KEPW Online Launch Party

Beatlemaniacs should get their Sergeant Pepper jackets dry-cleaned for this one.

Local up-and-coming radio station KEPW hosts an Oct. 29 Beatles-themed Halloween party to celebrate the launch of its web platform.

The event will be broadcast live on kepw.org, and the night features local talents Maya Love, The Love Truffle, Peter Almeida, Robert Meade and more. Proceeds will go towards putting KEPW on the air.

“One of the things that KEPW will do is allow organizers to more easily inform marginalized groups about their rights,” says David Zupan, president of Eugene Peace Works and a key organizer for KEPW.

The station will carry beloved national alternative shows like “Alternative Radio” with David Barsamian, which was dropped from KLCC more than a year ago. Other alternative programs will include “Democracy Now,” “Between the Lines” and “Counter Spin,” but the main emphasis of the station is local issues.

The station motto is “no voice left unheard,” and Zupan emphasizes outreach to minority Eugene populations like African-Americans, Latinos, women, the elderly and the homeless.

Andrew Rosenthal, a volunteer, says that KEPW aims to connect the various communities within Eugene, creating more cohesion and cooperation. “The more we communicate with each other and understand about each other, the more likely we are to create a peaceful world,” Rosenthal says.

The station is looking for more volunteers and funding from the community. “There’s social camaraderie there, there’s space for people’s creativity to be opened and enhanced and flourish,” Rosenthal says.

Shows on KEPW will include live shows by local bands, interviews with people in the streets on local politics and a show called “Non-Profit Eugene” which interviews local nonprofits. Shows are currently available as podcasts on the KEPW website.

Those interested in volunteering can go to KEPW’s weekly meetings 7 pm Thursdays, located on the second floor of Grower’s Market, 454 Willamette Street. As for Rosenthal, he says he’ll be at the launch party on Oct. 29. “I’ll be there. Whether I’ll be in a Beatles costume or not — we’ll see!”

The Beatles Jamboree is 7 pm Oct. 29 at Whirled Pies on 199 W. 8th Street. Beatles-themed costumes are preferred. Proceeds from the $10-$20 donations will go to the launch of KEPW.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

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