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Letter from the KBCS General Manager – January 2025

January 17, 2025 - 4:04 pm

A photo of a white man in a blue suit and red hair with trees in background. He is smiling candidly and looking directly into the camera with his eyes. Dana Buckingham KBCS GM

Dear Friends and Loyal KBCS Supporters

I am writing this newsletter after completing and submitting our required annual audit for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Community Services Grant (CSG). The CPB, a key supporter of public broadcasting, oversees the audit process to ensure transparency and accountability. I am happy to report that this audit performed by an independent auditing firm confirms that we have ended our fifth year with another balanced budget and a healthy surplus to add to our emergency contingency fund. I will post this audit online on our homepage once the CPB completes its review and approval process. Our CSG grant from the CPB for this new year is estimated to be around $128,000.00, a substantial portion of our overall operating budget for our fifty-plus-year-old independent community radio station in the Pacific Northwest.

My first job at a public radio station was during my first year at the University of South Dakota in the mid-1970s. My work-study assignment was as a student news reporter and a nightly news announcer for the station’s statewide 10:00 p.m. newscast. At KUSD, my first “on the scene” news report aired nationwide over National Public Radio (NPR). I filed a short voice report on a takeover by members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) of a small pork processing plant located on a local reservation. After that, I was hooked and spent many years working in both commercial and noncommercial radio as a news reporter, news director, news announcer, classical music host, program director, and, for the last twenty years, as a station manager.

A New Year and New Challenges for Public Radio

During my time working in public radio, we have faced numerous attempts to cut federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. However, these attempts have always been met with a robust response in support from the voting public. Regardless of political leanings, the community has consistently rallied to support public broadcasting, making their voices heard and their values clear to their local politicians. This unity and determination have been instrumental in preserving something so important to us all.

For families with young children, the thought of Big Bird losing his job was a bridge too far. For many others who grew up watching Masterpiece Theater, NOVA, Antiques Roadshow, and the fantastic and educational Ken Burns documentaries on PBS or listening to the morning and afternoon newscasts on their local NPR stations, losing these noncommercial national treasures was, and still is, unthinkable. PBS and NPR are not just broadcasters but educators, entertainers, and storytellers. They are part of the fabric of our lives and a significant part of the nation’s arts and cultural tradition.

Take Action to Support Public Broadcasting

Today, with a new administration taking control of the nation’s capital, public broadcasting is again under attack by many radical politicians, and this time, wealthy oligarchs also back the movement. It is up to all of us to unite in vocal opposition to the unthinkable and let our elected federal leaders in the U.S. Congress and the White House know how important public broadcasting is to us. It is also important for us to urge other family members, friends, and neighbors to voice their support for public broadcasting. You can write letters, make phone calls, or organize local events to raise awareness. If you have an active social media account, use that platform to show your support for public broadcasting. This will be a difficult battle, but it is a battle we can and will win.

In solidarity and with deep appreciation for all your moral and financial support,

Dana Lee Buckingham
General Manager and Proud Sustaining Contributor of Community Radio KBCS

Support KBCS Today

Support the programming on KBCS as a monthly Supporting Member or with a one-time donation to keep the great mix of eclectic music, progressive news, and educational programming on the air across the greater Puget Sound region.