By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
Like most public radio listeners, I don't particularly enjoy radio fund drives, those long, irregularly scheduled program interruptions when broadcasting staff plead for open wallets to keep them on the air.
But as monotonous as these drives might sometimes be, I can see the reasons backing them up. I also understand that without stations that rely on public funds I'd have to turn the dial north into the for-profit neighborhood of really annoying – and annoyingly frequent – radio advertisements.
A few years back my hatred for pre-canned DJ-speak and sterile music pumped in from a studio in L.A. led me to KYRS Thin Air Community Radio (92.3 FM), a fresh, non-commercial station with custom-made programming for the local community.
But before this column becomes some sort of sneaky endorsement, it's time to fess up with a full disclosure – I much prefer blatant sponsorship, anyhow. Since 2008 I've been a volunteer at KYRS although, because of my typically messy schedule, I do my weekly duty online and rarely see the station itself, which is located in downtown Spokane.
What initially came on air in October of 2003 with a dozen local programs is seven years later a station with 62 local shows produced and supported by more than 150 volunteers.
“There's nothing else like KYRS on Spokane radio now,” KYRS station manager Lupito Flores said. “It's a gem for the community, you can't hear this stuff anywhere else.”
Lately, I've been following the station's fundraising efforts with uncharacteristic interest, listening in to occasional on air funding requests to help KYRS go full power with a signal boost from 100 to 6,500 watts. Flores said the new signal will give added service to 205,000 people and reach about 24,000 others who currently have no access to non-commercial radio.
It darn near makes my ears bleed imagining those poor listeners huddled around radios that only emit a racket of wacky morning guy blather followed by the same top ten hit music tunes throughout the day – regularly punctuated by ads, of course.
Last year the Federal Communications Commission awarded KYRS a highly competitive permit to build the full power station. Around the same time the station received a federal grant to cover 75 percent of the construction cost of a new 70-foot tower, which will be located on a mountain top 40 miles north of Spokane in Valley, Wash.
Flores said the grant money is much appreciated, but it requires at least $63,000 in local matching funds, $45,000 of which has been raised so far. The remainder has to be collected fast lest the whole opportunity is blown.
“The grant doesn't expire until March of 2011, but the tower's location at 5,800 feet means we have to get the money to build before then because of snow,” Flores said. The Department of Natural Resources, which will lease the land to KYRS, has indicated winter weather is expected by the second week in November.
If the station does reach the $63,000 mark and the tower is built, there will be much rejoicing – Flores said a big bash to flip the switch has tentatively been planned for mid-November – but KYRS can't stop there. “We actually need to raise $100,000 because just raising the $63,000 will get everything built but it won't provide for keeping things going,” he said.
This means myself and other KYRS listeners can expect a few calls for cash over the next few months – a necessary, and very welcome, interruption if it means keeping the station strong.
For more information on KYRS or to help in their efforts to go full power call 747-3012 or visit http://www.kyrs.org.
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