BUTTE — A low-power community radio station located in the heart of Uptown Butte has a new leader, and she says she’s committed to carrying on with the mission of giving a voice to the voiceless.
"So today is kind of my big first day of….," says Christy Hays Pickett as she shrieks and laughs.
After several years serving as a volunteer DJ and board member for KBMF, Pickett is now stepping into the role of general manager for the community radio station.
"Formats like this can give voices to the voiceless, people that don’t have an outlet to really, you know, reach anybody," says Pickett.
For years Pickett worked as a full-time musician touring the country with her original songs while also running a nonprofit called Working Quiet based in Walkerville that serves as a space for authors, songwriters, and composers from across the country to create work.
And Pickett believes this work will help her in her new endeavor as general manager.
"You can really say a lot and communicate a lot and music is a great way to communicate with people," says Pickett.
Through the Butte America Foundation and KBMF, Pickett says she looks forward to supporting community events like annual the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Fourth of July Parade—and with her dozens of volunteer DJs, she looks forward to bringing the community unique music.
"These are big fundraising events for us and huge events for the community and it’s all put on by this low-power, hyper-local station. So it’s, you know, a beating heart in many ways, I think," says Pickett.
