CAN NATION AFFORD NOT TO HAVE CPB?

In our community and region, public radio is available from facilities licensed to Southeast Missouri State University. Like other public radio stations throughout the United States, KRCU serves the area with an array of programming unavailable anywhere else on the AM or FM bands. With classical music, jazz, classically influenced contemporary music, news and information, and other educational and entertaining programs, KRCU is unique. For listeners seeking an alternative to the traditional radio formats of country or rock music, talk, sports, and sound-bite news, public radio co-exists in our community, neither challenging nor being challenged by commercial radio.

Our country has public broadcasting services in order to keep alive the fine arts and cultural traditions of America and other nations. Through the public radio news and feature programs offered, citizens are able to explore and become more fully informed about this shrinking planet.

The point is that all of us have ownership in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, because it receives appropriations from Congress. The entrepreneurial spark that has made America so great is nowhere more evident than in this process of having a matching source such as CPB provide supplemental seed money to local stations such as KRCU.

CPB is important in the development of public broadcasting stations. KRCU has only been able to qualify for two modest matching grants from CPB in the last two years: $12,500 and $11,429 respectively. These funds are immediately applied toward the program acquisition costs of KRCU's annual affiliation with National Public Radio and the distribution and interconnection fee required for the station's use of its satellite programming equipment. We're sure KRCU listeners will recognize these familiar programs in the schedule: "Morning Edition," "Performance Today," "Bob and Bill," "All Things Considered," "The Radio Reader" and "Car Talk." These programs are available to KRCU listeners because of the supplemental money provided by CPB.

KRCU's 6,000-watt signal, which extends 30 miles in a coverage area now bounded by Perryville, Sikeston and Marble Hill, is on the air today, celebrating its first anniversary of sole service to the area, because of congressional appropriations to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Public Broadcasting Facilities Program. KRCU received a matching grant award of $121,000 in 1989. That funding source began the multiyear process to achieve the broadcast signal and programming KRCU listeners enjoy today. It is important to note here that the local match for this federal grant was met through the generosity of many private citizens including members of this board, corporate grants and university appropriations, which will be repaid through the fund-raising efforts of KRCU.

KRCU meets all of the qualifying CPB criteria, with the notable exception of a minimum number of full-time professional staff, in order to receive additional annual supplemental funds. KRCU has grown steadily into a broadcast service managed by career professionals and which provides employment opportunities for students at Southeast Missouri State University. The station is developing a base of corporate underwriting and listener support too.

Remember, there are no commercials on KRCU. The lion's share of KRCU's operating money will eventually come from the community. In other words, for every $5 KRCU raises, it could receive an additional dollar of federal support. We think this is a very successful public-private partnership.

The questions becomes: Can our nation afford NOT to have a CPB? Federal funds have provided the incentive to make KRCU what it is today. Public radio contributes to the climate of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri in the same ways as do our public school system, the availability of medical professionals and health care, an excellent university and business growth and development. KRCU is a good tool to sell the community and improve our quality of life.

We believe the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a legitimate and valuable agency that deserves to receive continued public support through federal funds.

Members of the KRCU 90.9 FM Community Advisory Board are Judy Thorpe, Dr. Dan Cotner, Barbara Herbert, John Janssen, Dr. Alan Journet, Kent Miller, Judy Williams and Jennifer Weiskopf.