Raven Radio: Voices Across the Water
Oregon City, Oregon | Film Feature
Documentary
This is a tale of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. On the edge of America’s map, a small group of visionaries dared to dream: build a radio station in a remote Southeast Alaskan town.
Raven Radio: Voices Across the Water
Oregon City, Oregon | Film Feature
Documentary
1 Campaigns | Oregon, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,940 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
21 supporters | followers
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This is a tale of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. On the edge of America’s map, a small group of visionaries dared to dream: build a radio station in a remote Southeast Alaskan town.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Before email, cell phones, or constant streaming, life on a rain-soaked island in Southeast Alaska called for a different kind of ingenuity. In Sitka—where 75 inches of rain a year is routine and the outside world once arrived slowly, one newspaper at a time—community meant whoever you could reach by voice. Out of that need for connection, Raven Radio KCAW-FM was born. What began as a scrappy idea became a cultural hearth for Sitka, linking fishing vessels at sea, neighboring villages, and Native communities spread across Central Southeast Alaska. It wasn’t just a radio station—it was a lifeline, a shared space, and a reflection of the people it served.
Raven Radio in the top floor of the old Cable House (2018). “Powered by Neighbors, Not Algorithms” - Over 100 volunteers—from high-schoolers to retired locals—read the news, spin vinyl and cue Mp3s. Raven Radio's program schedule was just recently made available online.
Be a part of this story.
By incorporating cinéma vérité fieldwork, the film illuminates the story of small-town radio from its origin, through staff interviews, archival images and immersive soundscapes captured on location in diverse environments, including boats, docks, seaplanes and traversing mountainsides.
How We’ll Use Your Support for Raven Radio: Voices Across the Water
Travel and lodging – My trip in June begins with my drive to Seattle to catch a flight to Sitka ($338.50), spend a week on interviews and additional area filming, then leave the island by ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway—securely booked in a berth ($982.00)—so I can film the secluded fjords and sweeping vistas of the Inside Passage. While in Sitka, I’ll stay in local lodging ($1,440.00) and rent a car ($1,022.69) to reach interview locations, archives, occasional food and scenic overlooks. Every mile and minute is planned to capture both the station’s story and the one-of-a-kind character of Sitka itself.
The post-production phase of the film begins once I return home, where I’ll dive into editing all the interviews and digital footage captured during my time in Sitka.
Story & Picture Edit – Shape decades of archival footage, field recordings, and fresh interviews into a tight, 90-minute journey from Raven Radio’s first soldered wire to its future digital horizon.- Sound Design & Mix – Weave broadcasts, birdsong, and new voice-over into a cinematic soundscape worthy of the station that connected Central Southeast Alaska.
- Color Grade & Restoration – Breathe new life into faded 1980s videotape, scanned images and today’s drone shots so every era feels vivid and cohesive.
- Motion Graphics & Animation – Animate shipping routes, signal-coverage maps, and on-air light meters so audiences “see” the invisible radio waves crossing the water.
- Festival & Community Screenings – Cover submissions, DCP mastering, and travel so we can premiere in Alaska first, then bring the story to regional and international festivals.
Every dollar you pledge helps transform raw stories and cassette tapes into a living film that honors the voices—past and present—of Southeast Alaska.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Thank you for checking out our film project!
Costs $7,000
Help us transform words into stories, old tapes into a living film that honors the voices—past & present—of Southeast Alaska.
Wish item: We are looking forward to submitting the film to festivals.
Costs $20
Festival submissions range from FREE to $100+. With any additional funds, we will send the film to the best-fitting festivals to compete!
Public Radio
Costs $100
Public radio needs our help. After festival submissions, we are supporting KCAW with any additional funds at the end of this campaign.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Virginia, my Production Coordinator and web‑design lead, is nothing short of extraordinary. The site she created not only matches—but elevates—the vision I had in mind, reflecting our intended direction with precision and flair. Although she prefers to keep her personal history offstage, her talent and enthusiasm shine in every project she touches.
Virginia’s skill set goes far beyond clean code and gorgeous layouts. She handles media coordination, tracks budgets and schedules, and has a knack for spotting small details that can make or break a production. In many ways, she’s the definition of a “jack/jill‑of‑all‑trades”—the kind of teammate every creative crew dreams of having.
Lately she’s been assembling a master list of everyone involved in the documentary: interview subjects, vendors, volunteers, and all the people we need to thank along the way. Her organized approach keeps our workflow smooth and our communication clear. I’m thrilled to have her on the team, and I look forward to collaborating with her on every stage of this project and hopefully many more to come.
Hi, my name is Kurt Hunter, I'll be your director this evening. This is my way of wanting to preserve this significant story. I grew up amid the vastness and beauty of Alaska, a place where childhood meant limitless forests, weekend fishing trips, camping on a boat in a misty cove and long hikes under endless summer light. That sense of freedom shaped me early on, but so did an unexpected invitation: my Dad thought the local public‑radio station might be the perfect playground for a curious kid who loved tinkering with sound effects and cassette decks. He was right. Raven Radio became my creative laboratory, teaching me that stories don’t live only in words—they live in sound.
Those countless hours splicing tape, gathering field recordings, and layering effects sparked a dream of working in Foley and sound‑design after I moved to the Lower 48. The plan didn’t roll out quite as I’d imagined—life has a knack for plotting its own twists—but I never quit editing or engineering audio. Instead, those skills kept developing until they nudged me toward the moving image.
