KBOL Radio's Motto:  Engage, Enlighten, Empower

Today on Blog for Iowa’s “Focus on the Media” week, we are
highlighting the work of one of our panelists for the upcoming FCC
Town Meeting, Michael Muhammad, President/CEO of KBOL Radio in
Waterloo.  Mr. Muhammad and Telisa Burt are co-founders of KBOL.



KBOL
Radio is a new community-based Low Power FM radio station operating in
Waterloo.   Located at 100.1 FM, KBOL Radio works to Engage,
Enlighten and Empower the greater community through interactive
multi-media. At  KBOL,  social capital, not financial
revenue is the main focus.



Not
bound by musical constraints of most commercial stations,
KBOL Radio can expose its listening audience to both
popular and non-traditional genres of music including local and
independent artists, reggae, Latin and hip
hop.   In the truest spirit of ‘edu-tainment’, KBOL Radio
also uses the draw of quality music and celebrity appeal to promote
civic and social responsibility to its listening audience.



The Beginning.



KBOL is
a subsidiary of Community Educational Outreach, Incorporated, initially
developed by Michael Muhammad in 1998 to address the needs of at-risk
youth in the Cedar Valley community. In an attempt to explore
unconventional methods of reaching a disenfranchised segment of young
people, CEO, Inc. employed strategies originally modeled by youth
street workers circa 1960.  



By
approaching and connecting with young people where they were,
individuals, community leaders and mentors were able to interact with
at-risk teens in their surroundings.  Through mutual
respect, they proved that positive relationships and influence
could be obtained in even the most unorthodox and informal settings.
 



Responding
to calls and concerns regarding the offerings of local radio stations,
Michael Muhammad and co-founder Telisa Burt formed an alliance.  Up against an FCC imposed deadline
of one year, the pair worked diligently to get the station up and
running.  On February 4, 2004, KBOL Radio breathed fresh life into
Cedar Valley's airwaves.

(Click here to read more about KBOL)