KNSJ PRESENTS A DAYTIME MUSIC RESPITE

10-11am

LA PASTORELA de CORAJE, San Diego County’s longest running and most popular holiday theater production, this radio version of La Pastorela is a holiday gift to the entire community.

11am-Noon

CUSTOM TAYLORED with Tim Taylor. Music with a little background on the songs and artists. Tim covers the history of blues popular music–the blues, jazz, R&B and country that birthed Rock and Roll. His series spans chronologically from the 1920s to the 1950s, with each week focused on a particular genre and era.

3-4pm

SOLITUDE CITY JAZZ on the RADIO with Carson Young playing cuts from classic and contemporary artists who have contributed to, and expanded the form.

SPECIAL ONLY ON KNSJ Sun 12/29 10am, New Year’s Day 2pm

LA PASTORELA DE CORAJE

San Diego County’s longest running and most popular holiday theater production.

Lucifer has made a comeback.
Once tossed from Heaven, the Prince of Darkness is planning an ambitious global revenge tour.
The good guys are ready. Armed with courage fueled by hope and love, they are prepared to push back in a big way.
“La Pastorela de Coraje” is a fresh installment of San Diego County’s longest running and most popular holiday theater production. It will air and stream free of charge in December on KNSJ 89.1 FM.
Written by Max Branscomb and Ella Aldridge, “La Pastorela de Coraje” features the best and worst of popular culture and politics from 2024 in a celestial costume party of disguises by devils eager to thwart the first Christmas and angels battling to save the day against the wicked.
Speaking of “Wicked,” Johnny Cash and June Carter battle the Wicked Green Witch, Beetlejuice and Cruella DeVille in a celestial, high stakes version of “American Idol.” The Evil Ones then return as the nasty LA Dodgers to face off against the brown and gold good guys from San Diego. The rollicking comedy also features beautiful bilingual Christmas music.
“La Pastorela de Coraje” is the 34th consecutive production of “La Pastorela.” It was produced by TMM at the Old Globe, San Diego REP and other venues until the 2020 pandemic closed down live theater. It has aired it as a radio show by Teatro Pastorela on KNSJ 89.1 FM since then.
“La Pastorela de los Coraje” is a reminder that even in challenging times people of goodwill can make a difference, said Branscomb.
“Coraje means courage, which the shepherds in the Christmas story had to find,” he said. “They were tired, hungry and cold, but they did not quit. They pushed on through their darkest moments and found success. They were able to make a difference. That’s what everyday heroes must do.”
Branscomb said the musical is a gift to the borderlands community, especially his diverse Southwestern College students who need courage to face looming challenges.
Returning as co-writer is Ella Aldridge, the gifted 16-year-old writer-actor-singer-songwriter who is a junior at the San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts. Aldridge was recently honored as one of San Diego County’s 25 Most Remarkable Teens by the Public Defenders Office and by San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas, who declared December 14 “Ella Aldridge Day” for her contributions to the community and K-12 performing artists. Aldridge plays the sassy teenage Archangel Gabriel.
“It is always such a pleasure to work with Ella,” Branscomb said. “She is very creative and brings so many great ideas to ‘la pastorela.’ She is a human chameleon as an actor who can morph into any character. Her Gabriel is so funny and her June Carter is killer! Our cast is so talented and that allows Ella and I to write practically anything because we know our actors can perform it.”
Aldridge said “La Pastorela de Coraje” was fun to create and perform, but its message is what matters.
“The performing arts should inspire people to think about our world and all its living things,” she said. “The arts teach us about others and encourage empathy for people who may be different than us in some ways but are alike us in the most important ways. San Diego County is wonderfully diverse and such an amazing place to live, but that comes with challenges. Our art can help us to learn how to get along with each other and walk together into our futures.”
Lucifer is played by Chantal Branscomb, a 27-year-old UC Irvine Theater Arts graduate. She was a professional child voiceover actor who can do scores of voices. She is the choreographer for the Bonita Vista High School Music Machine and Sound Unlimited show choirs as well as regional dance companies. She first played Lucifer as a sixth grader in a production of “La Pastorela” at Sunnyside Elementary School in Bonita. She is also the lead singer of most of the songs in this year’s show.
David Rivas returns as Vato Satan, the character he honed on stage at the Old Globe and San Diego REP. Rivas is a popular voiceover actor on animated series and video games, including “Star Trek.” He is a busy stage actor as well as host of “Your Spotlight” on KNSJ and a voice talent for the station. Dave makes “La Pastorela” possible with his engineering and editing talents.
Alexis Luna (Michael the Archangel) is an SDSU graduate in Music Studies. He is a sought-after bass who performs with the Coronado Community Church and other choirs. He is the piano accompanist for the BVHS Vocal Music Department and the keytarist for the prog band Appease the Skeleton. Luna also conducts professional and academic choirs.
Gifted 14-year-old Syara Platero is the cast’s other prodigy. She plays Moloch, the mouthy juvenile delinquent devil. A freshman at Bonita Vista High School, Platero is the 2024 Chula Vista Speech Competition champion and a BVHS volleyball player.
Veteran San Diego actor Vanessa Lopez returns as Menga, the grumpy shepherdess who undergoes a spiritual transformation during the journey. Menga represents the fear and doubt we all must overcome to reach our potential.
Branscomb said Teatro Pastorela enjoys its relationship with KNSJ and the support of the San Diego County Community Enhancement Program funding provided by Supervisor Nora Vargas.
“CE funding allows us to create a free-of-charge holiday show that can be enjoyed by working class families and people with mobility challenges,” he said. “Unfortunately, not everyone in our region can afford to attend live theater, so we offer our radio version of ‘la pastorela’ as a holiday gift to our entire community.”