Today I’m channeling decades of sound‑storytelling experience into filmmaking. I still think like an audio engineer—listening for texture, pacing, and emotional resonance—but now I’m pairing those instincts with a camera and an editor’s timeline. It feels like a natural next chapter: taking the invisible art of sound and giving it a complementary visual language, so the stories that once played only in listeners’ minds can now fill the screen as well.
Looking forward to the project ahead!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Before email, cell phones, or constant streaming, life on a rain-soaked island in Southeast Alaska called for a different kind of ingenuity. In Sitka—where 75 inches of rain a year is routine and the outside world once arrived slowly, one newspaper at a time—community meant whoever you could reach by voice. Out of that need for connection, Raven Radio KCAW-FM was born. What began as a scrappy idea became a cultural hearth for Sitka, linking fishing vessels at sea, neighboring villages, and Native communities spread across Central Southeast Alaska. It wasn’t just a radio station—it was a lifeline, a shared space, and a reflection of the people it served.
Raven Radio in the top floor of the old Cable House (2018). “Powered by Neighbors, Not Algorithms” - Over 100 volunteers—from high-schoolers to retired locals—read the news, spin vinyl and cue Mp3s. Raven Radio's program schedule was just recently made available online.
Be a part of this story.
By incorporating cinéma vérité fieldwork, the film illuminates the story of small-town radio from its origin, through staff interviews, archival images and immersive soundscapes captured on location in diverse environments, including boats, docks, seaplanes and traversing mountainsides.
How We’ll Use Your Support for Raven Radio: Voices Across the Water
Travel and lodging – My trip in June begins with my drive to Seattle to catch a flight to Sitka ($338.50), spend a week on interviews and additional area filming, then leave the island by ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway—securely booked in a berth ($982.00)—so I can film the secluded fjords and sweeping vistas of the Inside Passage. While in Sitka, I’ll stay in local lodging ($1,440.00) and rent a car ($1,022.69) to reach interview locations, archives, occasional food and scenic overlooks. Every mile and minute is planned to capture both the station’s story and the one-of-a-kind character of Sitka itself.
The post-production phase of the film begins once I return home, where I’ll dive into editing all the interviews and digital footage captured during my time in Sitka.
- Story & Picture Edit – Shape decades of archival footage, field recordings, and fresh interviews into a tight, 90-minute journey from Raven Radio’s first soldered wire to its future digital horizon.
- Sound Design & Mix – Weave broadcasts, birdsong, and new voice-over into a cinematic soundscape worthy of the station that connected Central Southeast Alaska.
- Color Grade & Restoration – Breathe new life into faded 1980s videotape, scanned images and today’s drone shots so every era feels vivid and cohesive.
- Motion Graphics & Animation – Animate shipping routes, signal-coverage maps, and on-air light meters so audiences “see” the invisible radio waves crossing the water.
- Festival & Community Screenings – Cover submissions, DCP mastering, and travel so we can premiere in Alaska first, then bring the story to regional and international festivals.
Every dollar you pledge helps transform raw stories and cassette tapes into a living film that honors the voices—past and present—of Southeast Alaska.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Thank you for checking out our film project!
Costs $7,000
Help us transform words into stories, old tapes into a living film that honors the voices—past & present—of Southeast Alaska.
Wish item: We are looking forward to submitting the film to festivals.
Costs $20
Festival submissions range from FREE to $100+. With any additional funds, we will send the film to the best-fitting festivals to compete!
Public Radio
Costs $100
Public radio needs our help. After festival submissions, we are supporting KCAW with any additional funds at the end of this campaign.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Virginia, my Production Coordinator and web‑design lead, is nothing short of extraordinary. The site she created not only matches—but elevates—the vision I had in mind, reflecting our intended direction with precision and flair. Although she prefers to keep her personal history offstage, her talent and enthusiasm shine in every project she touches.
Virginia’s skill set goes far beyond clean code and gorgeous layouts. She handles media coordination, tracks budgets and schedules, and has a knack for spotting small details that can make or break a production. In many ways, she’s the definition of a “jack/jill‑of‑all‑trades”—the kind of teammate every creative crew dreams of having.
Lately she’s been assembling a master list of everyone involved in the documentary: interview subjects, vendors, volunteers, and all the people we need to thank along the way. Her organized approach keeps our workflow smooth and our communication clear. I’m thrilled to have her on the team, and I look forward to collaborating with her on every stage of this project and hopefully many more to come.
Hi, my name is Kurt Hunter, I'll be your director this evening. This is my way of wanting to preserve this significant story. I grew up amid the vastness and beauty of Alaska, a place where childhood meant limitless forests, weekend fishing trips, camping on a boat in a misty cove and long hikes under endless summer light. That sense of freedom shaped me early on, but so did an unexpected invitation: my Dad thought the local public‑radio station might be the perfect playground for a curious kid who loved tinkering with sound effects and cassette decks. He was right. Raven Radio became my creative laboratory, teaching me that stories don’t live only in words—they live in sound.
Those countless hours splicing tape, gathering field recordings, and layering effects sparked a dream of working in Foley and sound‑design after I moved to the Lower 48. The plan didn’t roll out quite as I’d imagined—life has a knack for plotting its own twists—but I never quit editing or engineering audio. Instead, those skills kept developing until they nudged me toward the moving image.
Today I’m channeling decades of sound‑storytelling experience into filmmaking. I still think like an audio engineer—listening for texture, pacing, and emotional resonance—but now I’m pairing those instincts with a camera and an editor’s timeline. It feels like a natural next chapter: taking the invisible art of sound and giving it a complementary visual language, so the stories that once played only in listeners’ minds can now fill the screen as well.
Looking forward to the project ahead!