Letter: Thank you Laura, KPIG founder

Just a posting about a loss that has nothing to do with politics, the environmental, pro or anti anything. Not about any vital or critical social relevant issues. But a thank you I want to share.

Yesterday Laura Ellen Hopper who in 1975, helped found KFAT in Gilroy, a free-form station notorious for its rejection of conservative radio conventions and founder of KPIG in Watsonville, died Monday from complications of lung cancer. She was 57.

KPIG championed emerging singer/song writers, emphasized artists who were often ignored by mainstream radio and provided career-making exposure to performers.

In my opinion, by far the best music and irreverent commercials on radio or the web.

Thank you Laura for providing the environment for endless escape hours for so many years to help get away from things that seem very important but in the big scheme don’t really matter that much. Your influence will be missed but your finger print will remain at ‘Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 7’ in SF.