FRIENDLY FIRE, A SHOW FOR AND ABOUT VETERANS WITH HOST DON KIMBALL Saturdays 2-2:30 pm

DON KIMBALL was a non-commissioned officer, stationed on Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire from 1977-1981, at a time when they were frequently using a firefighting foam (AFFF), which we now know to be full of PFAS. Today, Don is the producer and host of “Friendly Fire: A Voice For Veterans” where he frequently tackles thorny issues like chemical exposures and toxic PFAS testing for veterans and more.
A member of the Maine Veterans for Peace, Don views social and environmental justice issues in a global context. Did you know that the number one entity for consuming fossil fuels, thus contributing to global climate change on the planet, is the US Department of Defense?

TALK OF THE TOWN WITH MIKE AGUIRRE LIVE Sat 11am-Noon

Today Mike and his guest Patrick Stewart, Library Foundation, San Diego, are in conversation about book bans as well as the extensive public library resources available to everyone in the San Diego area.

Call in to the studio with your questions and comments. 619-790-KNSJ (5675)

AL CHILE SPANISH RADIO En Vivo Con ARIANA GALLEGOS Saturdays 9-10am

Music – Current News – Interviews – Lively Discussions

¡Acompáñanos todos los sábados a las 9 a. m.! Ariana Gallegos presenta el programa Al Chile, patrocinado por el Employee Rights Center, te ofrece debates profundos y entrevistas reveladoras con invitados que marcan la diferencia en nuestra comunidad.

Join us every Saturday at 9am. Ariana Gallegos presents the program Al Chile, sponsored by the Employee Rights Center. You will hear deep discussions and eye-opening interviews with guests making a difference in our community.

http://weberc.net

TALK OF THE TOWN WITH MIKE AGUIRRE Fridays 3-4pm

From our archives we bring you a replay of Mike’s conversation with Martha Sullivan about the critical situation of homelessness in San Diego. According to local record-keeping, the number of unsheltered San Diegans continues to rise. Mike and Martha discuss the factors and complexities regarding homelessness.

STOP & TALK with GRANT OLIPHANT Fri 8-9am

Stop & Talk dives deep into the themes of purpose and opportunity, guided by the insights of leaders in the arts and culture, health, philanthropy, finance, and innovation fields. Together, we celebrated local achievements and envisioned what’s possible in San Diego County.

