Foundation Journal

Seems simple enough -- a broadcast radio outlet tries out a new medium like video. Several area radio stations have wandered into the video world with varying success and for various reasons as outlined here. Since the stations -- 96.5 The Buzz , a commercial station; KKFI 90.1 FM , a community station, 90.9 The Bridge , an affiliate of KCPT-TV; and KDHX 88.1 in St. Louis -- all rely on advertising, underwriting, or listener donations for support, so one reason for delving into video is to attract more "paying customers" to their radio broadcasts. Another reason is to connect with people in social media spaces they prefer, especially around music. Any media outlet paying attention to trends in radio and social media would be well-advised to tap into new media in order to maintain their financial base. The problem with this approach is that listeners have many alternative outlets -- for example, Pandora or Apple's newer streaming radio service -- for their listeni...

Social and new media pivots around simple concepts -- such as "try out new tools, even at the risk of failing." For KKFI 90.1 FM community radio, which devotes so much energy to creating traditional broadcast media, all produced by volunteer programmers, there's no time for testing the waters of media innovation. But try is what they've done recently -- and not once, but twice. KKFI recently purchased equipment to broadcast live audio events from a remote site, and tried it out at the 2014 Folk Alliance International conference held in Kansas City, Missouri, February 19-22, 2014. With the help of videographer Rick Groom the station also live video-streamed seven hours of music performances. I am going to tell you about how the station video-streamed the performances. The radio station had several options to live stream the video , but chose YouTube Live Events as the outlet. The choice made sense because KKFI already had a YouTube Channel with 39 videos, 12,000 v...

On September 30, 2013 KKFI 90.1 FM, a community radio in Kansas City operating for over 25 years, rolled out a way for listeners to follow archived shows using a simple, common approach. This article outlines the steps for other radio stations to do the same. Despite the trend of decreasing subscribers to printed newspapers there is still   strong interest in radio listening , though as many as 40% of people now choose a digital device instead of an AM/FM radio. The station realized that to connect with listeners we needed to move radio content to digital spaces like the website and podcast outlets. KKFI has for some time streamed the live radio signal to the Internet, enabling computer and mobile listeners to tune in from these devices. But many listeners asked for access to copies of the public affairs shows after the original broadcast. The radio station used a combination of paid and donated labor to develop an efficient and low-cost way to archive radio programs, in fac...

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...

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. Th...

Prometheus Radio Project, the leading advocate and organizer for community-based low-power FM radio stations, echoed the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announcement that the deadline for applications has been extended until November 14. The Local Community Radio Act of 2010 promises to enable hundreds of community organizations to start FM radio stations with a short broadcasting range. Organizers at the Prometheus Radio Project have  assisted 1000 groups with the application process , including groups focused on "environmental protection, veterans' issues, serving immigrant and diaspora communities, healthcare access, and cultural preservation."

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. For those of you with your ear tuned to the community radio world all is not calm in the world of community radio -- WBAI, one of five Pacifica Radio Network stations, laid off 19 of 29 employees last month as a step to fix it's $3 million debt; WPFW, the Washington DC-based Pacifica station, has seen a large drop in listeners and has been working to correct "six-figure deficits;" KBOO in Portland is in the middle of a nasty public dispute ; and Pacifica announced recently that Free Speech Radio News may be shutting operations due to a financial crisis at the radio network. In the public radio sphere National Public Radio announced last week that it is seeking to reduce it's ...

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...

An article this week in the Kansas City Star reminded readers that government funding for public broadcasting outlets is not a sure thing. The loss of public funding can impact locally-produced shows and programming quality. For community radio stations like KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City that receive no government funding for their daily operating budget this is a small consolation. The good news is that KKFI is sustaining its 70 local programs through donations from listeners, but it's not easy.  Map of state funding cuts to public media (2008-2012).  Source: On the Chopping Block: State Budget Battles and the Future of Public Media, freepress.net, November 2011 Most Kansas City area public and community media outlets like KKFI, KCUR-FM 89.3 and KCPT-TV get the overwhelming majority of the funding from non-government sources, but still "small government" advocates like Kansas Governor Sam Brownback argue for killing all government funding of public media. ...

Susan Crawford, author of  Captive Audience , o utlines a situation where large telecommunications companies have divided up the digital landscape, making it extremely expensive, especially for low-income families. She discusses the digital divide expanding because large rural areas are without Internet access and low-income families are unable to afford the access. She makes an argument for a public-private initiative with some regulation to develop high-speed, affordable Internet access similar to the rural electrification act during the Roosevelt administration of the 1930’s.  Instead of ensuring that everyone in America can compete in a global economy, instead of narrowing the divide between rich and poor, instead of supporting competitive free markets for American inventions that use information--instead, that is, of ensuring that America will lead the world in the information age--U.S. politicians have chosen to keep Comcast and its fellow giants happy. She disc...

KKFI 90.1 FM is significantly different from other area radio stations and programs that have a community focus, and this is the reason why I support the community radio station.  What makes KKFI different is that the hosts of several shows are active members of communities tapping into their networks or communities at a different level -- artists making art, musicians creating music, activists molding social action. Several radio shows on the KKFI feature topics and guests that are anchored in our local community, like "Eco Radio KC," produced by Steve Mann, active in the urban farming movement. And several music shows allow musicians to discuss and perform their music. In some cases the program host is a musician, like jazz musician Jeff Harshbarger, host of Jazz Afternoon on Wednesdays. Hosts of public affairs programs interview local government officials, community organization representatives, and activists for a variety of causes. One example, the "...

During KKFI's September 19 celebration recognizing the new transmitter, the Kansas City Star 's Aaron Barnhart relished the station's new accomplishment. He recalled KKFI's recent track record of the station: a couple failed efforts to retain a station manager, a difficult financial period, but standing tall amongst an economic downturn with leaner operations and solid listener support. He noted that KKFI's new transmitter fulfilled the need to upgrade our "physical infrastructure" but encouraged the station to focus on "human infrastructure." He reflected on how WWOZ in New Orleans was able to distinguish itself as the caretaker of that city's Jazz music and heritage, suggesting KKFI could better serve its' listeners through a strategic plan that sets a new vision for the future. But putting the ideas and future aside for a while, the 40 KKFI 90.1 FM supporters, volunteers, engineers, and staff clearly enjoyed the moment as they ce...