KSUT has partnered with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, as part of StoryCorps’ One Small Step Radio Station Hubs project. KSUT is one of six public radio stations across the country selected to receive training and production assistance to collaborate on StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative, which facilitates conversation and connection between people of opposing viewpoints. One Small Step Communities is made possible with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
“KSUT has always had a mission to provide a bridge between the communities we serve,” said KSUT Executive Director Tami Graham. “Partnering with StoryCorps is a great opportunity to further that mission and be a convener and connector in our region.”
“We are reaching out to a diverse array of Four Corners residents, and everyone is welcome,” said Adam Burke, who is handling KSUT’s engagement for the project. “This is an opportunity to have an extraordinary conversation with a stranger and we’re committed to ensuring these encounters are engaging, respectful and safe for everyone who participates.”
“Since StoryCorps’ founding almost 20 years ago, our mission has been to remind each other of our shared humanity through the act of listening. One Small Step builds on this work to address the crisis of contempt ripping at the seams of our nation,” said Dave Isay, StoryCorps’ founder and president. “We are grateful to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for supporting One Small Step, and to KSUT for partnering with us to gather and share recordings. The initiative is ambitious, but we’re confident that by working together in the Four Corners region, we can show the country that an alternative to toxic polarization is possible.”
Each year, StoryCorps partners with public radio stations to administer One Small Step, connecting people in their communities. The 2022 One Small Step Radio Station Hubs are WDET, in Detroit, Mich; WUTC, in Chattanooga, Tenn; KSUT, in Ignacio, Colo; Georgia Public Broadcasting radio stations across the state of Georgia; WHQR, in Wilmington, N.C.; and WTIP, in Grand Marais, Minn. To sign up, visit storycorps.org/ksut, or email Adam Burke: onesmallstepksut@gmail.com. For more information on the One Small Step initiative, visit ksut.org.
Two members of each participating station are trained by StoryCorps staff. The stations will receive program support and a customized set of professional recording equipment for in-person recording, as well as access to StoryCorps’ remote recording platform, which can be used to host conversations virtually. Trained station staff members will facilitate and record conversations between community residents of differing political persuasions and selected interviews will be shared across each station’s media platforms. Stations will also team up with a variety of community organizations to spread the word and will collaborate with StoryCorps to match participants and record conversations through the end of the year. The project includes a series of public listening events, streamed online.
“One Small Step uses conversation to help people reach across political divides to find common ground,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “By working with local public radio stations to connect people with different backgrounds and political beliefs, One Small Step is helping stations strengthen their communities, one step at a time.”