When Hubbard Radio launched 98.9 KPNW Seattle in February 2023, it was the first new major market commercial Triple A station in 15 years. (The last, in 2008, was another Paragon client, Emmis WRXP New York City.) KPNW is a hyper-local music discovery station featuring iconic local DJs John Fisher and Marco Collins. The playlist at “Seattle’s Home For Music Lovers” is huge (2500+ songs!) with cutting edge new music (Yves Tumor, Boy Genius, Wet Leg), a large dose of local music (New Pornographers, SYML, Brittany Davis), and iconic Seattle bands (Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Modest Mouse). Unorthodox promotions are the rule at KNPW, such as free spotlights of independent record stores that urge listeners to shop in local neighborhoods. Paragon’s behind-the-scenes accounting of the launch was followed by an Inside Radio interview of VP/Market Manager Trip Reeb and Director of Content Scott Mahalick.
