KKFI 90.1 FM Community Radio Faced Hurdles and Seeks to Adapt to New Realities
Since serving on the KKFI board of directors for three-plus years I've witnessed a range of activities which indicate the station is moving in a positive and stable direction, but KKFI faces some serious challenges to remain relevant and grow, while staying true to it's mission.
It's not all bad news -- KDHX, the community radio sister station in St. Louis, is moving to a new building complete with a live performance stage and coffee shop to the tune of $3.25 million. This station started in 1987, one year before KKFI, and has a patchwork schedule much like KKFI, but with a major emphasis on music over public affairs. KFAI, the community radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, went through a controversy-free transition to a new Executive Director in August. And KNSJ (NSJ stands for "network for social justice"), a new community radio station in San Diego went on-air on July 4. Reading news about KNSJ reminded me of KKFI when it started 25 years ago.
Despite dwindling numbers of radio listeners, community radio is alive. 9000 new stations started in the last twenty-one years with non-commercial FM stations leading the charge. Some predict 1000 new low-power broadcast FM radio stations going online over the next few years as a result of the Local Community Radio Act of 2010.
What has KKFI done to ensure it is relevant, vibrant and growing?
I joined the KKFI board with an interest in supporting efforts at the station to raise money and promote on-air programs. I helped the station before going on-air in 1988 and a few years after with no interest in becoming a radio producer/programmer. I was lucky to join the board in 2010 after a significant change in operations; the station was recovering from a financial crisis brought on by an expensive move to it's present location and laying off nearly all of it's nine paid employees followed by the downturn in the economy.
The station still lives in the shadow of the housecleaning performed by a station manager in 2000-2001 and the financial crisis of 2008. The station came out of these crises leaner, for sure, and with a $40,000 contingency reserve. KKFI has maintained a stable income and expenses over the past three years and has replaced the original, aging radio transmitter at a cost of $150,000, redesigned it's website, completed strategic planning and celebrated it's 25th year on-air. The station offered some special programming in partnership with the KC Public Library in 2009-2010, a national radio broadcast of the Homelessness Marathon in 2011 and airs special election coverage during national elections. Definitely cause to celebrate and take a breath.
Where is the innovation on special programs or the programming schedule?
The all-volunteer programming committee meets to discuss minor programming changes, as well as considers new show applications. It’s difficult to introduce major conceptual changes to the program schedule -- ideas that might bring in new voices or innovative programming -- when KKFI’s programming represents a “community access” model, where each programmer maintains a “license” to their program slot.
Community access television provided opportunities for countless organizations to maintain a broadcast voice through mandates established by local governments. These organizations in most cases owed no debt -- financially or in volunteer labor -- to the television studio as do many community radio stations.
Does the community-access radio model provide too high of a hurdle to change programming?
KKFI struggles with running the radio station with volunteers -- operating without a station manager or executive director is difficult for a non-profit organization. The paid staff members -- full-time Development Director, Senior Traffic Operator, Special Events/Volunteer Coordinator and Underwriting Representative -- operate with integrity and pride in community radio. Each time I work with staff I am reminded of the amount of time and effort each person contributes to running a smooth operation, pledge drives, band auction, online holiday auction, among other events and activities. They are over-worked.
It's no surprise that we can't expect any more work from the paid staff.
Where are the models where community media is working?
Many non-commercial media organizations have made important, strategic changes. Aside from operating a community radio station KDHX focuses on community media, operates a live performance stage, operated a public-access TV station for 25 years, and organizes three annual film competitions. Denver Open Media puts "the power of the media in the hands of the community" and works to "close the digital divide" by conducting dozens of classes for media production, while operating a community-access television station. Perhaps the most exciting initiative in KKFI's 25-year lifetime is the prospect of 1000 new non-commercial radio stations coming online throughout the U.S., in large part due to the advocacy and work of Prometheus Radio Project.
Aside from occasional programming changes, what new or innovative service does the station offer the community?
The KKFI strategic planning committee developed a new vision aligned to the realities of KKFI and its community, then built a detailed plan, which includes finding resources and developing a timeline. The plan largely focuses on a continued stable financing and improvements to the programming.
This plan (PDF format) provides the deliberative process and cover to make changes necessary to face the future. KKFI considers the work of the strategic planning committee as “step 1” in the process and will continue to focus on developing a vision worthy of the great city we live in, a vision for a community media out like KKFI that is worthy of the times and focused on the problems and reality of our community.
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