old KOL transmitter site on Harbor Island, but that was well worth it. The staff will enjoy being there. I hope I’m invited to the opening. (The station is the number one button on my car radios.)
Don Riggs