By Miriam Raftery

October 29, 2023 (San Diego) – Tickets are now on sale for KNSJ Radio’s 10^th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, November 11.

The East County Magazine Radio Show is one of the station's flagship programs, covering East County news and issues as well as regional topics and more. KNSJ, which broadcasts from Descanso, also features a wide variety of other locally hosted shows.

The gala event will celebrate all that San Diego’s community Network for Social Justice has achieved in the past decade, as well as highlight the station’s future commitment to defend democracy and create community through independent media. The festive evening will include dinner, live music, dancing, poetry readings, videos, and special presentations.

Our June and July 2018 radio shows are now online. For links to listen to the shows plus a full list of topics and interviews, click here or click "read more" and scroll down. (Sound files may take a few moments to load).

We covered the June primary races, wildfires in East County, efforts to help West Fire survivors, controversies involving El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho, the fight to save the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District, major land use controversies, and more.

Our newsmaker interviews included  Dana Law who hiked the Pacific Coast trail, Rebecca Tasker, a straw bale home builder with Simple Construct, along with homeowners of a straw bale home and SDG&E’s Helen Gao on help for energy efficient building, East County Chamber president Eric Lund on the Passport Through Time event, and more.

East County Magazine Show is among programming knocked off air; funds urgently needed to restore broadcasting

June 7,2016 (San Diego)—Community radio station KNSJ 89.1 FM Descanso has been temporarily knocked off the air after a break-in and theft. KNSJ's transmitter site on Monument Peak in the Laguna Mountains was broken into, with vandalism intentionally disabled broadcasting on Thursday, June 2^nd at 7:05 p.m. PST. The immediate impact of this crime is loss of the FM broadcast and service as an emergency alert system. KNSJ continues to stream 24/7 online, but not over the public airways. Because this break-in occurred on federal land and interrupted a licensed FCC full-power FM station, this forced entry is a considered a federal crime.

KNSJ is making a public appeal to raise $5000 to get the station back on the air.

Donations are needed to replace equipment, upgrade a security system and the speedy return of this non-profit radio station to regular programming. Tax-deductible donations can be made at KNSJ.org KNSJ is an all volunteer station relying primarily on donations.

January 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Our December radio shows are now online!  You can listen online now (note sound files may take a minute to load). For links to listen to the shows plus a full list of topics and interviews in December, click here and scroll down.

Our top newsmaker interviews included leading environmentalists, musicians, authors, business leaders, police officers, refugee aid leaders, winemakers, and more.   We talked about hot news from UC tuition hikes to energy projects proposed in our region to a nonprofit seeking to build an incubator business model to bring jobs to East County.  Plus we went on location to events from a holiday party for homeless kids in El Cajon to a Nile Sisters program honoring local refugees.

You can hear the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m, and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

On Saturday July 5^th, KNSJ invites you to our community radio station’s first anniversary from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the beautiful Mission Trails Regional Park visitors center.

Come mix and mingle with our radio hosts and celebrity guests in a spectacular natural setting, enjoy live music, Native American flute players, delicious food and drinks, stargazing, museum, no host bar, two stages with comedy acts and musical entertainment.

Our January 2014 shows are now online—including special reports on East County issues, holiday specials, interviews with top newsmakers and people making a positive difference in our community.  Click here for a list of our January shows and interviews with links to listen online.

You can also hear our one-hour show live when it airs on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and reruns Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.  Or listen live online during those hours at www.KNSJ.org.

Our November shows are now online—including special reports on East County issues, interviews with top newsmakers, local musicians, authors, colorful characters and people making a positive difference in our community. Click here for a list of our November shows and guests with links to listen online.

You can also hear our show live when it airs on KNSJ 89.1 FM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and reruns Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.  Or listen live online during those hours at www.KNSJ.org.

September 30, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--We had a great lineup of guests in September!  Our radio shows are now posted,  so you can listen to shows you  missed.  Below are links, along with a lineup of guests each day including Sheriff Bill Gore, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, climate change expert Eve Simmons, Noori Barka from the Chaldean American Institute, Van Collinsworth from Preserve Wild Santee, Helix Water’s Joel Scalzetti, and others including local authors, musicians, historians, and more.

Three ways to listen: 

1.  On-air broadcasts of our show run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and repeats Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM. 

2. If you can’t hear the signal, you can listen live during broadcasts at www.knsj.org. 

3. To listen online to our September shows, click “read more” below and scroll down to read a lineup of guests on each day’s show. (Note: you can find older shows further down the page you're now on.)

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Melody Ponchot and Miriam Raftery

January 22, 2013 (San Diego) – Community members , activists and political leaders from across East County were among hundreds in attendance at the People’s Ball Saturday night at the World Beat Center.  The event raised over $4,000 that will be matched by an anonymous donor, leaving just $5,000 left to raise for a transmitter to put KNSJ radio on the air in East County.

Prominent East County residents in attendance included Lemon Grove Councilman George Gastil, Boulevard Planning Group member Melody Ponchot, who rocked out on the dance floor, and Ben Kalasho, who narrowly missed winning his race for El Cajon Council.  Musicians, artists, and groups ranging from human rights advocates to Green Party members also turned out to support KNSJ, which will reach portions of San Diego in addition to a vast area in East County.