EPISODE · Aug 25, 2025 · 1H 5M
AK MEDIA: James Devens: director of KCHU public radio & Valdez city council member
from East Anchorage Book Club with Andrew Gray
Send us Fan MailJames Devens is the director of KCHU public radio which serves the communities around Prince William Sound and Wrangell-St Elias National Park. At the time he became director five years ago, he was the youngest director of a public radio station in America. Jimmy was elected to Valdez city council in 2020 and re-elected in 2023. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2024, but he remains an active member on the council and is a founding member of their housing committee. Although Jimmy and I discuss the absolute destruction that cuts in federal funding will have on KCHU, much of the first part of today’s episode will be about Jimmy’s late grandfathers: John Devens Sr. who gained national fame in 1989 as mayor of Valdez during the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Jim Robison who was the president of the Alaska AFL/CIO and served as the Alaska Labor Commissioner from 1982 to 1987. We conclude our conversation with a discussion of housing policy.This interview was recorded while I was in Valdez on a walk with Jimmy, so you will hear occasional background noise including a very angry raven.
Embed this episode
What this episode covers
Send us Fan Mail James Devens is the director of KCHU public radio which serves the communities around Prince William Sound and Wrangell-St Elias National Park. At the time he became director five years ago, he was the youngest director of a public radio station in America. Jimmy was elected to Valdez city council in 2020 and re-elected in 2023. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2024, but he remains an active member on the council and is a founding member of their housing committee. Al...
Ready to play
AK MEDIA: James Devens: director of KCHU public radio & Valdez city council member
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.