winter 2025 IMPACT report
A thriving classical community made possible by your support.
Note from the CEO
Dear Friend,
When you lead a nonprofit organization, you must determine how to measure success. It’s hard to settle on a set of data that tells you everything you need to know.
At Classical KING, we look at the number and diversity of listeners, how long people spend listening in a week, and how many listeners tune to our programming more than any other station. We also consider how many contributors we have relative to the number of listeners, how much they give, and whether they renew year to year.
We track how many people listen via radio versus our stream or app. We monitor likes, comments, and shares on social media. We evaluate partnerships within the arts community and ask colleagues how we can support them and the organizations they lead. We also participate in nationwide benchmarking and set goals in areas where our performance lags. When we have questions all this data can’t answer, we commission research.
While I love data and appreciate having it at my fingertips, it only tells me so much. It’s when we hear from listeners directly that we get a more complete picture.
“My dad died a couple of months ago and he loved Classical KING; he was a long-time supporter and listener. I recently found a photo of him wearing a KING sweatshirt with Beethoven on the front. He was a cool dad! I'm making a donation in his memory. ”
Michelle, Everett
Classical KING does important civic work through music.
Annie, Seattle
“I have been in treatment for cancer for two years and drive back and forth between Puyallup and Seattle frequently. I always listen to Classical KING on these trips. The music is a calming gift I give myself and it soothes my anxiety about my illness. ”
Jane, Puyallap
Knowing we are there for people at some of the most challenging times of their lives, being the source of happy memories, and hearing from people who understand the important role we play in the arts community: that is impact. In this report we are proud to share some of the impact that your support is making possible. We are incredibly grateful to partner with you in this work,
Brenda Barnes CEO, Classical KING
Your Support in 2024
220K weekly radio listeners
60K App Downloads
1,242 Donors pledged for the very first time
Listener supporters from 25 countries Gifts received from 44 States
“I wish all the great composers of years past could today hear how their works are being honored and enjoyed on Classical King.”
Kent, Bainbridge
“We stream Classical KING as we and the kids get ready for our day. There really is no better way to get rolling than under the warm blanket of beautiful, harmonious sounds from Classical KING. Thanks for all you do! “
Charles, Rainier
“Sharing history and telling stories through the music, Classical King gives me a calm, gentle, joyful presence — and steadies when the world feels shaken. I'm grateful for it every day!”
Kristyn, Queen Anne
Music Plays On Through Bomb Cyclone
At 2 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2024, Classical KING’s Mike Brooks received an automated text message from the station’s primary transmitter on Tiger Mountain. Brooks, who wears many hats as engineer in addition to host of Classical Commute, had been ready.
From his Seattle-area home, Brooks had been listening to the ferocious "bomb cyclone” pummel Western Washington. Gale-force winds up to 77 mph uprooted trees, and thrashed power lines, leaving nearly 650,000 customers without power.
Situated on Tiger Mountain’s west side, Classical KING’s primary transmitter is built to withstand high winds, freezing rain, and snowstorms.
A generator provides back up when power cables go down, which they tend to do, given the harsh conditions.
That night, Brooks noticed something unusual when he checked his text. There had been a delay between the transmitter going down and the generator switching on.
This gap in time was cause for concern. A transmission disruption will cause Classical KING’s broadcast to go silent. Fortunately, the station has a contingency plan—a secondary transmitter on Cougar Mountain. When Brooks saw that Tiger Mountain had been compromised, he immediately used his cell to dial into the Cougar Mountain site .
Good news. It was operating. Classical KING’s broadcast had not been interrupted.
Breathing easier, Brooks then checked the Tiger Mountain site again and saw that its generator had begun running. He switched the station back to the primary transmitter on Tiger Mountain.
A good first night’s work. But the troubleshooting had just begun in the aftermath of the region’s worst storm in over a decade. In the coming week, a coordinated, bushwacking effort would be necessary on Tiger Mountain to replenish the dwindling fuel supply to the generator. “That generator gets used all the time, but not usually for that length of time,” Brooks said.
Brooks could not recall a time when the transmitter needed to rely on the generator for a week. The bomb cyclone inflicted heavy damage and widespread power outages to the international technology center and the hundreds of thousands of people who power it. “We knew it would be a while before they got to Tiger Mountain,” Brooks said. “They had a lot bigger fish to fry.”
