Takin’ Care of Business 9-22-2022

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Written by Theresa-Marie Wilson

Theresa-Maria Wilson has been a journalist covering the North Coast and South County area for over 20 years. She is also the founder of Cat Noir CC and is currently working on a novel.

September 26, 2022

Community Radio 7th Annual Fundraiser 

Central California’s only volunteer-operated and listener supported community radio station 97.3 and 107.9 The Rock are celebrating nine years on-the-air with an annual fundraising concert at Morro Bay Community Center, Saturday, October 1 at 5 p.m. Everybody is invited as they wrap up their annual donation drive with Rockstock 2022, a live show featuring Dulce Taylor opening for The Bel-Airs. 

“It’s truly amazing to see the community come together to donate their services, time and money to make this concert and the station a phenomenal success.” says The Rock founder, Hal Abrams. 

There is no admission fee for this special concert. However, there will be freshly tapped beer, wine, and great food available for purchase. A silent auction will happen between musical acts. Make sure to bring valid ID and your best friends. 

Central Coast Community Radio 97.3 and 107.9 The Rock, is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. The Rock is operated and supported by listeners and residents. The station features diverse and eclectic conversation, music, hyper-local information and emergency services for San Luis Obispo County. Listen at 97.3 FM in the Morro Bay area and 107.9 FM in North County. Learn more at CentralCoastRadio.org.

Poly Plans Grand Re-Opening of Renovated, Renamed Book Store

Following an extensive remodel, Cal Poly’s newly renamed Mustang Shop will host a Grand Re-Opening Celebration for the campus community from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. 

Following years of collaboration with the Cal Poly Corporation and the university, Follet Higher Education has completed the renovation and has more additions coming this academic year. 

“The new Mustang Shop will offer a fresh perspective for new students and a fun introduction to Cal Poly for their supporters,” said Andrea Burns. Cal Poly Corporation associate executive director. “We are so excited to continue to make improvements that enhance the student experience.” 

The reopening event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong, Cal Poly Corporation CEO Cody VanDorn and Follett Higher Education President Ryan Petersen. 

The remodel work includes a newly relocated entrance in the University Union Plaza, a completely redesigned interior layout and updated lighting to create a brighter, more convenient shopping experience. Students will be able to easily find books and materials, and all customers will be able to shop an expanded assortment of merchandise. 

Other updates include a more efficient check-out counter located near the new entrance. The textbook space has been moved to a more convenient location, and the entire store received new flooring and paint.

The in-house Apple Store was relocated to the west side of Mustang Shop to create more room. 

Along with the new entrance, exterior changes to the Mustang Shop include new metal marquee awnings with lattice work.

The Mustang Shop is a service of the Cal Poly Corporation.

25-year anniversary

This moth marks the 25-year anniversary of KCBX Morning Cup host Neal Losey’s career with the station. 

Losey reflected on the events in his life that brought him to this point and said, “I was geared for this and I didn’t even realize it until I got the job here.” 

Growing up in Tehachapi, Losey said one of his favorite pastimes as a child was sharing music with others, like when he used to bring records to show-and-tell in early elementary school from the likes of James Brown, the “101 Dalmatians” soundtrack, and The Drifters. Then in junior high, he brought tapes of songs from the radio to play for other students at school. 

“I was always listening to music, and then always wanting to play it for other people; wanting to share the excitement of hearing a song for the first time,” Losey said. 

Losey’s career in radio began in 1989 during his time at Cal Poly, where he studied history and got involved with the university’s station, KCPR. But even then, Losey said he didn’t anticipate a future on the air. That changed in 1993 when he was working at Boo Boo Records in downtown San Luis Obispo, and he started volunteering at KCBX as a host of the soul and funk show Night Train, which was followed by a permanent job hosting Morning Cup of Jazz beginning in 1997. 

Morning Cup of Jazz eventually expanded to include other genres of music in 2013 at the encouragement of Program Director Marisa Waddell and General Manager Frank Lanzone. But the evolution to today’s eclectic format didn’t happen overnight. Instead, Losey began gradually incorporating other genres into the program, doing his best to make each song flow within the programming and hoping the songs he chose would be liked by listeners. 

 “That’s the fun thing, is making things fit,” Losey said, “not wedging them in and having that jagged thing you get with algorithms, but where a human brain is actually putting things together.” 

These days, Losey curates every show based on the first song he plays that day, which is usually decided upon his arrival at the station each morning. 

In addition to Morning Cup, you can hear Losey as the host of Night Train on KCBX every Saturday night, and he works behind the scenes as the music director for all of KBCX’s other locally-produced music shows. As the music director, Losey works with the volunteers who host the shows by recommending music to help them create playlists that suit their programming and by maintaining and acquiring new music for the station’s library. The most important part of Losey’s job as music director, he said, is acquiring the music for the DJs to share with listeners. 

Losey can still be seen from time to time picking up shifts at Boo Boo Records. He also continues to revisit his roots at KCPR by volunteering to help the next generation of radio DJs at Cal Poly by coaching students about how to be on the air, how to build programming, and by offering moral support. 

“It’s exciting to me, and I really love doing it,” Losey said. “It’s hard to find the time to do it with all the other things that I’m doing, but it’s something that I always want to make time for to be able to help there however I can.” 

Listeners can hear Losey’s programs on KCBX by tuning into Morning Cup from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and Night Train from 9 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. 

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