Skip the Spotify playlist next time you’re passing through Jackson and turn your radio dial to KHOL 89.1, Jackson Hole’s Community Radio Station.

When KHOL founder Jim Tallichet first awakened KHOL’s airwaves with the Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie” 15 years ago, it ushered in a new era for Jackson. The first record to spin on KHOL was a reflection of the jam-band-loving nature of the town and a welcome reprieve to the limited channels. In the ensuing years, the station’s programming has sparked community conversations, captured the musical diversity of the town, and impacted people’s lives for the better.

With only a handful of staffers, the entire production is run by volunteers. Volunteers who get creative control over their own programming: a weekly Spanish-language music show, an adventure-fueled podcast, a radio show created for kids, and music-centric shows like dimensional sound groove, local music only, “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,” and the Chef’s Table which explores the intersection of jazz and fine cuisine.

Each DJ has license to create whatever show they want, albeit with a few guidelines, said former station manager Zach Zimmerman. The station receives 15 to 20 new albums a week, which are ushered in over the airwaves alongside the volunteer DJ programming. But the most important part is that the station doesn’t sound like any other station. It’s a reflection of the community.

“We want people to be able to play whatever they want,” he said. Sometimes that’s opera, other times it is metal, jazz or blues. “That’s the beauty of diversity and the free format that we have.”

The free format means the station isn’t required or pushed to play music spit out from an algorithm or songs that sell more advertising. There’s a human element to the music, he said.
“We reflect a huge swath of the community,” he said. “Everyone from ski bums to doctors and lawyers.”

Keely Herron co-founded Opera for Everyone, a radio show that allowed her to expand her creative reach and learn a new skill: radio production and editing. “Opera for Everyone” even turned into a podcast. It’s something she said she never could have done in a big city, but KHOL made the process approachable.

“Anybody can have a show, literally, as long as you do the training and show up consistently, you can have a radio show,” she said. “I’m a 40-something not hip lady with an opera show.”

In the short time the stations been on the airwaves, the community hub has become an essential part of the sound of Jackson Hole. Without it, the airwaves would sound a bit quieter and a lot more country.

The impact of the community radio station goes beyond the sound it produces, though and gives an open and accessible platform for local nonprofits, businesses, and organizations to reach the community.

There might be a few more lost dogs, too, considering the multiple pups each week that listeners call in about.

But it’s also a wealth of knowledge, built by the community it serves. The local news arm interviews almost a dozen local orgs and people a week to talk about current events, upcoming entertainment, and regular community banter – which is critically important, especially in smaller communities where the lack of TV news means one less media source. In Jackson Hole, people depend on radio and print outlets to get the news.

And the radio has a special intimacy. You get to hear someone’s voice, speaking directly to you and get to know them. It’s so immediate and personal, showcasing a wider range of the human experience.

And when you leave Jackson, you can always tune in online from afar.