On most weekday mornings, Wrangell wakes up to Cindy Sweat’s voice on KSTK radio at 6:45 a.m., announcing the day’s community calendar. One upcoming announcement is her retirement as station manager on Dec. 31.

Sweat began working at the newly created development director position in 2002. She expanded financial giving and support for the station from $2,000 to $30,000 a year through a variety of special events. 

She was also learning the mechanics and electronics of keeping a radio station running. When the position of station manager became available in 2013, she was ready.

Sweat has seen a number of changes across the years, from technology to funding. “I started in the turntable days. We were just moving out of reel-to-reel production, and for a while I would find blades used to splice and edit the tapes in random drawers.”

Music programs moved from vinyl to CDs, to subscription streaming platforms like Spotify. “Spotify is affordable for the station and easy to use, but our local DJs often supplement it with a variety of records and CDs.”

A significant change has been in the funding for public radio. “When I began, we received one-third of our funding from the state, one-third from federal resources and one-third from local giving through pledges and fundraisers. State funding ended eight years ago, federal funding was eliminated in 2025, and so now almost 100% of our funding is dependent on local resources.” 

“We did receive a one-time bridge fund grant and a one-time Voice of America grant,” she said. There was also remarkable support after federal funding was cut through an Adopt a Station website, where people across the nation who might never have heard any of KTSK’s programming contributed financially, “but almost all of our funding now is from the local community,” she said.

“I do foresee more stable funding in the future; there are some bright lights that are promising.”

Other changes include technology. “When I started, there was no social media. Now our webpage has become an important part of our community presence.”

KSTK is advertising for a part-time station manager. Sweat hopes to have a new person on board soon, so the incoming station manager can shadow her and learn the job.

“The posting may seem daunting, but not everything is done every day. Every day is different, and some days are about doing reports, or meeting with city staff, or pulling together information for a grant. It’s always a combination of what needs doing in the moment, like answering phones and helping people, and looking ahead to budgets and raffles and fundraising.” 

She continued, “This station manager needs to care about Wrangell, the community, people and businesses, and want to see everyone succeed. It’s important to be a collaborative kind of person, a team player and someone willing to learn. Someone who can take initiative, and whose interest and desire is to make KSTK the public service Wrangell needs.”

Other staff include a part-time programming manager, Jillian Privett, and a part-time development manager, Anna Angerman. Both have taken on additional responsibilities as part of the plan to start the new station manager as a part-time employee.

Sweat said one of her favorite parts of the job is recording the community updates, public service announcements and programming notes. “I love it when I can use sound effects. Halloween is coming, and that’s a great time for sound effects!”

She is looking forward to what lies ahead. “It’s time,” she said. “I’ve been working since I was 12, and I’m ready to be on my own schedule.” She is looking forward to having more time for creative pursuits, like sewing and quilting, as well as listening to the radio for pleasure.

 “It really is an honor to serve the community, to provide a valuable service. It has truly been my honor to do this.”