Community Advisory Meeting: Dec. 5 '05

On the evening of Monday Dec. 5, listeners came to the SPR offices to look around, talk about job and volunteer opportunities that may arise, and asked the SPR managers about programming issues. The event was postponed from Dec. 1 because of a snowstorm. Visitors were treated to personal tours of the SPR offices and studios, with holiday goodies and Craven’s Coffee. Thanks to event donors Sayre & Sayre, Attorneys at Law.

General Manager Dick Kunkel, KPBX PD Verne Windham, and KSFC PD Doug Nadvornick, Operations Manager Brian Flick, and Board Chair Merilee Frets answered as many questions as possible during the hour-long live phone-in. The comments stimulate everyone at Spokane Public Radio, Kunkel says.
"It's invigorating to have people call and come forward, even to hear comments that say we're not doing something right."

Listen to the Audio, download, or read the summary of the topics below. If you have additional comments, send them to us at kpbx@kpbx.org

When the KPBX or KSFC audio is down on the radio, so is the internet stream. Can we put it on a separate feed so the internet can stay on?
Until recently, we haven't had the bandwidth to send our signal directly through the board to an internet server. Because of economic factors, our best way to provide streaming audio was to have our online partner, Argia, tune a radio to each station. Many stations do streaming that way. But over the past weeks, we've gotten a bandwidth increase to feed our signal directly to Argia. After this question was asked, Argia's Technical Staff called to say yes it's very possible in the near future.

When do you get a day off? It sounds like your staff is always on the air.
Thanks to the 'magic' of digital recording, we are able to keep our voices at the studios when we're not there. This is particularly true of underwriting announcements on KSFC. But Spokane Public Radio is one of the few remaining radio organizations maintaining a live, local staff.

What's the status of public radio and politics? Are we guarding our public forum?
The federal act creating public radio also established a private, non-profit corporation specifically to distribute money to public television and radio, to act as a firewall between politics and the airwaves. In the recent year or two, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has suffered from an extremely political situation - details are online at kpbx.org. We don't know if public broadcasting will ever totally be devoid of politics, but the majority of Americans believe public radio is. In the most recent surveys, public radio and television are still called the most trusted source of news and information. But the more divisive politics get in America, the more we'll see public funding for public radio as a battleground.

Can we in Sandpoint get a signal for KSFC?
Since KPBX rebroadcasts at 92.1 on KIBX in Bonners Ferry, it is difficult for any listeners in Sandpoint to catch the 91.9 signal from Spokane (it's best in the south end of Sandpoint away from large buildings). Getting a translator for KSFC presents technical and economic challenges. We would need the FCC's cooperation in finding an open frequency, and a translator location that could pick up the original KSFC signal without being overpowered by KIBX. We are heartened by our support in the Sandpoint area, and we'll continue to search for a solution.

How about KSFC in Coeur d'Alene? Or the Spokane Valley?
A radio signal works by line of sight. The KSFC tower is located at Nine Mile Falls. Some areas like the Rathdrum Prairie are blocked by the hills. Besides the challenge of the hills on the border, Coeur d'Alene has the added challenge of the KPBX translator, which broadcast on 91.9 long before we acquired KSFC. Expanding the KSFC signal is a priority, but the technical challenges are hard to overcome.

Will you broadcast Democracy Now with Amy Goodman?
KSFC Program Director Doug Nadvornick has not listened to much of the program in recent years, and says he will give Ms. Goodman's program another listen. As News Director, he has a dislike of programs where he perceives the host has a political agenda, unless a quality radio program with an opposing agenda can balance it out on our own airwaves. An impassioned appeal by a listener pressed the point that the opposing agenda is heard frequently in commercial radio. Dick Kunkel pointed out that it does air in the immediate Spokane area already on KYRS. Podcasts, streaming audio, and archives are also available online.

How about Doctor Science?
No.

We used to hear neat radio plays. Can we hear a return of any of them?
NPR used to provide a steady stream of material for stations, but that easy source is now gone. The material we could get is so sporadic that we no longer have a regular slot to hear radio drama. We would be more tempted to air it if we found a reliable source of "good" material. Another dilemma is the large amount of awful radio drama out there. We have tried to do radio drama in the past, but it takes an incredible amount of time to produce ourselves. Then we have the problem of finding what show to take off the air in favor of this program.

Can we hear an eclectic music show, mixing the genres of American music?
An eclectic music show is very difficult. Our specialty programs are the result of an individual with a passion for their particular genre, some expertise. An eclectic music host requires someone with many specialties. All those with program ideas generally have to persevere by twisting our arm for six months, going through radio tests, and proving they can do great radio on a regular basis. Again, there's also the challenge of taking something else off the air.

How about independent and alternative music?
It's a hard question to ask when the music of certain genres excludes other people. We're nervous about expanding into even more styles in the fear of being a jack of all trades and master of none. We gage the demand, and you can certainly keep asking.

I loved volunteering for you, but I can't climb the stairs anymore. Are you ever going to move to a new building?
There are certainly many reasons to move, including the steep stairs leading to the studios and offices. The board of directors and station staff are working together to think the possibilities through. It's extraordinarily expensive to move a radio station, and we would need a big fundraising campaign. We are examining the options carefully.

During the pledge drive, it was more interesting knowing that news costs the station $500 a day. Can we know more about the station's finances?
We are releasing some year-end figures and pie charts to show some income and expenditures information. We talk about how to make donating relevant to listeners, and we'll work on some of those ideas (such as how much a minute of Prairie Home Companion costs). If you have more ideas about what would encourage you to pledge, jot them down send them to us at kpbx@kpbx.org.