Foundation Journal

Community media outlets like KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City have thrived for decades, maintaining a well-established broadcast model: high-quality studio sound broadcast to a wide geographic area serving the "community." Non-profit community radio station like KKFI, along with college radio and small commercial radio stations keep costs low by renting small studios and operating with few paid employees. These stations attract small audiences but differentiate themselves by focusing on community issues, music and culture. This focus is what defines community media, along with -- in the case of community radio -- maintaining cooperative ownership, not corporate ownership. Community radio operators always knew that "community" was more than a geographic region; it was the various cultural, ethnic, social and artistic communities for which locally-produced radio shows target. KKFI has local radio shows by or directed to African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and immigrant

Three options to provide low-cost or free mobile phone and broadband service have crossed my desk recently. These service plans described below are available for people with a low-income or are trying to save money. Low-income individuals and families strive to stay connected in order to communicate with friends and families, as well as interact with organizations and businesses to support their livelihood. One of the skills for those people seeking jobs, includes communicating with potential employees using an Internet-connected computer to fill out applications and by phone to arrange interviews. Persistent access to a phone and an Internet-connected computer is a minimum requirement for most people to land a job. But with the annual cost for a mobile phone on average at $600 and the annual cost for home-based broadband Internet service between $480 and 665 in Missouri , a person with a low income may find it difficult to seek employment, connect with their social network or par

The promise of dozens of new low-power FM (LPFM) community radio stations is coming true. The spirit of many full-power stations like KKFI 90.1 FM is evident in the pronouncements of many of the stations. Ann Arbor (Michigan) Community Radio hopes to start broadcasting by end of 2014 . The station is gearing up "to promote greater on-air diversity as well as support for local voices and independent music on the airwaves of 'Tree Town, USA'". The station is also working to include independent news, cultural and music programming, as well as serve as a "learning outlet for local students interested in pursuing careers in media and broadcasting." Another group in Michigan one hour from Ann Arbor should have their new LPFM station on-air in the Fall of 2014. The new station will serve the area around Addison Community Schools with "educational and occupational" programming, along with broadcasting local sporting events in a 3.5 mile range. Radi

REC Networks in partnership with Prometheus Radio Project and Common Frequency have advocated for and guided applications for new Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations. LPFM is not new, having helped college and university radio stations for decades, like KCSW-LP on the campus of Culver-Stockton College in northeast Missouri, KDMC (RAGE 103.7) at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, KHBL in Hannibal, and student-run  KZLX on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. Now that the FCC application filing deadline has passed, people can look forward to new radio stations from the several thousand applications filed, including 52 applications in Missouri and 35 in Kansas . Communities through the two-state area can look forward to the broadcast medium coming, including the following organizations. One of the most remarkable application was by the Mutual Musicians Foundation in Kansas City. Prometheus helped them with their application. The organiz

Incredibly, a bi-partisan effort in the Missouri state house of representatives proposes a bill to block SNAP recipients from purchasing energy drinks in Missouri House Bill 1283. Missouri State Rep and bill sponsor Keith English went further when he accused poor people of reselling the energy drinks in a KCTV5 news report . Is there fraud in the food stamps business? Yes, people and small businesses are involved small-time abuse of food stamps, but fraud and corruption is much more costly in other government-regulated programs that favor large multi-national companies, like the $62 million settlement case against military contractor Northrup Grumman and $10.5 against Lockheed Martin  and post-Katrina by government officials and charities . Calls to control food items purchased with SNAP are widespread, like from Time's Christopher Matthews asks "Why would barring junk food be functionally different than barring alcohol?" Many people commenting on the KCTV5 r

Just when you thought you heard all the ways Missouri legislators and the governor have made life worse for poor people they pull another one out of the hat. This last move spells trouble for housing projects for homeless people . The trend over time has caused more despair for low-income and working poor people in Missouri. Here is a list of six ways that have Missouri officials have found to increase poverty for people in the state. 1. Make it difficult to obtain food assistance. In a supposed effort to improve the food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) and public welfare application process, the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Missouri plans to consolidate 114 family support offices throughout the state . The state also removed an online application, making it more difficult for individuals and agencies to apply on behalf of individuals. While state officials have noted a drop in unemployment and food stamp participation, anti-poverty