A creative playlist and a unique DJ voice were once the essence of early FM radio music shows. Keeping that nearly-extinct tradition alive on alternate Wednesday afternoons is longtime KVMR broadcaster Connie Coale, whose sultry, low voice and preference for singer-songwriters has entertained listeners for 19 years.

"What I really like to present on my show is more music and less talk." Connie says. "I think listeners appreciate a long, uninterrupted set. It's rare on radio today. Hearing great music is one of the reasons we listen to KVMR, right?"

Ironically, Connie's distinctive voice (she was a 2004 KVMR Best Female Voice nominee) has nearly as many fans as the rock 'n' roll and folk-rock music she generally plays.

"It's natural. It's how I speak," she says with a shrug. "But people recognize it. I have had people on the street walking behind me and tap me on the shoulder and say 'Are you Connie Coale?' We laugh! Things like that blow me away."

Although she has one of KVMR's longest tenures as a broadcaster, Connie has been involved with KVMR just as long outside the broadcast booth. Her KVMR resumé includes co-editing (with husband Paul Harrar) the KVMR Program Guide in the early 1990s, helping produce the first nightLIVE! show and performing in an early nightLIVE! with the local band Changing Sky. She currently tends the houseplants in the station offices and regularly volunteers at KVMR events such as the Celtic Festival. She and her husband, whom she met at a 1991 nightLIVE!, are lifetime members of the station.

A native of New York, Connie moved to Berkeley with a Guild acoustic guitar in the late '70s and then to Nevada City in 1980. She remembers taking the KVMR broadcaster class because her then-husband John curiously seemed to be at the station all the time.

"I wanted to see what was so exciting about it," she recalls. "At that time, you could take the broadcaster class and secure a show immediately. She first had a 4-7 a.m. morning show, then a 1-4 p.m. slot she dubbed "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" that featured only women artists. Later, the show was named "One Size Fits All." Since 1992, she has alternated with Jenny and Jake Michaels on the Wednesday Music Magazine (4-6 p.m.).

As a broadcaster, she has a strong affinity for Australian and New Zealand rock acts such as Crowded House, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, Deborah Conway, Bic Runga. But she also remains a huge fan of legendary rock singer-songwriters such as David Crosby, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell. And she loves exposing listeners to newer talents like Jaqui Nayler, Gemma Hayes and Brigitte Demeyer.

"I like singer-songwriters who tell stories," she explains. "I love unique voices. I've always liked singing harmony, which was one of the things I did in the two bands I was in. Good vocals can carry a song. I prefer a voice and guitar over a big production." She often has local and touring musicians performing live on her show. Connie says she especially values the freedom she has to change her show to reflect her changing music tastes. As a wife, a mother of a 22-year-old recent college graduate, an artist, and a full-time teachercoordinator of the Nevada City Home Study Charter School, it hasn't always been easy to do her radio show. But she's grateful she never quit broadcasting because the friendships, education and the community spirit of KVMR has enriched her life immensely.

"Being involved as a broadcaster with KVMR has been one of the highlights of my life. It's a creative outlet for me. You're sharing who you are through your musical tastes and discover there are many people out there listening who share those interests. It's a very pleasant way to connect with people." she says. "I'm very proud to be part of a cultural institution that has enriched so many people's lives."

Tune in to Connie Coale on the Wednesday Music Magazine on alternate Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m