After more than two decades, KNKX is moving out of its longtime office and studios in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. For much of its history — as KPLU for 50 years and as KNKX since 2016 — the station has maintained studios in both Seattle and Tacoma, and a connection with both communities.
Earlier this month, KNKX staff hosted the final Belltown broadcasts of NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. But listeners may have hardly noticed this milestone as the shows resumed broadcasting the next Monday from KNKX's Tacoma studios, a testimony to the dedicated KNKX News team on air and behind the scenes.
As the station prepares its new home near Pike Place Market, staff celebrated the long run at 4th & Vine, sifted through archives and reminisced about the day the station was saved.
A hub for news and studio sessions
Since moving to 4th & Vine in 2001, KNKX has reported countless world-changing stories, welcomed in hundreds of listeners and musicians, and generally ensured that jazz, blues, and news always had a home in downtown Seattle.
It is one thing to write about a move after "more than two decades" and another to hear the memories that time encompasses: colleagues' children growing up, furry friends visiting, watching the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl parade pass by, covering breaking news, the evolution of the media industry and more.
Soon after arriving at 4th & Vine, NPR hosted its first-ever remote broadcast of All Things Considered from the Seattle studios. Staff recall how thrilling it was to see Robert Siegel, Linda Wertheimer and Noah Adams set up shop in their newsroom.
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KNKX Chief Engineer Lowell Kiesow looks on as singer Karrin Allyson and guitarist Danny Embrey perform during an early studio session at 4th & Vine.
KNKX Archives
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KNKX reporter Bellamy Pailthorp and NPR's Linda Wertheimer at 4th & Vine when All Things Considered hosted its first-ever remote broadcast from the station.
KNKX Archives
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Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick, General Manager Joey Cohn and former KNKX host and producer Kevin Kniestedt in the studios at 4th & Vine during a fund drive.
KNKX Archives
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Longtime reporters Paula Wissel, left, and Ashley Gross hold their first place awards for the Society of Professional Journalist's regional competition in 2012.
KNKX Archives
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KNKX jazz host Abe Beeson shares the booth with student DJs Ian McTamaney and Isaac Ford in 2018.
KNKX Archives
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Listeners visit 4th & Vine to celebrate the successful "Save KPLU" campaign in July 2016.
KNKX Archives
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Former KNKX reporters Paula Wissel and Simone Alicea co-hosted "Forgotten Prison," a podcast about McNeil Island in South Puget Sound.
KNKX Archives
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KPLU staff members gather in the newsroom at 4th & Vine after learning about plans for the station to be sold.
KNKX Archives
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Paula Wissel, who retired in 2021 after more than 30 years at the station, shows off the schedule of news stories for the week.
KNKX Archives
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KNKX's Will James and The Seattle Times' Sydney Brownstone in the 4th & Vine studios while working on Outsiders, a podcast about homelessness in Olympia.
KNKX Archives
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Longtime News Director Erin Hennessey coaches intern Mckenna Hunt in 2019.
KNKX Archives
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News and music: Reporter Bellamy Pailthorp and All Blues host John Kessler in 2017.
KNKX Archives
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General Manager Joey Cohn and Director of Community Outreach and Events Brenda Goldstein-Young outside the studio during a 2015 School of Jazz studio session.
KNKX Archives
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General Manager Joey Cohn with actress and musician Molly Ringwald in 2013 after she released a vocal jazz album and visited 4th & Vine for a studio session.
KNKX Archives
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Former All Things Considered host Ed Ronco and welcomes a canine co-host in 2017.
KNKX Archives
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KNKX News Director Florangela Davila, Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick and producer Vivian McCall get stoked about a 2-for-1 promo during a fund drive in 2022.
KNKX Archives
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Former KNKX reporters Gabriel Spitzer and Keith Seinfeld get silly about science in 2013.
KNKX Archives
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Former KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco keeps the fund drive fun with FOOD co-host Nancy Leson.
KNKX Archives
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KNKX jazz host Abe Beeson and Michael Stein celebrate hitting a fund drive goal in the studio.
KNKX Archives
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Ramsey Lewis, left, visits 4th & Vine for a studio session in October 2009.
Justin Steyer / KNKX Archives
The studio has also been home to hundreds of KNKX Studio Sessions over the years. Those sessions have featured artists of all kinds from local student musicians and their mentors participating in the School of Jazz, to jazz and blues greats like Gregory Porter, Marcia Ball and Madeleine Peyroux.
In the newsroom, daily reporting kept listeners informed every morning and afternoon. During the early days of the pandemic, KNKX hosts face the unprecedented, continuing their on air duties alone in the studios.
Bigger projects came to fruition in these hallways too, from hundreds of episodes of Sound Effect to podcasts such as Forgotten Prison and most recently, The Walk Home.
It's simply impossible to capture all the memories, staff and music that has filled 4th & Vine over the years. However, one particular moment does stand out.
From KPLU to KNKX
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KPLU General Manager Joey Cohn, surrounded by KPLU staff and local media, announced that the Save KPLU campaign has hit its fundraising goal.
Justin Steyer / KNKX Archives
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Chief Morale Officer Winston chips in during the "Save KPLU" campaign.
KNKX Archives
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Chastity Belt sends a clear message during a studio session visit.
KNKX Archives
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Gracelynn Shibayama, who worked as KPLU's member relations coordinator, holds a plastic bag with 19 cents in it. It was a donation sent in from a 4-year old named Phoebe to the Save KPLU Campaign.
KNKX Archives
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Reporter Bellamy Pailthorp and General Manager Joey Cohn toast as the staff celebrates one year as an independent radio station.
KNKX Archives
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After 50 years as KPLU, adopting the new KNKX call letters took some getting used. The staff tried all sorts of things, including the KP*@ jar, to break old habits.
