Just three years ago, the station received $170,000 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; in 2010, it was cut to $123,000. And this year, the station will receive less than $92,000 — about a 55 percent decrease in funding, according to a story by Katherine Warren at telluridenews.com.
As a result of the dwindling CPB funds KOTO has had to make deep cuts. Last month the San Miguel Educational Fund, KOTO’s board of directors, decreased the station’s news staff to just one and cut Kennedy’s pay.
At the end of July, reporter/producer Annie Pizey, will no longer work for the station and news director Stephen Barrett will be a one-man team, which could mean a less-than-daily local news production.
“That’s just the beginning of cuts that they think they’ll have to do,” Kennedy said. He said other pay and benefits cuts are on the table but are not yet being implemented.
Kennedy hopes the cuts won’t be permanent.
KOTO is one of just six public radio stations in the United States that does not accept underwriting, another reason for its budget woes. But the idea of accepting underwriting is not completely off-limits.
Kennedy said the station will soon distribute a survey to members asking if online or on-air underwriting would be acceptable.
Read More.
No comments:
Post a Comment