by MARK ST.J. COUHIG

Sequim Gazette

KSQM 91.5 FM, Sequim’s community nonprofit radio station, will have a new management team for 2012.

Robert Spinks, Sequim’s former police chief and interim city manager, became KSQM’s executive director/general manager on Jan. 1, taking over for Jeff Bankston, the station’s current general manager.

Lynda Perry, president of the board of directors for Sequim Community Broadcasting, KSQM’s parent company, made the announcement.

Perry said, “This coming year will be a dynamic period full of projects, fundraising and expansion of service by KSQM. Bob has a dynamic management background, is in tune with the Sequim community and has been a key member of KSQM since the station’s start.”

“I’m thrilled to step into this new position and Jeff and I will lead the station forward as a team,” Spinks said.

Perry said Spinks and his team will be gearing up for a major capital fund drive in 2012 to raise money for a new tower and more broadcast power.

Bankston will step into a newly created position as the director of underwriting. He will oversee underwriting (sales), legacy giving, grants, event sponsorships, merchandising and direct mail marketing.

Bankston also announced the station has more than 300 KSQM products now for sale, from coffee cups to T-shirts to recordings of special KSQM programs. To see what’s available, drop by www.ksqmfm.com.

KSQM began broadcasting in December 2008 at 91.5 on the FM dial and can be heard on the Internet at www.ksqmfm.com.

KSQM, with its popular nostalgia music format, has a growing listenership in Western Washington and Victoria, British Columbia. KSQM also streams its broadcasts on the Internet to listeners in all 50 states and more than 120 foreign countries.

“That’s proof that even a small radio station can have a big impact,” Bankston said.