“When it comes to engineering, pretty much anybody will help anyway they can,” Brooks said of the coordinated effort. “Nobody wants to see anybody off the air.”
As the drama unfolded behind the scenes, Classical KING made a point of staying mum about it on the air because “people often come to Classical KING to try to get away from the news,” Brook said. Nevertheless, the station became a place of solace for listeners. As Classical KING member Makayla Kent wrote in an email, “When our power was out for so long, we realized how important public radio was.”
Because of your steadfast support, Classical KING keeps the music playing no matter the circumstances. Your investment is essential to a resilient operation.
Classical KING hosts national platform for young artists
From the Top (FTT) is the nation’s largest platform featuring the best young classically trained musicians. This January, FTT partnered with Classical KING to capture interviews and performances with seven exceptionally talented Pacific Northwest youth at our Seattle studios. Their performances will be featured on the nationally syndicated FTT and on local Classical KING Northwest Focus Live programs in the coming months.
FTT chose to partner with Classical KING because of a shared commitment to nurture rising talent and foster a sense of community among classical musicians of the future, said Michelle Maestas Simonsen, host and chief content officer.
“We are proud and honored that they thought of us as a national partner,” Maestas Simonsen said. “These young musicians are on the path to becoming bright stars. We hope the memories they make with Classical KING and From the Top will stay with them. As they continue to grow, we believe they’ll stay deeply connected to their local classical music community. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see where their talents will take them.”
In that spirit, Classical KING designed an inspiring and educational daylong event, which connected the students and their parents to many facets of the classical music industry.
Highlights of the day included
Sitting for interviews with Classical KING hosts Dave Beck and Lisa Bergman to whom the students have grown up listening;
Performing duets with Seattle Symphony cellist Nathan Chan and pianist and FTT program host Peter Duggan;
Touring the Classical KING studio;
Meeting radio hosts, staff, and station supporters.
From The Top selected the following from among 1,000 applicants:
seven musicians
Tokuji Miyasaka 17, violinist from Pullman, WA
Anika Gupta 17, guitarist from Portland, OR
Anderson Widjaja 17, bassist from Bellevue, WA
Maria Telesheva 16, cellist from Seattle, WA
Jesse Krentz 16, accordion player from Eugene, OR
Alexis Zou and Hansen Berrett both 17, piano duo from Lake Oswego and West Linn, OR
Tune in to hear their performances on Classical KING on these programs:
From the Top on Classical KING
Saturdays, 07:00 PM March 15, March 29, September 6
Northwest Focus Live on Classical KING
Fridays, 07:00 PM September 12 and 19
Host In-Training Highlights Inclusive Programming at Conference
Classical KING producer and host intraining Ramsey Hampton understands the value of educational programs that expose young people of color to careers in classical music. The professional trombone player with impressive Disney and Lincoln Center credits began his career as a music educator inspiring young musicians, many of whom, like him, grew up without seeing people who looked like them on classical stages.
In January, Hampton represented Classical KING at SphinxConnect: Ignite! The annual three-day conference is the nation’s largest event focused on diversifying the classical arts. Hosted by the Sphinx organization in Detroit, MI, it draws industry luminaries for plenaries, masterclasses, and a prestigious awards ceremony for rising young performers.
He also networked with more than 90 presenters and hundreds attendees to line up future Classical KING guests. Looking forward, Hampton pitched Classical KING as a SphinxConnect presenter on the topic of how classical music stations can promote women and artists of color.
“We’re hopeful that in years to come, we might be able to partner further with Sphinx,” said Ramsey. “Other stations have noted our inclusive playlist. It's built into the fabric of how Classical KING programs.”
From our studios in Seattle to partnerships across the country, Classical KING is proud to be making classical music accessible for everyone. Thank you for supporting Ramsey and our vibrant musical community!
Your Classical KING Community
Throughout the year Classical KING is delighted to welcome supporters to the station for special events, tours, and opportunities to experience live broadcasts. This past November, members of the Performance Circle took part in a special Northwest Focus Live with composer/pianist Miguel del Aguila and flutist April Clayton.