Pay it Forward: KWSO Radio keeps Warm Springs connected

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Sue Matters, station manager of KWSO Radio in Warm Springs, has received a $500 Pay it Forward award for her efforts to keep the local community informed.

The award is part of KTVZ's Pay it Forward program, which highlights individuals working to make Central Oregon a better place. The monthly program is sponsored by Mid-Oregon Credit Union and Dutch Bros Coffee of Central Oregon.

Lonnie Henderson, principal of the Warm Springs K-8 Academy, nominated Matters for the award. KWSO Radio maintains a strong partnership with the local school, where grade school students regularly visit the station to record daily “Eagle News” segments, allowing the community to hear local news in the voices of their own children.

As station manager, Matters focuses on providing comprehensive information access across various communication channels. In addition to its traditional radio broadcasts, KWSO operates an active website and maintains a presence on social media platforms to deliver news to area residents.

Matters explained the station's goal of serving as an essential news source for Warm Springs residents. “To be useful to the community, we try and give them information that there is no other delivery system for,” Matters said. “So and whether that's, you know, on the radio, we've got a pretty active website. We do social media, we try and share the same information across all those platforms because we are trying to meet people where they're at.”