We can still make culture moves
What you can learn from KEXP's game-changing organizational launch
This week at Seattle’s KEXP, I experienced something rare and genuinely moving: a public media organization starting a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative without hesitation or hedging. No carefully couched language, no cautious backpedaling. Just clear commitment from leadership and passionate enthusiasm from the nearly 60 staff in attendance.
If you work in public media, you know how challenging work supporting staff and communities of color has become lately. The spirit of pre-compliance I wrote about in January now runs strong. Many organizations have quietly backed away from explicit diversity goals. It can feel dispiriting as it is revealing. But standing alongside CEO Ethan Raup, KEXP’s racial equity working group leads and the brilliant staff felt different. It was a vivid reminder that transformative change doesn’t simply occur; it's actively built and fiercely protected.
Inspired by KEXP’s successful gathering, I’ve distilled some critical insights for those thinking about your organizations and what they need to thrive. Some of this is further informed by co-authoring a resource guide on effective DEI Councils. The rest is direct from my time in the Pacific Northwest.
If you're navigating the complexities of initiatives in today’s uncertain landscape, here's exactly what you need to know. 👇
Build trust through consistency
It’s tempting to seek daring moves from day one, but real culture change thrives with a steady hand. KEXP, I learned, has worked on this for years with incremental progress and massive tenacity. They showed me that it’s all in how you show up, host that meeting, share that story… over and over. As time goes on, people stop wondering if you mean it and start believing you mean it.
In addition, even the best organizations run into questions, guarded attitudes, resistance and inertia at times. This work requires deep patience, seeing conversation as a chance to win others, and hearing pushback as people being willing to be vulnerable enough to express something to you so you can help them. It can be hard, and demands so much of us, even if we know it’s worth it.
What I saw at KEXP reminded me of the power of consistency. You don’t have to have major victories or big initiatives to show off initially, but you do need to stay the course even when it’s slow or difficult.
Be specific
KEXP offered a staff survey before my arrival and found some guidance from staff on potential first initiatives for its formative Human Care Council. Vibes are great, but data is better. When you mix survey results, listening groups and one-on-one stories, you can pinpoint exactly what a team needs.
Effective staff action happens when we’re able to define why we are here and what we aspire to do. There’s room to be vague, but people want something tangible: what you’ll specifically do to make my work experience better or elevate me. Finding out the needs of workers involves gathering evidence to establish what will make an actual difference. Quantitative and qualitative data can help you with the imperative and advantages of culture work.
Get support from above
Adopting postures as those critiquing from afar is a losing strategy. As Paige Robnett and I wrote, shifting the culture anywhere requires sign-on. When your CEO or GM is your biggest champion, the rest follows. Leaders who consistently tell staff the importance of this work prompt staff to notice.
However, building genuine buy-in takes time and involves establishing rapport, understanding priorities, and demonstrating how such efforts can advance organizational cohesion. I also can’t undersell to you the importance of seeing something from another person’s shoes; understanding leadership’s perspective will better help you to advance your culture. Leaders who feel empathy for staff’s concerns also tend to be more receptive, in my view.
KEXP and many organizations further wrestle with questions of power, who has it, and how groups engage. What’s also true is most staff generally don’t want to be another supervisor to answer to. However, leaders need to actively address how staff’s concerns and ideas are heard and acted on, and communicate that clearly.
Shoot for one thing, not everything
I was impressed by the KEXP team’s desire to make just a few items as priorities and core objectives. It is very tempting to have a meeting, throw up a bunch of Post-Its of what everyone feels a group could work on, and succeeding at none of them because a.) it’s too much; b.) even the best people aren’t experts in the areas they’d like to address and thus struggle; and c.) everyone’s got other roles and has to get the daily task list done, along with a daunting list from those aforementioned notes.
Paige Robnett and I wrote about the pitfalls of mission creep in the abovementioned resource guide. Focus fuels real momentum. It also gets people energized for the task ahead.
Be strategic about the framework and the people
A committee needs more than goodwill. It needs roles, documentation and a balance of skills and perspectives. At times, people seek to join committees because they believe in the idea, but are not clear on what executing initiatives and being part of formulating solutions entails. It’s also easy to do culture work on an ad hoc basis. Yet organizations need to be strategic about structure and diversity of experience.
