The Front Porch debuted on KLCC, January 29th of 2000, but my time with the station began in the fall of 1990. After volunteer training I was given an All Things Considered host shift once a week for about six months before KLCC hired a full time host. I spent a decade filling in as host for music programs when needed, learning the ropes of music programming. I give much credit to my mentor, Pete LaVelle, former host of KLCC’s Back Porch, the program that the Front Porch was spun off from.
Launching a new program on KLCC is no easy task, involving written proposals, demo recordings and a lot of lobbying. After some nine months, with support from staff and volunteers, the Front Porch did launch in a one hour, Saturday evening time slot, joining a nationwide Americana wave.
One of the staff who supported me was Steve Helwig, former ATC and Straight Street host. Steve was not so sure about the Americana format and told me so. “Where’s the people of color? Where are the women? This is America, it’s a Big Tent! There should be room for everybody.”, he said. I could not argue with that and assured him my goal was to be inclusive and then went home and updated my proposal. His words reshaped my goals for the Front Porch. I knew I needed to better mirror American culture with my musical choices and the weight of that responsibility hit home with the program’s debut.
The Front Porch found success and after 16 months moved to a three hour slot on Sunday afternoons, a big shift and a huge canvas to work with. With the extra time I broadened my palette of artists and brought in more vintage tracks to provide perspective for the flood of new music and artists making the scene.
With the move of KLCC’s studios to downtown in 2008 came a new idea, a live music show using the new SELCO Performance Hall to showcase musical artists in our area. After another round of proposals and demos the Front Porch Revue pilot aired in November of that year and was followed by 44 more live episodes through the end of 2013 featuring over 90 acts. Hosting and producing a live musical variety show was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. But most rewarding was the collaborative effort from a large, dedicated crew of volunteers that made it all happen. When I think back on it, it seems a miracle that it happened at all. But miracles can happen at KLCC, as I have learned.
In 2018 I told the story about Steve Helwig’s Americana comments at his memorial service and soon added the “Big Tent” tag to my show’s Americana. With the loss of longtime KLCC flagship programs like, Saturday Cafe, Straight Street and then Blues Power, the Back Porch and the Heartwood Hotel, I felt the need to pick up the slack. I refined my goals again, one of which was to be flexible, a good choice as we entered tumultuous times.
The year 2020 brought changes, a shortening of the program to two hours followed quickly by the COVID pandemic. After a 10 month interruption the Front Porch returned to the airwaves with renewed vigor and new technical skills for remote programming. Finally, back in the studios in the spring of 2022, I felt a sense of urgency and a renewed purpose to counter the hard times w/ uplifting music that didn’t ignore the difficulties. Americana artists supplied the goods with some of the most inspiring music of our times, making that task all too easy.
Now, approaching its 25th anniversary, the Front Porch seeks to maintain relevance. The urgency of the present, hope for the future and reverence for the past remain our bywords and give us perspective to understand our state of being. For my part, I understand that none of this would be possible without KLCC, its staff, volunteers and most importantly its listener members. I am thankful for the opportunities given me and grateful for the experiences that they’ve afforded me. I do so enjoy the time I’ve spent with KLCC’s listeners these past 25 years and I look forward to the Front Porch’s 26th year and onward. Thank you for your support!
Dan Plaster
