KBOL Radio's Motto: Engage, Enlighten, EmpowerKBOLRadio.com
Today on Blog for Iowa’s “Focus on the Media” week, we are highlighting the work of one of our panelists for the upcoming FCC Town Meeting, Michael Muhammad, President/CEO of KBOL Radio in Waterloo. Mr. Muhammad and Telisa Burt are co-founders of KBOL.
KBOL Radio is a new community-based Low Power FM radio station operating in Waterloo. Located at 100.1 FM, KBOL Radio works to Engage, Enlighten and Empower the greater community through interactive multi-media. At KBOL, social capital, not financial revenue is the main focus.
Not bound by musical constraints of most commercial stations, KBOL Radio can expose its listening audience to both popular and non-traditional genres of music including local and independent artists, reggae, Latin and hip hop. In the truest spirit of ‘edu-tainment’, KBOL Radio also uses the draw of quality music and celebrity appeal to promote civic and social responsibility to its listening audience.
The Beginning.
KBOL is a subsidiary of Community Educational Outreach, Incorporated, initially developed by Michael Muhammad in 1998 to address the needs of at-risk youth in the Cedar Valley community. In an attempt to explore unconventional methods of reaching a disenfranchised segment of young people, CEO, Inc. employed strategies originally modeled by youth street workers circa 1960.
By approaching and connecting with young people where they were, individuals, community leaders and mentors were able to interact with at-risk teens in their surroundings. Through mutual respect, they proved that positive relationships and influence could be obtained in even the most unorthodox and informal settings.
Responding to calls and concerns regarding the offerings of local radio stations, Michael Muhammad and co-founder Telisa Burt formed an alliance. Up against an FCC imposed deadline of one year, the pair worked diligently to get the station up and running. On February 4, 2004, KBOL Radio breathed fresh life into Cedar Valley's airwaves.
Additionally, KBOL Radio reaches a national audience through its on-line broadcast and electronic newsletter.
No corporate giant is going to care this much about your town's kids. For their community spirit, Blog for Iowa salutes Michael Muhammad and Telisa Burt.
(Click here to read more about KBOL)
