Community Radio on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 05:07

On Friday, Oct. 16 Border Beat reporters Curtis Prendergast and Sean Hillier went to KPYT 100.3 FM, Yoeme Radio "The Voice of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe," the Low-Power community radio station of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe reservation near Tucson, Ariz.

KPYT is a multi-lingual radio station broadcasting in Yaqui, English, and Spanish and is intimately tied to the surrounding community.  KPYT truly embodies the ideal of low-power and low profile; where bigger radio stations cover the walls of their sound booths with foam padding to muffle noise, KPYT has egg crates hung on the walls.

In addition to the creative adaptations found inside the radio station, the buildings themselves show the local nature of the radio station.  KPYT is housed in a one-story building that was a smoke shop until a few years ago, its signal is broadcast from a local fire station, and the back of the radio station is only a few feet from the parking lot of the tribe's Casino of the Sun.

In terms of music, the station’s volunteer DJs play nearly anything that a listener could want to hear. Hear Youtsey describe the types of music played at KPYT:

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In addition to Yaqui and Spanish-language music, KPYT also has a large catalogue of classic rock music. Hear Youtsey list a few of the classic rock bands that can be heard on KPYT:

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The radio station serves as more than just a place to listen to music.  As a community radio station, it informs the community of important events and information.  It also provides a way for people within the tribe to announce birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and other events. Hear Youtsey take a birthday announcement from a listener:

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KPYT went on the air in June of 2005 and has a non-commercial Low-Power FM license.  Youtsey is an advocate for Low-Power FM radio broadcasting.

These radio stations are only permitted to broadcast at a maximum of 100 watts and therefore have a small listening area, according to the Web site of the Federal Communications Commission. KPYT’s signal has a range of only four miles.

Currently, the Local Community Radio Act of 2009, which would expand licensing opportunities for radio stations like KPYT, is being considered in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

Hear how Youtsey advocated for LPFM and what these radio stations can bring to communities:

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As a Low-Power radio station, KPYT represents a relatively new phase in radio broadcasting in the United States. Hear Youtsey describe the changes in the radio business:

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Come back to borderbeat.net to hear more stories by Sean Hillier and Curtis Prendergast about reservation radio along the border.

For a profile on Hector Youtsey, click here.

Written by Curtis Prendergast and Sean Hillier You are reading Community Radio on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation articles