KOFA’s Crossing Borders Episode Highlights Eclectic Music, Offers Intern and Volunteer Opportunities

KOFA’s Crossing Borders delivered a roughly 3 hour, 36-minute mix of genres on the Jan. 15 show, published Jan. 16, showcasing the station’s role as a platform for diverse music and local participation. Hosted by Mariana Robertson, the episode wove together selections from Saja Boys, Wishy, KISS, Tori Kelly and others, underscoring Border Radio’s commitment to eclectic programming for the Yuma region.

The program is part of KOFA/Border Radio’s regular local lineup and serves more than entertainment. Community radio in Yuma County functions as a cultural lifeline in a border region where bilingual, cross-cultural expression is central to daily life. By featuring a wide range of artists and styles, Crossing Borders helps normalize musical diversity and creates connective tissue between neighborhoods, youth, older listeners and immigrant communities.

Beyond cultural impact, the episode points to workforce and civic benefits. KOFA continues to offer on-air opportunities for interns and volunteer hosts, pathways that can expand media literacy, technical skills and civic engagement for local residents. For young people and those seeking an entry into broadcasting, unpaid and volunteer roles at community stations often provide crucial experience that can translate into paid work, community storytelling, and leadership on public issues.

There are public health implications tied to this kind of local media as well. Community radio contributes to social cohesion and mental well-being by reducing isolation and amplifying local voices during stressful periods. In Yuma County, where access to services and information can be uneven across urban and rural areas, trusted local programming can promote more equitable access to emergency alerts, health campaigns and culturally relevant public messaging when stations and their volunteers build strong neighborhood ties.

KOFA’s mix of established acts and emerging artists also strengthens the local music ecosystem. Playlists that cross genres create exposure for local scenes and can support small venues, independent artists and community events that fuel the county’s creative economy. Regular shows with volunteer hosts create ongoing opportunities for residents to shape what the airwaves carry and whose stories get heard.

For Yuma listeners, the Crossing Borders episode is a reminder that public media here is both a cultural resource and a civic asset. KOFA’s continued recruitment of interns and volunteer hosts offers practical routes into media work and civic participation; the station’s programming choices help knit together the region’s diverse communities while supporting local health, resilience and cultural equity.