Karen Impola

Karen hosts KUNI's "Folk Music" every Saturday night from 8:00 p.m  - 10:00 p.m. on Iowa Public Radio's WOI 90.1 FM, and "Live from Studio One" every Monday night at 7:00 p.m.

Email: Karen Impola.

Phone: 319-273-6463 or 1-800-772-2440, ext. 36463

Listen to a WAV file
 

Take 5 Profile with Karen Impola:

A little about Karen:
I'm a third-generation Finnish-American.  I was born in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but spent most of my childhood in upstate New York. Maybe because there was a strong sense of ethnic identity in my family, I've always been interested in folk music and folk traditions. When they weren't listening to polkas and schottisches, my parents played Judy Collins and Pete Seeger records. My brothers brought home the first few Beatles and Rolling Stones albums when they came out, and later on groups like Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band. It all rubbed off on me.

I went to college in the Philadelphia area, and lived there until coming to Iowa in 1990. I've since put down roots here: I married an Iowa native, and we have two children. We also have a dog, a cat, and a bunch of ducks and chickens, and our garden covers more square feet than our house.

 What is your favorite NPR/PRI program?
Do I have to pick just one?  It's probably A Prairie Home Companion. I've been listening to it for years, but since moving to the Midwest I appreciate it even more.

 Why/how did you get into radio?
During my teenage years, I spent a lot of time in my room listening to the radio. It was the early 1970's, the era of free-form FM rock radio. I couldn't imagine a better job than that: being able to choose what you wanted to hear out of thousands of records.

When I got to college, the one thing I knew I wanted to do was work at the campus radio station. My first show was at 6:00 a.m., and it was a ten-watt station, so I wasn't nervous; I figured there was probably no one listening except my roommate.

Toward the end of college, I started volunteering at WXPN in Philadelphia. At the time, nearly everyone there was a volunteer.  I worked with many different kinds of music there: American folk, Celtic music, electronic/space music, and world music . . . I started thinking about my announcing style, and I also learned a lot about radio production, how to edit tape and mix different sound sources together. Eventually I got a job as a production assistant on Fresh Air from WHYY. Then I saw an ad for what looked like my dream job, here at KUNI, so I applied - and I got it!

What is your most memorable moment with KUNI/KHKE?
Back before we had a website to post playlists on, a couple once wrote to me and asked for a list of what I'd played on a certain day. They had been listening to the folk show while the woman was in labor and wanted to know what music was playing when their child was born.

Another time I played a request for someone who was in hospice and very near the end of his life. I later got a letter from one of his caregivers describing how he had responded to the music at a time when he was responding to very little else.

It's amazing to realize how the music I play on the air can touch people's lives.

What do you do for fun?
I like to garden, ride my bike, sing and play music.

What, in your opinion, is the best aspect of KUNI/KHKE?
The best thing about working here is the freedom that I have to explore new (and old) music and share it with the audience. Plus, I can wear sneakers and t-shirts to work.