After closing on their purchase of Full Service AAA 1410 KRML Carmel/94.7 K234DH Monterey CA, Rhonda Howard-Vachon and Guy Craig Vachon’s El Avance LLC has set their plans for the station.
Craig Vachon said, “After 40 years in high tech, buying a terrestrial FM radio station probably makes me look even more like a knucklehead to my peers. But that’s the point. In a world obsessed with frictionless, algorithmic echo chambers, something human, local, relevant, and genuinely alive matters more than ever. Algorithms treat music like a frozen dinner—predictable, optimized for mass consumption, and fast. KRML is your neighborhood restaurant. We serve comfort, yes, but our real specialty is introducing you to a new favorite you didn’t even know you were craving.”
The Vachons state that no changes will be made to the station’s programming, airstaff, or musical direction. They said the station will “evolve into a multichannel civic and cultural engagement hub—a place listeners can take with them wherever they are, across airwaves, digital platforms, and in-person experiences”. Other changes will include expanded digital and social media presences, deepened partnerships with local artists, venues, cultural, and non-profit organizations, create new opportunities for community participation—on-air and off, and strengthen its role as a connector of people, music, and places.
Rhonda Howard-Vachon followed, “The voices our listeners have grown to trust and love—Jasmine and Jeff, who guide that discovery—and the spirit of the station aren’t going anywhere. We’re simply here to support it, grow it, and invite the community to become even closer.”
Made famous in the Clint Eastwood movie “Play Misty For Me’, the Vachons purchased the station from KRML Radio LLC or $64,000 with $10,000 in cash and $54,000 worth of advertising credits spread out as $1500 per month for 36 months.