In Seattle, one thing staff consistently talked about in our conversations about the Council-in-formation was the fact that there was a structure, which made the work more accountable and systematized. Standards such as committee documentation and assessing members’ time and skills indeed can be the difference between a committee without positional power and one poised to move items forward.
Lastly, the D-word (and R)
All of these great factors being present does not ameliorate external pressures public media confronts with the rescission, and which many other organizations are experiencing, around DEI and beyond.
If you’re in a state where legislation limits workplace efforts, you know what I mean. These laws impose restrictions on mandated training, criteria for vendor selection based on ownership demographics, and committees that explicitly reference Latinos and historically marginalized groups. But creative staff-led efforts can still foster belonging while staying compliant. With clear guardrails, smart structures and empathy, you can keep building community, even when the political climate makes it feel impossible.
Let’s make those bright spots like KEXP’s shine everywhere. As cultural advocates, it is imperative that we continue to support employees who seek community amidst this turmoil. Through a series of innovative structural adjustments, it is possible to build support while lessening risk.
As I write this, KEXP is hosting an on-air fundraiser to educate about the issues facing public media. You can give here. 🟢
Cafecito: stories to discuss ☕
New series on abortion access. NPR and Latino USA have released a short-run series on abortion access with a lot of focus on Latin America. The Network is online now. 🎙️
Health newsletter learnings. The Pivot Fund profiles Conversaciones de Salud, a monthly, bilingual newsletter focused on health and wellness issues for the community in Minnesota. 🏥
Hispanic Radio Conference. The major event for these broadcasters has wrapped up in Houston. 🤠 The Radio and Television Business Report has a complete summary of insights from the gathering.
New podcast on Latine men. For iHeartMedia, Lex Borrero is hosting a new podcast aimed at addressing the personal and professional hurdles faced by Latinx men. You vs. You will have a monthly Spanish-language edition too. 🎧 More from Radio Online.
Hispanic-serving college challenge. U.S. News and World Report has a writeup on a lawsuit by the state of Tennessee, which charges that Department of Education grants going to schools where Latinos are 25 percent or more of enrollment is a discriminatory practice. 👀
El radar: try this 📡
Examine suicide and bullying of Latinx kids. WFAE covered a local mural devoted to 11-year-old and 13-year-old Latinas who took their own lives after being bullied. 🚔 It is a difficult story, but bears more attention on the perils facing Latine students in today’s climate.
See how Latine communities feel about upcoming elections. WDET went into the heart of Detroit’s Hispanic community to ask about the issues voters were considering when casting ballots for the city’s next mayor. 🏙️ Such journalism could inform your endeavors.
Cover the growth of Spanish-language courses. OPB just reported on a new childhood education class at Lane Community College, which is being conducted in Spanish. 🎓 The course is aimed at supporting Spanish speakers who traditionally have not had enough access to education.
Focus on gentrification. Arizona PBS recently featured a conversation on a documentary on how gentrification has impacted Chicago’s Latinx neighborhoods. 🚸
Spotlight Latinos’ contributions during World War II. Texas Public Radio did a fascinating piece on a traveling oral history project that collects the memories of veterans. 🪖
Keep covering the protests. Demonstrations against ICE by local Hispanic communities and allies offer public media many opportunities to tell stories. ✊ CapRadio and KQED are just two examples of newsrooms sharing in words and images about the local situation.
The next OIGO arrives July 11. I’ll just be returning from SRCCON that week, where you can see me talk about AI policy for newsrooms. You’re welcome to join me and catch up in Minneapolis. See the full conference agenda here.
As I close this newsletter, I must recognize the departure of Holly Kernan, my boss at KQED, who departs to helm Nashville Public Radio. 💔 Holly didn't just champion Latino content and engagement at KQED, but transformed it. Her vision and leadership sparked groundbreaking initiatives that reshaped how we connect with our diverse communities. She is also one of my greatest advocates, and encouraged the creation of OIGO. The whole team and I will miss Holly. The Bay Area's loss is Nashville's extraordinary gain.
🥤 You can buy me a coffee if you’d like to support the newsletter.