StopAndTalkPodcast.orghttp://

DEMOCRACY NOW! NEWS With Amy Goodman and Juan González M-F 7-8am and replayed 6-7pm

TODAY’s news covers these headlines and more

• Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill Dozens, Including Five Journalists; Three Babies Freeze to Death
• Russia Launches Massive Christmas Attack on Ukraine’s Energy Grid
• Azerbaijani Airlines Crash in Kazakhstan Leaves Behind 38 Dead, 29 Survivors
• Turkey’s Erdoğan Threatens to “Bury” Syrian Kurds Unless They Lay Down Arms
• Dozens Killed in Violence Across Mozambique Following Disputed Election Result
  Gunmen Kill 2 Haitian Journalists Covering Reopening of Port-au-Prince Hospital
• Judge Voids Arkansas Law Criminalizing Booksellers and Librarians Providing “Harmful” Books to Minors

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On Democracy Now!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Democracy Now! launched in 1996, airing on nine radio stations. More than two decades later, we have grown to be one of the leading U.S.-based independent daily news broadcasts in the world.

As an independent news program, Democracy Now! is audience-supported, which means that our editorial independence is never compromised by corporate or government interests.

SUPPORT KNSJ INDEPENDENT PUBLIC COMMUNITY RADIO, SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

Friends,
As we approach the end of another year in America, one thing is clear. We’re grappling with a lot. Democracy is in peril. Gun violence, antisemitism, racially-motivated hate crimes, and the wealth-gap are all on the rise. The rampant spread of misinformation throughout our increasingly corporatized digital media platforms means that now more than ever, independent media is critical to the democratic discussion. This is why KNSJ matters.

In our ten years on the air, KNSJ has featured live debates between candidates for City Council and the Mayor’s office, live productions from rallies for climate action, labor rights, civil rights, the PRIDE parade, and the Women’s March. We have more science and environment-based programs than all the other stations in San Diego County combined. The service we provide to our listeners doesn’t stop at our Public Affairs programming. KNSJ is continuing to develop the best independent music programming schedule you’ll find in the entire county. Night in and night out, listeners who tune to 89.1 FM or stream online at knsj.org will hear an incredibly eclectic array of music that will not be found on any of the corporately-monopolized stations that dominate the airwaves.

In 2024 KNSJ moved to a bigger and better studio. We hope to strengthen our terrestrial signal and we continue to expand our locally-produced programming schedule and strengthen our ties to the community through live-music events and youth-based radio-production opportunities.

This Giving Tuesday, we hope that you will consider contributing to the cause of Social Justice community radio in San Diego County by becoming a member of KNSJ. Your donation will not only help KNSJ accomplish our goals, but will also help to counteract the dangerous spread of misinformation throughout the digital landscape with the type of truth-telling that only independent media can provide. Thank you for your support and donations. Please become a sustaining member or make a one-time contribution.

PLEASE DONATE TODAY. #knsj

THE ELECTRIC PICNIC with SUSAN TAYLOR Mon 8-9am

Guest Author REINA MENASCHE

Reina Lisa Menasche’s fiction crosses genres, which is something she enjoys very much. Her work has been honored by organizations such as the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, the San Diego Book and Writing Awards, and the Southern California Writers Conference. Her paranormal romantic suspense, The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake (2021), was likened to Stephen King’s Bag of Bones. Her first psychologically themed romance Twice Begun, and her second, Silent Bird, were finalists in the San Diego Book and Writing Awards; Twice Begun is also available in audiobook. Her upcoming children’s picture book, The House That Sneezed, will be released 2023.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Reina is likewise involved in all matters psychological. She supervises social workers, blogs on matters of the mind and heart, and teaches workshops on psychology and character development at conferences and writing clubs. In addition, she has hosted the BOOKSHELF radio show for East County Magazine on KNSJ FM, interviewing local authors by highlighting “local literary luminaries and some great books to read.”

http://reinamenasche.com