Donna Land Maldonado: diversity over the airwaves.

• Author: King, Heather L.
• Position: People - General manager for radio station KRCL

"SPEAKING AS A NATIVE AMERICAN person, I know that when turn on KRCL on Sunday mornings, I'm going to have something that I can connect to," says Donna Land Maldonado, general manager for KRCL. "I honestly believe it provides a touchstone for people who mey be new to this country, or certainly new to Utah. If they're of a specific ethnic background and they tune in and hear their music and their language, it becomes a lifeline. It gives people that sense that they're not alone, and for the general population, it provides access to something they may not have even known existed."

Twenty-four years ago, Maldonado began working at KRCL 90.9 FM radio as the Native American programmer. At the time, she made $3.10 an hour and was a single mother of four daughters. But it was the right position at the right time in her life. She supplemented her income by working for the Indian Walk-in Center doing a health survey and teaching continuing education classes.

Obviously, times have improved: Maldonado made her way through the ranks at KRCL before being named general manager in the spring of 1998. "Unfortunately, I'm out of the creative end now and I just deal with paperwork," she says with a laugh. However, Maldonado still makes time to host Le Cafe Folk each Wednesday morning and fills in on Sunday's Native American Calling program when needed.

Maldonado's background, including a sociology degree from the University of Utah, may make her more attuned to the opportunities that KRCL gives to groups who might otherwise lack a forum. "The whole concept of giving people a voice and letting those opinions and ideas come from particular communities is unique," she believes. "Ethnic people, people of color, women, or people who have different lifestyles than the norm -- you just don't hear their opinions or perceptions in any other media."

As a Northern Ute, Maldonado was attracted to the station for those same reasons. "When they said that they were going to have Native American programming, it was like 'What, you mean they're really going to have Indian music on the radio?' Surprisingly," she adds, "Native...