Three artists had a vision for an original, uncensored radio station. Started in 2011 by Harsh Patel, Solomon Bothwell, and Luke Fishbeck, K-CHUNG originally operated in the basement of public school on Chung King road, thus earning the name K-CHUNG.
Chung King Road seemed like the perfect location for an avant-garde radio station; the street is populated with a row of art galleries and the founders of K-CHUNG believed this would be the ideal spot for a flourish of creativity.
In 2012, K-CHUNG was expanding rapidly and needed to acquire a bigger space to house the growth. The station moved its headquarters to a loft above a Pho restaurant and have been there ever since.
The space is a hipster heaven; the walls are adorned with homemade tapestries and eclectic objects. The back room has an almost attic feel and provides a cozy area to smoke a pre- or post-show cigarette. The DJ booth is bright and warm, and hundreds of different cassette tapes fill the shelves.
The people of K-CHUNG accurately reflect the vibe of the station. They are as varied as the art along the walls.
Dustin Smith, a host and equipment manager, got involved in the station through substituting for his friend’s show. When she moved out of Los Angeles, Smith had the perfect opportunity to take over a show while also learning to manage the station.
Chrysanthe Oltmann became a part of the K-CHUNG team after being appearing as a guest on one of the shows. She said, “That’s when I really learned about kchung and I could really have a show here and I applied, became a manager, and have been here for about two years now.”
Mike Kelley, the station’s event coordinator, knew Fishbeck, one of the founders, who proposed Kelley start his own radio show. By the time he realized he was interested a year later, the station was growing more and more popular. After helping around the studio for a while, Kelley attained his own spot when a slot opened up.
Each one has an entirely unique show, just like everyone at K-CHUNG. Oltmann said, “There’s music shows, and that ranges from a country western show to indie music that’s more popular to like very noise music or avant garde music. There’s also sports shows or talk shows, shows about political activism. Theres shows about what resteraunts are good in LA. It’s a really wide spectrum.”
K-CHUNG, since it’s begininngs, never intended to be just one thing. Its whole purpose is complete freedom. With an AM frequency, the station does not have typical censorship. Said Oltmann, “At K-CHUNG you have total freedom to do what you want; there are no restrictions, there’s no FCC restrictions or anything on content.”
K-CHUNG’s frequency allows it to only reach a few miles, but the community enjoys the freedom that comes along with that.
The DJs don't mind their situation, especially because K-CHUNG's extensive archives located on the station's website.
Said Smith, “Nobody just tries to randomly tune into an AM station in the first place. You really have to try to look for our station. You can pick it up on the dial, but that’s the beauty of the Internet because people in Japan can listen to K-CHUNG.” And according to him, there’s certain enjoyment in being able to cuss./p>
It’s this desire for absolute freedom that drives so many people to apply to K-CHUNG. Oltmann said the only way to get a show is to apply to be a substitute, and act fast when the sub-seeking email is sent out. She said, “That’s how a lot of people I know got shows. But I will say our list is really long right now.”
K-CHUNG, especially now, has high hopes and many goals for the future.
The station is in the beginning stage what is looking like a very positive conversation regarding opening an after-school radio show. And there are pushes towards the possibility of a residency in one of the local museums.
But for now, Oltmann remarked, the focus is on securing K-CHUNG’s continuation by gaining outside funding, She said, “We want to make sure that everything here continues and making sure what happens in the station set and stable.”
Because K-CHUNG is not a typical business and lacks any stringent structure, the focus will remain primarily on the present. Said Kelley, “It’s kind of a fragile situation, nobody knows if it could be gone tomorrow because it’s not a usual organization.”
For now, K-CHUNG will continue to push the boundaries into the most bizarre corners of popular culture. It will just keep getting crazier, more innovative, and more original, opening the minds and hearts of its dynamic and soulful audience.
