Radio group appeals CMAP decision to not support KQKE

KQKE Low Power FM radio supporters planned to attend the Community Access Media Partnership (CMAP) board of directors meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at its headquarters within Christopher High School in Gilroy to appeal that board’s decision to pull financial support for the purchase of equipment necessary to build and operate the proposed radio station in downtown Hollister. 

CMAP Executive Director Becca King Reed commissioned a survey to gauge community support of the proposed radio station to a vendor in Australia whom used Facebook to identify members of the community in San Benito County. KQKE radio supporters dispute the results of the survey as they believe the survey did not include Spanish-speaking/Latino members of the community in a county where the Latino population is statistically a majority. Nor did the survey reflect persons who do not use Facebook but may benefit from a community LPFM radio station, supporters claim.

The group believes it can lobby for the financial and administrative support of local government, especially providing a compelling service in the role of disaster/emergency response communications, and ongoing support from the Community Foundation for San Benito County, if given the chance. The group would like the opportunity to raise funds through special events and crowdfunding challenges to provide for the ongoing fiscal costs of operating the radio station.

Bob Reid, the lead community advocate and catalyst who helped CMAP obtain the necessary FCC license to operate LPFM in San Benito County, wrote a letter to the CMAP board of directors asking them to reverse their decision to stop their financial support of the project and give community members an opportunity to make progress. 

Members of the community interested in supporting KQKE Low Power FM radio in San Benito County were encouraged to attend the meeting or contact CMAP staff or its board of directors to express their support. 

The text of the letter by Bob Reid and fellow LPFM community radio supporters follows: 

CMAP Board,

Thank you for taking the opportunity to review feedback from concerned community members in San Benito County whom want to support the construction and operation of the proposed Low Power FM (LPFM) radio station: KQKE in Hollister. We request that the CMAP Board explore ways that the Low Power FM radio project can move forward. We are aware of the decision not to continue the project and request re-consideration of that decision. 
We are willing to raise the necessary funds to get the station on the air and to take responsibility for the project, although we understand that the license is in CMAP’s name and we must find a way to work together until the license can be transferred to a qualifying non-profit.

As you are aware it was CMAP, through, Executive Director, Kathy Bisbee, who came to our Radio meeting and offered that CMAP would buy the needed equipment and build the studio, if we could staff and operate it with volunteers, since CMAP funds could be used for capital projects but not for salaries.

We agreed to move forward together on that basis. The license was applied for in CMAP’s name, though most of the heavy lifting of the application was accomplished by us supporting our consulting engineer, who submitted the successful application. CMAP was minimally involved in the application process, though apprised.

After Kathy Bisbee’s departure, Rob Campbell and Ian Slatterly became the CMAP interface with the radio project. The focus was on accomplishing acquiring permission to place the antenna on Park Hill, creating a volunteer organization, and identifying the necessary equipment to purchase to put the station on the air by the 18 month deadline of the Construction Permit.We held community meetings identifying those interested in participating and established teams with responsibility for the different areas; fundraising, programming, broadcast, construction.

At that time CMAP hired Becca Reed as Executive Director.  Ms. Reed did not feel that the agreement for CMAP to build the station and have the community run it, was appropriate. The committees stopped meeting, except for the Steering Committee which had the main function of being updated of the progress, or lack of progress being made by CMAP in acquiring the antenna placement and addressing the Executive Director’s concern that there was not enough community support for the station.

You are aware of the survey which was done and the subsequent decision by the Board to end the project. Our group of volunteers disputes the results of the survey as not truly representative of the community of San Benito County, especially the Spanish-speaking/Latino segment of our community and other community members whom do not participate on Facebook upon which the survey was based. It is the express intent of KQKE LPFM community radio to offer program content to the entire population of San Benito County residents within the broadcast range of the radio station. Further, we are dedicated to lobbying for the financial and administrative support of local governments agencies, the Community Foundation for San Benito County, service groups, youth groups, LULAC and groups who represent business/commerce and tourism in order to offer a comprehensive and broad outreach of local program content and sustained fiscal support. 

We believe that it is possible to build a community radio station for our area, we believe that there is sufficient support to sustain it and to create content.An LPFM is a comparatively inexpensive form of radio, the requirements are minimal. 

CMAP is in the position to support community radio for San Benito County, or to kill it. We have never been asked to support the project financially and are willing to do so. We ask you not to choose to end the project because of concerns about the potential financial drain on CMAP without giving us the opportunity to see what might be done to address this.We realize the window of opportunity is closing quickly. We must get the station on the air by August, or apply for an extension, for which we must show progress.

Once permission for antenna placement is obtained, the purchase of the antenna and transmitter  and their installation could be accomplished, if not before the deadline, then with an extension of the Construction Permit. We ask that we be given the opportunity to proceed. We have lost valuable time and hope not to lose any more.

We hope that you will reconsider your decision and allow us to work to provide community radio for San Benito County.

Respectfully,

Sara Frias
Bob Reid
MIchael Smith
Tim Takeuchi
Jason Franks
Robin Pollard
Tonia Sunseri
Rita Uribe
John Cavanaugh
Robert Jones