The following is an editorial message from Mark Smith, general manager of KASU, the public media service of Arkansas State University:
KASU listeners, along with local and statewide media, have been asking me about proposed federal budget cuts to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the potential impact this could have on KASU.
This year, KASU is celebrating 68 years of public service to Jonesboro and northeast Arkansas. Since 1957, KASU has provided informative, educational, and entertaining programming from the campus of Arkansas State University.
KASU provides local and regional news, plus a variety of locally hosted music programs. KASU also provides hands-on experience and training for A-State students. Since 1957, thousands of students have been involved in various aspects of KASU’s operation, gaining valuable experience not only in news writing and reporting, production editing, studio announcing and music hosting, but also in marketing and promotion, social media, and strategic communication.
KASU’s operational funding is provided by four sources: Arkansas State University, our listeners, local underwriters, and the CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
When the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 was enacted, it created the CPB to offer funding for public media stations like KASU, to provide content and services that educate and inform. To qualify to receive CPB funds, KASU must meet yearly requirements, including being fiscally responsible, providing significant public service programming, and meeting a variety of legal, managerial, staffing, and operational criteria. For many public radio and TV stations, CPB is a lifeline for station programming and operations.
On average, KASU receives about 20-percent of its annual operating budget from the CPB, and those funds pay for popular programs from National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange, and the WFMT Radio Network.
In addition to providing funding for basic operations and services, the CPB also negotiates music rights agreements with various agencies on behalf of KASU and other public media across the country. These agreements allow music publishers to compensate songwriters for their work. Without this service, each station would have to negotiate these agreements individually, at the cost of thousands of dollars. The music rights agreements negotiated by CPB allow public media across the country to share the unique music and culture that is a hallmark of public media programming.
Right now, congress is considering a proposed federal budget that could potentially cut or eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. While NPR and PBS are often in the spotlight, it’s local stations in rural communities that rely on CPB support to provide local news, music, and emergency information.
Federal funding helps KASU serve northeast Arkansas and the surrounding region with local and regional news, information, and real-time emergency alerts. In areas with limited broadband, public radio can often be the only source for news and information.
If you enjoy KASU’s programming or find value in our mission of educating, informing, and entertaining listeners across northeast Arkansas and the Mid-South, I invite you to share your thoughts with your representatives in Congress.
KASU broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 91.9 FM, and our programming is also available online around the world, streaming through our mobile app and on our website at: www.kasu.org
Thank you for your time and your thoughtful consideration of taking action to support public media. Most importantly, thank you for supporting KASU, celebrating 68 years of serving the A-State community and beyond.
Sincerely,
Mark Smith
Station Manager, KASU
330 University Loop West
Arkansas State University
PO Box 1930
State University, AR 72467
Phone: 870.972.2200 E-mail: msmith@astate.edu
