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About Aspen Public Radio

Aspen Public Radio news team at Lawn Bash 2023
Aspen Public Radio news team at Lawn Bash 2023

Aspen Public Radio
110 E. Hallam Street, Ste.134
Aspen, CO 81611
(970) 920-9000

Founded in 1980 as Roaring Fork Public Radio Translator, Aspen Public Radio has grown from broadcasting the daily hog prices from the University of Wyoming to being considered one of the most relied-upon broadcast news institutions serving Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield counties.

Each weekday, Aspen Public Radio broadcasts 16 hours of national radio programming from NPR, American Public Media, PRX, and WNYC, along with 8 hours of international programming from the BBC and PRX (The World). From 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., local newscasts and radio features are broadcast within national programming. On the weekend, the station broadcasts a schedule of 22 national radio programs along with an evening special each Sunday night at 7 p.m., which often features a locally-recorded community conversation captured in front of a live local audience.

In addition to providing an award-winning, daily local news service, Aspen Public Radio is an NPR member station, making us a partner in producing quality journalism for our nation as a whole. Over the past year, Aspen Public Radio journalists have had their work featured nationally on the NPR network over a dozen times, showcasing local stories which cover a wide range of topics from Special Olympics competitions at the X Games, to Uinta Basin railway protests in Glenwood Canyon, to the wearing of a stole as freedom of speech by a student at Grand Valley High School in Parachute.

With a rapidly increasing population of more than 100,000 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data, the need is greater than ever to serve the diverse communities of the Roaring Fork Valley by reporting on the complex issues we are collectively working to explore and address –with radio providing a unique and convenient way of delivering daily news and information.

Today our broadcast signal is reliably available on a single signal (88.9 FM) from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, Rifle to Eagle. And since you can take our service with you wherever you might want to go, Aspen Public Radio truly fits the region’s rural mountain lifestyle.

Our public radio style of broadcast journalism allows local reporters to truly go deeper on targeted issues, such as education, the impact of human-caused climate change, and issues of public policy which need attention, by personally engaging with community members and stakeholders, sharing their voices, and identifying critical solutions to pressing issues. And we continue to make investments in regional and national collaborations which allow for a larger distribution of our locally-produced reporting, creating a unique opportunity to advance discussion on critical issues in Aspen and the valley and beyond –throughout the state of Colorado, the mountain west region, the nation, and around the world.

Mission Statement of Aspen Public Radio: To support, nourish, and enrich our community by providing informative, entertaining, and educational radio and digital programming in a reliable and professional manner.

Aspen Public Radio is dedicated to fair, ethical journalism. We adhere to a Journalistic Code of Ethics and have adopted the network’s handbook outlining NPR standards.

Aspen Public Radio, broadcasting on 91.5 KAJX, Aspen and 88.9 KCJX, Carbondale, as well as several translators (see frequency map) is a public radio station located in Aspen, Colorado. We serve communities in the Roaring Fork, Crystal, Colorado, Fryingpan, and Eagle River valleys. Our primary format is NPR news. The station is located in the Red Brick Center for the Arts and its public file is located at the links below.

You may also listen to Aspen Public Radio on your Smart Speaker, via a stream and other options available here.

Contest Rules
Careers at Aspen Public Radio
Community Advisory Committee
Interactive Schedule
Commenting Guidelines
Personal Data Policy

Our people can be reached at 970-920-9000 or by sending an email to firstname.lastname@aspenpublicradio.org; and if you have general feedback or aren’t sure who to contact, please consider reaching out to Breeze Richardson directly at: breeze.richardson@aspenpublicradio.org.

Breeze Richardson, Executive Director
Kelsey Brunner, News Director
Daniel Costello, Program Director and Operations Manager*
Eleanor Bennett, Morning Edition Anchor and Reporter
Kaya Williams, Edlis Neeson Arts & Culture Reporter
Halle Zander, All Things Considered Anchor and Reporter
Caroline Llanes, Reporter
James Barrs, Community Engagement Producer
Lauri Jackson, Office Manager and Membership Coordinator
Maeve Conran, RMCR Managing Editor

And the above staff is supported by:
Dyke Shaw, Director of Business Support
Greg Albrecht, Community Relations
Rebecca Mirsky, Development
Kathy Yang, Bookkeeping

*Persons with disabilities may contact Daniel Costello (via phone, email, or US Mail) for assistance with access to our FCC online public files. 

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The station is overseen by Roaring Fork Public Radio, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation (tax ID # 84-0884901). A station audit is conducted each spring by Reese, Henry and Company. The audited financials may be viewed at the station during regular business hours. 

Public File Links
KAJX, Aspen, CO | Public Files
KCJX, Carbondale, CO | Public Files

Diversity Statement

Roaring Fork Public Radio, Inc. (Aspen Public Radio) is an equal-opportunity employer committed to increasing the diversity of its community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, gender identity or expression, disability, or sexual orientation in our activities or our employment practices.

Aspen Public Radio Board of Directors - January 2024: 

Daniel Baker, Steve Baird (Treasurer), Brian Brady, Tami Davis, Meaghan De L'Arbre, William Dolan (Board Chair), Gary Gerst, Sam McBride, David Mitchell, Melinda Payson, Bob Purvis, and Ashley Todey.

2024 Board Meeting Schedule | Aspen Public Radio board meetings are held in the conference room at the Red Brick Center for the Arts, 110 E. Hallam St., Aspen unless noted otherwise here. All meetings take place from 3-5 p.m. If you would like to know how to attend, please contact Lauri Jackson at 970-920-9000.

Thursday, January 25
Thursday, April 25
Thursday, July 25
Thursday, October 24
Thursday, December 19

The Board of Directors also has several working committees, including Finance, Development, and Governance. Those meeting dates/times are available here. Please note: the date of the March Governance meeting has changed; the committee will now meet March 21 at 1pm.

Annual Reports:

Aspen Public Radio 2023 Impact Report (includes Annual Report 2022)
Aspen Public Radio Annual Report 2021
Aspen Public Radio Annual Report 2020

Additional Documents:
2022 Audited Financial Statements - Roaring Fork Public Radio
2021 Audited Financial Statements - Roaring Fork Public Radio
Aspen Public Radio Diversity Statement
Aspen Public Radio Annual EEO Report 2023
CPB 2022 AFR
CPB Station Activity Survey: Local Content and Services Report 2023