“It’s a milestone that reflects the incredible legacy of this station and the global impact of our mission here at the San Mateo County Community College District,” Chancellor Melissa Moreno said. “KCSM has always been more than a radio station, it’s a bridge between education and art.”

At a screening of the film Jan. 30, KCSM staff discussed how navigating the largest jazz record collection in the world — “you’ll get lost” announcer James Graves said — is a feat each hopes to endure for as long as possible for the sake of growing the music’s reach.

The station has access to over 100,000 titles, with a majority inherited from former jazz station KJAZ after it signed off in 1996. Music Director Jesse “Chuy” Varela said the station still receives 50 to 100 new titles each month, adding to the ever-growing library of CDs, LPs, 45s and digital files.

Education is at the forefront of KCSM, epitomized by its location on a community college campus, which is why there are a variety of titles its announcers feel are apt — disc jockeys, broadcasters, aficionados all remain accurate, but “curators” is the most honest description of what program hosts do, Varela said.

“Much like people will put up a framed piece of art in a museum so that people can enjoy the beauty, that’s the way that we like to program,” Varela said. “They know music well enough to present it in an artistic and knowledgeable way and teach you about and speak to the qualities that make it a valuable piece of music to share.”

There is dedication among announcers to provide an experience alongside the music. For Sonny Buxton, a veteran on-air personality and fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene, he likes “to climb into the show.” Announcer Michael Burman prides himself in not repeating music within a year.

“If we play a song, there is a certain ‘I, Michael Burman, recommend this in some way, with respect to what went before, with respect to what’s coming up afterwards, or because it’s just really awful and this will give you an idea of how good all the other stuff is,’” Burman said. “But you can’t do that unless you listen to it.”

As he was becoming familiar with the station in early 2024, Station Manager Dr. Robert Franklin said he noticed the passion the announcers of KCSM had for jazz and felt it deserved to be documented.

The effort to produce a film honoring the station’s 60th anniversary was led by Franklin, whom the College of San Mateo President Dr. Manuel Alejandro Perez described as “warmth, intelligence, inspiration and art in a person.”

Franklin said the foundation for this legacy was built by those who came before him, including Melanie Berzon, the former program director for the station.

“Our announcers have been rolling up their sleeves and creatively producing awe inspiring jazz, blues, soul, funk African and world music for listeners of the Bay and across the world for six decades,” Franklin said.

A champion for women musicians and women in general, Berzon was key in establishing the station’s International Women’s Day annual programming.

“I believe in inclusivity, and that means that when I do a show, I am very aware of the music I’m choosing and the artists that are bringing us that music,” Berzon said in the film. “I am also aware of the history of jazz, and the history of jazz is not necessarily an all inclusive one.”

Jazz is “at the centerpiece of Black American music” said documentary narrator and vocalist Tiffany Austin. Described as the only original artwork that America has contributed to the world, jazz is integral to understanding the Black experience, interviewees throughout the film said.

“To understand the immense value of jazz is to understand that empowerment, justice, innovation and inspiration are so intricately and beautifully woven into the origins, traditions and legacies of this genre,” Perez said.

Zaki Nadiri, a KCSM supporter and mechanic working in Bayview, said in the film that jazz is much more than entertainment.

“I’ve been taught that the word ‘music’ was what sounds pleasing to the ear — what we call jazz, it does more than sound good, it changes your attitude, it changes your personality, it changes your well-being,” Nadiri said.

The film honors 60 years of the station, but the plan is for it to last much longer. Looking ahead, KCSM is navigating how to connect with younger listeners and invite them into the world of jazz.

“They’re the ones that got their ears to the ground,” Varela said. “They’re the ones who are really picking up on what’s new and what’s happening. The way that jazz works, one generation passes it on to the next.”

College of San Mateo students hold internship roles at the station, helping digitize vinyl records and organize music, and many station announcers make efforts to tap in to what kids are listening to. Franklin has spoken about drawing connections to hip-hop as the genre grows in popularity.

“We have to listen to young people,” announcer Jayn Pettingill said in the film. “We have to go where they are, we have to find what they’re into, and then we have to make the connection between what they’re into and this art form.”

The documentary film is available for purchase as a “donate with a gift” in the ongoing KCSM Winter Fund Drive. In coming weeks, it will be made available for download as well.

Until then, “there’s a lot going on, so stay tuned at kcsm.org,” Chuy said.