The KAOS One-Day Radio Telethon is Here!

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Community radio offers something increasingly difficult to find: real people with real voices sharing real music and stories. We are your friends, neighbors, Evergreen students, regional historians, music librarians, eccentric record collectors, jazz obsessives, punk aficionados, funk fanatics, and local organizers. Every day we get behind the mic to share what we care about with you. This Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, KAOS is launching our first ever one-day Radio Telethon fundraiser to keep this strange and beautiful project alive. 

From 8am to midnight, volunteer DJs, local musicians, comedians, and community members are coming together to create an all-day extravaganza to celebrate KAOS and its rich legacy. The day’s schedule features live sessions and interviews, special guests, trivia, and prize giveaways (see full schedule below). Anyone who contributes $5 or more on Tuesday will be entered to win prizes from our fabulous raffle (see below!), while those who donate $20 or more become card-carrying KAOS Members entitled to exclusive merchandise and discounts at our Patron Businesses. Perks like that are enough reason alone to support your local independent radio station, but the argument in favor of public media has never been so loud or clear.

At a time when public media organizations across the country are facing funding cuts, closures, and growing financial pressure, public support for these outlets is more essential than ever. KAOS provides a unique and valuable service to Olympia and the surrounding South Sound area. Our freeform format means that our DJs make all their own selections and you won’t hear the same rotations featured on commercial radio. KAOS gives DJs free rein (a rarity even within community and college radio) within one important parameter: our famous 80/20 Independent Music Policy. At least 80% of what you hear comes from independent sources, not major labels, which allows local and emerging artists a place on the air alongside underrepresented voices in our community and around the world. This format becomes a launching pad for underdogs and allows for a listener experience rooted in discovery. 

Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman has famously said that "Independent media can go to where the silence is and break the sound barrier.” 

Musing on this quote, KAOS General Manager Jon Hamilton adds, “KAOS gives voice to those that may not have a voice through things like the 80/20 Independent Music Policy and our local news programming. It’s about going to the quiet places where the silence is and exploding it.”

Beyond the music, KAOS airs public affairs programs you depend on and local news programs like Parallel University and Resource Report which highlight community organizers and non-profits. Those non-profits can run Public Service Announcements on our airwaves, and local venues and events organizers can add to our Community Events Calendar. We spend our airtime on information for our community instead of paid commercials. In an emergency, people still turn to the radio for emergency announcements and communication, and KAOS will be there through it all. Community radio stations are public resources as much as they are sources of entertainment. 

In a world where public spaces are vanishing, KAOS still creates room for people to participate. Every one of our live hosts is a volunteer. “Show hosts are folks in the community who might have kids in your school or serve you at a neighborhood store,” says DJ Tim Sweeney, host of Thursday Happy Hour. 

The staff members who make it all happen behind the scenes are students at The Evergreen State College. These students gain crucial skills in the KAOS studios that take them beyond entry-level experience in broadcast technology, audio production, communication, public relations, networking, and creative digital media. Students and community members can also join our DJ Training classes to learn how to become a Certified Board Operator. As a learning lab, KAOS remains a friendly environment for creative experimentation and discovery.

During the Telethon, listeners will hear live performances, comedy bits, deep-cut records, Olympia lore and trivia, and the occasional moment of on-air chaos to remind everyone that actual humans are running the board. Volunteers will answer phones while DJs will make their best passionate cases for independent media. The goal of the Telethon is simple: to spend the day celebrating KAOS Community Radio and to revive community support after a long pause in pledge drives. KAOS stands by our community as your listener-supported, volunteer-powered community radio station. Stand by us on Tuesday, May 19th to protect a space where curiosity, creativity, and community can exist in tandem. Your gift helps local independent radio thrive.

Call during the Telethon to donate or become a member!
Donating at least $5 enters you into our prize raffle.

360-867-KAOS (5267)

OR

360-867-6888

Visit our Membership Page for information about merch and membership tier options.

Tuesday May 19th Telethon
Full Schedule

8:00 - 9:00 DJ Jersey John
9:00 - 10:00 Democracy Now

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10:00 - 11:00 Sam Miller & friends
11:00 - 12:00 Olympia Music History Project


12:30 - 1:15 Live Music Trivia with Markly Morrison


1:30 - 2:30 fromyourbed


2:30 - 3:00 Comedy Hour


3:00 - 4:00 DJ Miss Melissa
4:00 - 5:00 Kendl Winter


5:00 - 6:00 Paul’s Variety Show Extravaganza


6:00 - 7:00 Cellophane Eyes


7:00 - 8:30 DJ Mayoknave


8:30 - 9:00 Seaside Tryst


9:00 - 10:00 Guidon Bear


10:00 - 11:00 Ever Present Threat with DJ Rift Revealer
11:00 - 12:00am Slideshow Vision

Telethon Raffle Prizes include: