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Our translator station serving St. Francis and Cheyenne County at 96.3 FM is off the air due to an air conditioning breakdown at its leased transmitter site, making it too hot for HPPR's equipment to operate. We are currently working to fix the situation. We apologize for the loss of service and ask listeners to tune to KZNK at 90.1 FM or listen on line through the player above or HPPR's mobile app.

The Week on Songbirds

High Plains Public Radio | By Valarie Smith
Published March 23, 2018 at 9:59 AM CDT

This week on Songbirds,  host Valarie Smith shares the peculiar way she was introduced to the music of Patty Griffin.  Enjoy a little spoken word about stepping stones, right before we sink like a stone to The Bottom of the Sea with Sean McConnell.   We'll join Anais Mitchell with Why We Build The Wall and welcome the music of Martin Gilmore to the HPPR airwaves.   All that and much more this week on Songbirds, Saturdays at 1.
HPPR Arts, Culture & History
Valarie Smith
As an avid world traveler and galivanter, Valarie never lost sight of which way was home. A Native to Western Kansas, she has been pursuing a life long career in the many forms of expressive arts including radio, photography, videography, graphics and design. Graduating from Western State College with a bachelors in Art, Valarie once again returns to percolate her love for High Plains Public Radio. Involved with HPPR since 2006, an inquiry about a drive way moment landed her a position as local host of Weekend Edition. Having worn many hats at HPPR, from Director of Development to regional program producer, Valarie is perhaps most known as the host of Songbirds, a one-hour folk show that concluded in 2025. However, she often leans in to cover the mic on High Plains Morning, sits in during HPPR Radio Readers Book Club events, and she's a regular during HPPR Membership Drives. Valarie now keeps quite busy as an in-demand mental health counselor, so stay tuned for more wonderful developments with this High Plains hero.
See stories by Valarie Smith