10 Questions with Liz Forster @ eTown

Broadcasting social responsibility and environmental sustainability has never sounded so good. And the best is yet to come; Liz Forster has been committed to eTown for more than 21 years. She has recently taken her interest to the next level and will be graduating this summer in Non-Profit studies from Metropolitan State College of Denver to further develop and grow radio eTown.

What’s eTown up to when you’re not recording or on-air?
Lots, it takes hard work to keep things running! We do fundraising, marketing, sponsorship, bookings, vetting E-Chievement award nominees, and community outreach. We do all that, and more, with just a small team of 9 persons on staff and a handful of incredible volunteers.

How green would you want to see Boulder become within the next 5 years?
Boulder does a good job of being green, but I wish more of Boulder’s many wealthy inhabitants would invest much, much more toward setting a good example in the world of alternative energy.

I love the fact that many of Boulder’s restaurants are real pace setters in the realm of sourcing their food locally and altering menus according to the season.

Perhaps we should re-frame the conversation from miles per gallon to miles per week per person, and how local is your produce? It would be interesting to see how each of us measures up to our own lip service.

You’ve had stars come on your radio show, like Moby and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Which favorite celebrity would you love to welcome next at eTown?
Having literally grown up with eTown, I’m blessed to have seen so many wonderful artists and speakers grace the eTown stage. But I ‘m not really pining for any one artist (though I do love Bob Dylan).

I think that the overwhelming point of eTown Hall is to bring artists and thinkers of all kinds to Boulder. I find it is actually the pairing of different personalities and talents that ends up creating the magic both on and off the air.

eTown has reached 1 million listeners, that’s over 10 times Boulder’s population! What’s next for the radio eTown?
After 21 years, eTown is a finely tuned program that really doesn’t need to be improved upon from a radio standpoint. From my perspective, the next best thing for eTown is to expand the radio and podcast listenership to include more national and international markets as well as younger demographics.

I think the biggest challenge these days comes from the many ways to experience media and it has become difficult to attract our target listeners on a large scale. Because of that we remain incredibly grateful for the loyal listeners who have been with us since the beginning, and we work hard to maintain our current fan base.

Earth Day is coming up this Sunday, April 22nd. Are you hosting an event to celebrate the planet?
Our first show ever was on April 22nd 1991, which means that eTown’s Anniversary actually falls on Earth Day. We call it our B’Earth Day!

Although we will not be hosting an event this year, we really do believe that every day should be Earth Day. Environmental awareness is one of the primary reasons that eTown was founded, and continues to be a recurring theme throughout our programs. It’s funny to think that this is a new topic for many across the globe when we in Boulder have been on the cutting edge of this thinking for more than 20 years.

Soon you’ll be inaugurating eTown Hall — your new home and flagship project. What’s been the greatest challenge so far?
This project has been a culmination of positive thinking and hard work, and really eTown Hall is the product of both. The greatest stress has been the pressure that the capital campaign places on the organization itself, but watching the project unfold more than just makes up for it. We are thrilled to watch the building evolve, and the organization along with it. We can’t wait to share eTown Hsall with the community!

Once eTown Hall opens, how will you make it fun for locals to care for their community?
eTown Hall will be a great addition to the community. It’ll be a social meeting place for all types of groups, causes, and collaborations that we will eagerly help to facilitate. Imagine an arts-centric town hall in downtown Boulder, and you are halfway to understanding the concept behind eTown Hall. It really ends up making the most sense to people when they can see it with their own eyes. Stay tuned for our grand opening!

Inspire us! What do you say to us young professionals in Boulder 2140?
I’m the process of re-inventing myself in the nonprofit world and finding a very happy place after years of trying to fit into other career paths. It is a pleasure to be able to help my parents while working in the realm of social responsibility and music. My two favorite things!

My humble advice to Boulder 2140 — find a way to work at doing something you love, it makes everything better.

I want that prestigious E-Chievement award. What’s it going to take?
There is a science behind the selection process with the E-Chievement Award, but some of it remains mysterious to me. I’ll say that there is a common thread of doing good and responsible work inside of your community, wherever you live in the world.

As far as I know we’re the only media outlet highlighting positive impact, instead of focusing on the negative. It’s the main reason why I love eTown, and one that we hear from our listeners all the time. There is an opportunity for each of us to reach out and lend a helping hand, and it’s feels rewarding to think that we may play a small part in encouraging such behavior.

You already record exclusive footage of sessions for eTown. How cool would it be to have your own show in a TV network?
That’s a great question! I’d love to say more, but that’s delicate info at the moment. Sorry!

…that’s too bad. Now you’ve got us all curious!

Thanks for the wonderful tour of eTown, I’m very excited for you and to our readers — Watch eTown’s vision of their soon to be launched eTown Hall!