Foundation Journal

JCTV community TV station in Jefferson City reported today some good news about the status of city funding on their Facebook Page : "We are pleased to announce that the City Council's budget committee voted to restore $55,000 to the budget for JCTV. The budget will go before the full Council for adoption Tuesday. Though this is good news, our work is far from over, as $55,000 is only one-third of our regular operating budget. But we are committed to providing public access television services to the community." Perhaps what made the difference to save funding for the community TV is the public pressure, including a huge turnout from Lincoln University students and a strong appeal from NAACP Jefferson City chapter president Nimrod Chapel.

A KMOU TV report also discussed the funding question in a August 3 report -- see video below. And a  KRCG 13 report on August 26 mentioned the city council was still deliberating the funding question, and rescheduled budget vote.

The News Tribune reported today that Jeff City residents and Lincoln University administrators, including Lincoln University President Kevin Rome, asked Jefferson City council members to continue funding JCTV , the community TV station serving that area. The city is considering cutting the $110,000 funding to the station as reported by KRCG TV13. Rome sees the importance of JCTV for the university when he said  “I would like to see that relationship grow and flourish,” Rome said. “When you invest in Lincoln University, you invest in the community.” The station does not seem to be doing any groundbreaking investigative reporting -- a recent episode of "Missouri River Regional Library Show" focused on quilting and fiber arts. However, t he station's programming does include about 30% educational programs , according to JCTV station manager Gloria Enloe.  And JCTV airs recordings of Jefferson City council meetings and planning and zoning meetings, which addresses the

KKFI 90.1 FM has been on-air now for 25 years. And while founders and long-time on-air programmers and DJs marvel at the station's longevity and distant turmoil, the station continues to measure itself against the wonderful promise of community radio. As a board member for KKFI since 2010 I was interested in exploring what defines community radio. During a lunch recognizing Rick Groom for his volunteer photography work for KKFI, he shared his history in media work. As a long-time phone repairman he wanted to switch careers, bridging his photography studies at the Art Institute of Atlanta. He started his media career in television and video by volunteering to work at a community access TV studio for American Cablevision (now Time Warner) in the early 1990s. Now as a video replay operator for major sports events, he’s active in producing high quality video, but still connects with community and public media. His first impression of KKFI as community radio was that it operated in

A low-cost, public-funded community television outlet is under attack by Jefferson City, Missouri legislators. News about its possible demise surfaced in news reports in February. An article in the Jefferson City News-Tribune indicated that the media outlet will stop broadcasting unless the city provides $55,000 in funding or another institution like Lincoln University picks up the operation of the station. The station produces local programs like "Community Connection" and "Missouri Viewpoints," which provides a "community service...that helps you know what's happening with local government and also gives a voice to those that would not otherwise be heard." Unless there's a particular reason for closing the station it seems in good practice to have a monitor of local government, especially in the Missouri state capital of Jefferson City. Some opinions on the topic argue that the city is not facing a financial crisis and supports continuatio

Comcast announced the expansion of a low-cost broadband Internet service for low-income families yesterday. The service, labeled "Internet Essentials," provides a five-megabit per second high-speed connection for $9.95 per month, the option to purchase a $149.99 computer, and free training classes. The service is available to families with at least one child eligible for the National School Lunch Program , which provides free or low-cost school lunches. Comcast was required to develop this low-cost Internet service as a result of it's acquisition of NBC. A similar "Starter Internet" offering from Time Warner discussed on this blog  was announced with much fanfare from KCK and KCMO mayors last November. The $10 Time Warner offering expired in January 2013, but provided the service and a low-cost computer to eligible families participating in the same school lunch program. Comcast has some additional requirements which may limit eligibility for the service li

While the "Moral Mondays" movement in North Carolina may not list the renewal of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP or Food Stamps) as one of the group's concerns you can bet this group would press for removing cuts to the Federal food assistance programs. Hunger advocates who advocate for full funding of the SNAP program in the Farm Bill may benefit by taking a page from the Moral Mondays movement, which has been making lots of noise. National and state legislators like those in North Carolina, Kansas and Missouri have reacted so severely to programs that provide services for low-income and poor people that many could lose unemployment benefits, health services, or food assistance. One way you can make a difference is to press your U.S. representative or senator to fully-fund the SNAP program. With legislators back in their home districts there may be opportunity to meet in-person with the legislators. Brett Weisel, Director for Advocacy