By NATALIE MARTIN

Voice of Vashon has secured call letters for its new FM station and will kick off a fundraiser to purchase equipment to set up the station.

“We’re going to get on the air; I believe it,” said Jean Bosch, the president of VoV. “After 14 years … this is the easy part.”

VoV learned earlier this year that it had been granted a permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to start an FM radio station on the island.

The nonprofit group recently secured call letters for that station, earning FCC approval to call the station KVSH.

Bosch said VoV’s board considered many different call letters. Some letter combinations, such as KVOV, weren’t available because other FM stations in the country already have them. The board voted on the final choice.

An AM station in the small town of Valentine, Nebraska, has the KVSH call letters. But since it is an AM station and therefore on a different radio band, Voice of Vashon was able to use the same letters, with the Valentine station’s permission.

Last week VoV also announced that it will kick off a fundraiser to bring in $50,000 to get the FM station on the air. The funds will go toward the purchase and installation of an FM antenna and transmitter, which will be installed atop Water District 19’s water tower near town. The money will also fund the purchase of other required equipment and additional start-up costs, such as training new volunteer contributors, according to VoV Vice President Rick Wallace.

The group will officially begin its fundraising on May 6, the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBig Day (for more on GiveBig, see page 5.)

Bosch said VoV plans to hold an event that day at Snapdragon to publicize its fundraiser and has a half-dozen private fundraisers planned for homes on Vashon in the next month.

Bosch said VoV has about a year to start the station but hopes to raise the funds by early summer, in time to begin construction of its antenna. She said VoV has already received a lot of positive feedback on the FM station and she has no doubt they will be able to raise the money.

“I’m very heartened and excited,” she said.

To donate to VoV, visit voiceofvashon.org/raisethetower.