KNKX Archives
In 2016, KPLU General Manager Joey Cohn sat behind the microphone in the air studio at 4th & Vine to announce that our community had successfully raised the $7 million needed to save the station.
Everyone agrees, that moment was an unforgettable experience. The announcement laid the groundwork for the KNKX of today and tomorrow.
After the successful "Save KPLU" campaign, the station revealed the new call letters KNKX, which stands for "Connects." It took the on air staff some time get use to the new name and astute listeners may remember a few instances of "KPL...KNKX" along the way.
Seven years later, the thrill of that moment hasn't receded. It shines bright not only as a 4th & Vine memory but as a charge for KNKX's continued service to our listeners and community.
A fun farewell
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KNKX Director of Community Outreach and Events Brenda Goldstein-Young congratulates The New Cool and jazz host Abe Beeson who was recognized for his 30 year work anniversary.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX Midday Jazz host Paige Hansen chats with pianist Bill Anschell and the musicians who accompanied him at KNKX's farewell party at 4th & Vine.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX News Director Florangela Davila joins All Things Considered host Emil Moffatt in Studio B after his final ATC broadcast at KNKX's 4th & Vine studios. All shows are broadcasting from KNKX's Tacoma studios during the transition to KNKX's new Seattle location.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX Executive Director of Development Mary Dunaway takes the chance to pop behind the mic and test out the host chair with her family at the farewell party.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX Morning Edition producer and Sunday Weekend Edition host Vivian McCall and her guest enjoy an (almost) final visit to Studio A at 4th & Vine.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX All Things Considered producer Freddy Monares and Marketing and Events Specialist Adrian Florez catch up with guests at the 4th & Vine farewell party. The Polaroid photos on the wall capture some of the many musicians who performed in the KNKX Studios.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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KNKX reporters including Mayowa Aina, Bellamy Pailthorp, Kari Plog, Scott Greenstone, Grace Madigan and Vivian McCall come together to have some fun at the farewell party photo booth.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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As a dual format station, the KNKX staff has a wide variety of expertise encompassing jazz, blues, digital technology, journalism, broadcast, business development and more. The move from 4th & Vine is a station-wide effort bringing everyone together to work and celebrate.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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During the 4th & Vine farewell party, jazz hosts Jim Wilke (pictured) and Ken Wiley (not pictured) were recognized as pillars of the jazz community and for more than 40 years at the station.
Tom Collins / KNKX
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Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick stands alongside KNKX President and General Manager Joey Cohn during his remarks at the farewell party for 4th & Vine.
Tom Collins / KNKX
Moving a radio station — including recording equipment, servers, artwork and a piano — is a lot of work! So on Friday, Feb. 10, the KNKX staff took a break and celebrated before things really got messy. Literally, there's demolition involved.
KNKX Director of Community Outreach and Events Brenda Goldstein-Young ensured a proper 4th & Vine send off with food, drinks, a photo booth and, of course, some live jazz. As the first in-person staff party in years, it also became an occasion to recognize staff for milestone work anniversaries, ranging from five and up to 40 years of service to the station and its listeners.
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Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, the final broadcast from KNKX's Belltown studios. Until KNKX's new Seattle home is complete, Kendrick will host from the Tacoma studios.
Florangela Davila / KNKX
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All Things Considered host Emil Moffatt during the show's final broadcast at the 4th & Vine studios on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.
Florangela Davila / KNKX
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Vivian McCall hosts the final, final broadcast from KNKX's Belltown studios on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. Until KNKX's new Seattle home is ready, she will host Weekend Edition Sunday from the Tacoma studios.
Vivian McCall / KNKX
Despite empty shelves, constant packing and party prep, KNKX News hosts and producers carried on, delivering their final Belltown broadcasts.
Farewell 4th & Vine
Kirsten Kendrick and Adam Gehrke reminisce about their years of broadcasting from 4th & Vine.
Kirsten Kendrick hosted Morning Edition from 4th & Vine for 17 years, regularly arriving before 4 a.m. Over the years in these studios, she's interviewed dozens of people from around the region, diligently provided sports updates, let her son tag along and even been snowed in.
Right before the party started, All Things Considered host Emil Moffatt delivered the exciting news on air:
"This week, we are saying good-bye to our studios here in Belltown, where we’ve been bringing you the news each morning and afternoon and have hosted a wide variety of terrific musicians. We've been here for more than 21 years. We'll be moving to a new location in Seattle in a couple of months. Details on that to come."
Moffatt and All Things Considered producer Freddy Monares, joinedKNKX last year. The duo has dived in, undaunted by the major transition.
Weekend Edition Sunday host Vivian McCall took Studio B for a spin one last time a couple days later. For the interim, all of the shows will be hosted from the station in Tacoma.
KNKX Next
V Three Studios
In March 2022, KNKX announced the plan to relocate its Seattle studios into the Madore Building at 1501 Western Ave, Seattle. The plan builds on KNKX's successful move to Tacoma's Theater District in 2019. To support this new effort, KNKX launched a $5.8 million fundraising campaign called KNKX Next.
Leaving 4th & Vine is a major milestone as KNKX prepares to move to the Pike Place Market neighborhood.
"We will always be thankful for the memories made at 4th & Vine. And now we get to look forward to our new Seattle studio, situated across the street from Pike Place Market," Cohn wrote in a recent message to KNKX members.
"The new space is designed for more public events, more interaction with the community and a 21st-century technological base that will power our broadcast into the future."
At the time of publication, a significant amount of construction work has been completed. The next phase will be the technical build out including technology for broadcasting, studios and a modern workspace. It should be completed in a few months.
Fundraising continues for the KNKX Next campaign, learn more at knkxnext.org.
