Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files|

There it is – take it back! An interview with Benett Kessler

KCRW’s Madeleine Brand sat down with Benett Kessler, a resident of Independence, California and owner and founder of Sierra Wave Media. She says that the DWP is still the major player in…

  • Share
By Caitlin Shamberg • Nov 4, 2013 • 1 min read

KCRW’s Madeleine Brand sat down with Benett Kessler, a resident of Independence, California and owner and founder of Sierra Wave Media. She says that the DWP is still the major player in the Owens River Valley. “They virtually still continue to own all the business houses on Main Street and land under public facilities, churches, little league fields, that sort of thing,” she says. And, as she explains, the relationship between the people of the Ownes Valley and the DWP is, at it’s core, an unethical one. “The dynamic that we see here is really that of a colony. You see the mother country of Los Angeles with its dominant control, the Tories are the board of supervisors who are very reluctant to come up against DWP because of potential consequences, ” she says.

This post has been updated to reflect that Benett Kessler is the owner and founder of Sierra Wave Media.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Caitlin Shamberg

    KCRW

    News StoriesEnvironmentBusiness & Economy