San Benito County may soon lose access to National Public Radio and other public radio networks through KUSP radio, which broadcasts their signal from a translator on Fremont Peak at 89.1 FM. KUSP’s main transmission comes from Mount Toro near Monterey and covers the Monterey Bay Area at 88.9 FM.
KUSP Board Treasurer, John Morrison, reported at a meeting last week in Monterey that the station has been running a deficit of about a $176,000 a year for the past several years, the overall budget being around $1,1 million.
Morrison forecasts that the station may have a couple of months of funding left in order to come up with alternative ways of continuing. He reported that the current debt is about $700,000 and that they have been able to temporarily stay afloat due to loans from individuals, a one-time bequest, and sales of unproductive assets. He said that these have been used to “extend the runway,” but the time has come to make important choices, which would include the possiblity of disolution of the station.
The station receives funding from business underwriting, from listeners (around 55 percent), and other sources.
The Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation (KUSP), is holding public meetings around the Monterey Bay Area to inform the public of the dire situation the station is in, and to solicit suggestions for ways it might be able to continue.
The next meeting will be held at the Monterey County Board of Education, 901 Blanco Circle in Salinas, Wednesday, May 27 at 7 p.m.. There will be another community meeting in Aptos on June 2 at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, 7807 Soquel Drive at 7 p.m..
People may also communicate ideas and concerns to the KUSP board at www.kusp.org/boards/shtm.
KUSP offers programming from Pacifica, Public Radio Exchange, the BBC, and other public radio networks, in additon to broadcasts of the Monterey Jazz Festival, and Carmel Bach Festivals, and other arts and news programming.
The station has been approached by the Classical Public Radio Network, affiliated with the University of Southern California, which has offered to purchase the license, transmitter, antenna and frequency to increase the range of its network of classical music programming. Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation members have approved a letter of intent to move forward with discussing that arrangement in which KUSP would retain its Santa Cruz studio and its call letters. The board is delaying action on that letter to entertain alternatives.
There are groups of Monterey Bay Area residents putting together alternative proposals, as well as the possibility of another partnership presenting itself.
One of the options is to acquire a less powerful license and reduce the area of radio coverage. There is a possibility of reducing NPR programming, staff, and expenses. Morrison stated that NPR has been flexible in allowing the station to find ways to address its $435,000 debt to the network for programming fees.
Current alternatives and further information have been posted on the KUSP website.
None of the current proposals is to continue the current programming, as it has been determined that having two stations in the same area broadcasting National Public Radio programming is not sustainable. Radio station KAZU 90.3 FM from California State University, Monterey Bay, broadcasts much of the same programming and has a more stable economic situation due to its relationship with the University.
Attempts have been made by KUSP to partner with KAZU and with KQED in San Francisco as well as KCRW from Santa Monica, but those efforts proved fruitless.
As a result, the station is currently in danger of having to declare bankruptcy and losing the power to make its own decisions on how to address its debts.