COMMENTARY: CMAP survey down under, neglects Latino community

The CMAP-TV board of directors convened a public meeting on May 11 at 5 p.m. to accept public input regarding its decision to withdraw financial support for KQKE, the proposed Low Power FM community radio station for which it holds a license granted by the FCC.  However, there was no quorum with which to deliberate or act on items on the meeting agenda. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a dues-paying member of CMAP and have taken TV production classes at the CMAP studio at Christopher High School in Gilroy. 

Charles Richburg – chairman of the board – opened the meeting to the audience of which I was the only person present for a period of time. I made the following points and took issue with several business practice and policy decisions executed by the board: 

• CMAP spent its funds by commissioning its survey to gauge the community interest to support a community radio station to a firm in Australia. No local, state or national firms in the United States were given the opportunity to do business with the non-profit organization.
• The survey was solicited exclusively to San Benito County community members who participated via Facebook. 
• The survey did not include Spanish-speaking/Latino community members. The majority of the population in San Benito County is Latino. 
• The survey did not include locally-elected officials, business/non-profit organizations/service clubs/private or public school systems.
• CMAP has no presence in San Benito County with no office or personnel. It receives revenue from Charter Cable customers in Hollister and San Juan Bautista and local government funding to broadcast public meetings but offers virtually nothing in return to those communities. 
• CMAP failed to apply for a non-profit grant from the Community Foundation for San Benito County to support community radio. According to Gary Byrne, executive director of the Community Foundation, he would have been in favor of lobbying his board for financial support for KQKE LPFM similar to the way the Foundation supports BenitoLink.

Becca King Reed, executive director of CMAP, arrived late to the meeting and defended the survey results claiming that “everyone uses Facebook” and “we couldn’t afford a survey commissioned to the Spanish-speaking community because it would cost $20,000.” Prior to the meeting, I contacted LULAC president Cesar Flores who said he was never advised about the survey. It was suggested that LULAC could have conducted a bilingual survey to the Spanish-speaking community in San Benito County at no cost or for a nominal donation to the organization.

Bob Reid, the community activist who applied for the FCC LPFM community radio station license on behalf of CMAP, also arrived late. He said he was surprised that CMAP changed its mind as the KQKE steering committee had the assurance of CMAP as recently as March that it would support and purchase equipment for the radio station. The FCC employs a “use it or lose it” policy regarding such radio operating permits. CMAP must operate a LPFM radio station by this August or risk losing the license unless it files an application to extend the license for six months. While it was recognized that CMAP funding is dwindling and limited to support LPFM, Mr. Reid also made clear that, to date, the KQKE steering committee and LPFM supporters have not be given the opportunity to raise revenue through special events like fundraising concerts or crowdfunding campaigns to provide additional funding to sustain the ongoing operating costs of the radio station.

At the conclusion of the session open to the public, board chairman Charles Richburg said that CMAP was concerned about the long-term prospects of the organization based on shrinking revenue. CMAP’s demise will be a self-fulfilling prophecy if the organization continues to fail to provide meaningful media services to the community of San Benito County, commission surveys that are skewed and exclusive to certain segments of the community who are Facebook users, and do not reflect the diverse cultures and bilingual component of the county’s social network.

As an organization, CMAP will be more successful if it meets the needs of the community in San Benito County that it purports to serve, establishes a real presence in the community, participates in and supports community special events and provides value to all community members. Doing so will create a compelling argument for community leaders to lobby for financial support of the beleaguered and financially strapped media outlet.