Radio station manager Kay Clements told KHNS members at the public station’s 35th anniversary membership meeting Oct. 2 that the station had some tough decisions to make.
The station’s community advisory board started in to those this week, meeting Wednesday to discuss whether to cut programming packages by American Public Media, Public Radio International, or both.
Eliminating them would save the station nearly $20,000, making a significant dent in a $30,000 reduction in funding by the Alaska Legislature earlier this year.
Cuts to a KHNS operating position, trimming other items and eliminating a programming package would help close the gap, Clements said this week. She said she’d like a decision on cutting the programming by January.
After poring over a programming chart Wednesday, advisory board members generally leaned toward cutting PRI, a package that includes “The World,” “Science Friday,” “Riverwalk Jazz,” and “Living on Earth.”
APM includes “BBC World News,” “Prairie Home Companion,” “Marketplace,” “Performance Today” and “On Being.”
Advisory board members Shannon Donahue and Russ White said the station could consider eliminating both packages. “We could get rid of both if we can find alternatives in the same genre that fill the same needs,” White said.
Listener and station member Anne Hanssen, however, said she was a “middle of the night” listener who would miss APM, including the BBC. “The idea of tossing it out in hopes that there’s something great to discover, I think that should be done carefully.”
The station pays $52,000 for programming annually. Staff members feel strongly that cutting National Public Radio and Alaska Public Radio Network programming is “not an option,” according to a station handout at Wednesday’s meeting.
Advisory board member Scott Carey said he hoped station members would keep an open mind toward the cuts.
“Somebody’s favorite program might be cut, but there’s a lot of good programming out there and some of it is free. I hope people are open to some new programs. … I used to think every program is so important; now I think just having a station is what’s most important.”
Respondents to a 2014 station survey ranked their priority programming as: Local news, 66 percent; state news, 44 percent; local public affairs, 39 percent; national news, 38 percent; local music, 35 percent; national programming, 35 percent; regional programming and world news, 33 percent each.
Clements told members last week that the station anticipates another round of cuts to its state grant, perhaps as much as twice as deep as last year’s.
“KHNS can go on another 35 years, but it will change a little bit,” Clements said.