KRCU SUCCEEDS WITH FUND DRIVE, LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

Southeast Missouri State University's public radio station, KRCU, more than doubled its membership and raised $20,000 in its first week-long fund-raising campaign. This success demonstrates strong support for the local affiliate of National Public Radio.

The station has come a long way since its meager beginnings as a laboratory for broadcast students. The radio station still provides a learning experience for students, but its programming has become a staple for a growing community audience. It can be found at 90.9 on the FM dial. The station operates from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

For a number of years, the station signal reached only as far as Mount Auburn Road. But 14 months ago, the signal was upgraded to 6,000 watts. That means the station's broad offering of jazz, classical, opera, new age music, news and commentary outstretches some 30 miles. Bigger plans on the horizon may extend the signal even deeper into Southeast Missouri.

Station manager Jay Landers set the membership goal at 500, which was achieved. But he hopes to expand that active membership base to at least 1,000.

The local station receives just over $11,000 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is the least of any public station in Missouri. That is a fact they should be proud of. The bulk of its funding comes from the university.

Since its affiliation with NPR in November 1990, the station has provided a mix of local and national programming. The amount of local programming increases on the weekends.

The local fund-raising campaign comes at a time when federal funding for public broadcasting has come under fire. Some congressmen have criticized the liberal nature of some public broadcasting programming. But that is just surface posturing.

The real issue is the continued expenditure of federal dollars for both the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Public Broadcasting Service. Public television and radio are a part of today's information age. But the bulk of funding should be redirected to the local and regional levels as opposed to national coffers.

Local communities would be willing to support stations such as KRCU at a much higher rate if they knew the feds weren't picking up the tab.

This talk of cuts shouldn't be construed as an attack by Republicans on the notion of public broadcasting. The federal deficit is out of control, and sacrifices will have to be made in all areas to kick the red-ink habit. Costs will have to be shifted from the feds to the states and local areas.

Since 1967, the federal government has spent more than $3 billion in taxpayer dollars on PBS alone, which doesn't include $15 billion in state taxes. When PBS was launched in 1967, its budget was $5 million. Compare that to a budget of $1.8 billion today.

The face of television and radio have changed significantly since public broadcasting was created. Considerably more cultural and educational programming is available today.

KRCU and its staff should feel proud of this first week-long fund-raising effort. The station operates with two full-time broadcast professions and a staff of 14 students.

Landers hopes that with growing local support, the station can expand into local coverage of news events and debates. The community will no doubt welcome the station's efforts to grow and improve.