Kyle Johnson

Kyle came to the Gila Valley in the summer of 1979 and that first visit began an annual, and often semi-annual pilgrimage. He moved to Santa Fe in 1993 and finally settled in Gila in 1995.

Since then, Kyle has been primarily involved in media related pursuits and community activism on a range of social justice issues. He served for two years as Treasurer of Upper Gila Watershed Alliance in the late 90s. Other community involvement includes Southwest Hispanic Roundtable, Grant County Peace Coalition and Citizens for a Better University which promoted greater community involvement, transparency and accountability at WNMU.

He was the initial General Manager at CATS / Community Access Television of Silver where he shepherded its development from an office, a desk, and a telephone to three fully functional PEG – Public, Educational and Government access – channels operating 24/7 on the cable system. His duties ranged from research and acquisition of equipment to concept and design of a leading edge video server, day to day operations, volunteer coordination, training members on cameras, audio and video editing, production of city council meetings and assisting members in creating their own programs.

He subsequently produced and hosted a daily radio show – Radio Free Silver! on KNFT / AM.  Though enthusiastically listener supported, it was nonetheless driven from the airwaves by economic pressure from antagonistic elements in the community for it’s progressive views and frank discussion of public affairs.  Not to be swayed, Johnson transformed RFS! to a television format which appeared weekly for 18 months beginning in 2006 on public access stations in Silver City, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Los Alamos and Tucson featuring interviews with guests of local, regional and national prominence and events throughout the southwest.

During this same period, Kyle was engaged as Communications Director for International Relations Center, a progressive think tank in Silver City.

He is currently Secretary / Treasurer of Gila / Mimbres Community Radio. GMCR is a NM non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status formed in 2005 by a group of local residents concerned with the deficiencies of the local media landscape and a burning desire to provide independent, locally focused, community media.

GMCR applied for a Full-Power Non-Commercial / Educational FM license in the FCC window of 2007 and was finally approved in December 2010 as the single grantee from a field of more than 40 competing applications.

Kyle is an accomplished musician, singer and songwriter, has been manager and engineer at top tier recording studios in San Francisco and Santa Fe and his tenures at CATS and as producer of Radio Free Silver! have given him ample opportunity to expand and employ his many talents. He resides near the Gila River with his wife, Monica Rude, an herbalist and organic grower, and their cat, Freddie Mercury.