
Marisa Waddell
Director of Programming and Content/Host of The Road Home/Contributor KCBX News and Issues & IdeasAs director of programming and content, Marisa Waddell coordinates the radio programming on KCBX and KCBX HD2 and leads efforts to develop content on the KCBX website and other digital platforms. She manages the KCBX on-air staff, including the newsroom (of which she is editor-in-chief), music hosts, continuity announcers and on-air volunteers. Marisa also hosts the Thursday night Americana music program The Road Home, and contributes interviews to the weekly KCBX radio magazine Issues and Ideas and to KCBX News.
Marisa has played a vital role in the success of KCBX's Live Oak Music Festival. She became a member of the Booking and Programming Committee in 1992, and chaired the committee from 2003 to 2016, assembling outstanding lineups of musical acts that have delighted and surprised audiences. She has been the artistic director of Live Oak since 2017.
Marisa has had a lifelong love for public radio. Her mom tells her that she was listening to Chicago's WFMT in the womb. She began as a volunteer classical music host and weekend staff announcer on KCBX at age 19, while studying broadcasting at Cuesta College. She worked at commercial station KKUS in San Luis Obispo and then received her bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and Film from San Diego State University. While in San Diego Marisa was the weekday afternoon classical music announcer at KPBS FM. On her return to San Luis Obispo in 1990, she became the classical music director at KCBX . She also produced, wrote, edited and hosted a local issues radio magazine, "Audio Excursions," and contributed news stories to the statewide news program, "The California Report."
In 2006 Marisa left KCBX to pursue her master's degree in mass communication and journalism at California State University Fresno. Before returning to the station as program director in 2012, she worked in film and television as a producer, writer, director and editor of documentaries and commercials; and for and international educational media company as an implementation specialist and creator of digital content and training material.
Marisa enjoys cooking, reading, exploring nature, attending live concerts, playing percussion, and watching movies. She lives in Los Osos with her wife Patti.
Marisa's email: marisa@kcbx.org
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KCBX has gifts galore for you this holiday season — in the form of great seasonal programs
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Violinist and conductor Scott Yoo checks in with KCBX about plans for Festival Mozaic, his PBS TV show and more
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Santa Barbara County had just over 32,000 migratory and seasonal agricultural workers in 2017 — the most recent year for data — according to estimates…
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Update: 05/11/21 12:30p.m.San Luis Obispo Police have released the names of the officers involved in an active shooting incident on Monday, May…
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The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department has announced the county will move into the less restrictive orange tier of the COVID-19 tiered…
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County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong is asking voters to participate in his San Luis Obispo County 2021 Voter Survey so he can make recommendations, informed…
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The DJs at KCBX clearly love to explore and enthusiastically share new music. Here are some of their picks for the top albums and songs of 2020.Neal…
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Looking for festive entertainment during the holidays? KCBX has loads of music and spoken work programming for you. Many of our regular shows will feature…
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Update 6/16/20 10 a.m. All lanes of US Highway 101 are now reopened, although the northbound Avila Beach and Spyglass offramps remain closed. All…
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On this episode of Issues & Ideas, we hear from local winemaker Neil Collins, named 2019 “Person of the Year” by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.…