- $17.40 Supports the cost of 8 minutes of local news or x episodes of Morning Edition.
- $174.00 Helps replace the tie-line materials needed to provide emergency broadcasting services or covers the Philo station headquarters rentfor 4 days.
- $1,740.00 Covers the cost of NPR and Pacifica satellite connections for 1 week or pays the rent on our three broadcasting towers for 15 days.
As of July xx, $174,000 was taken away from the annual operating budget of Mendocino County Public Broadcasting/KZYX when Congress voted to rescind monies for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. These funds had already been approved for our community station in this fiscal year. This has effectively cut our income by 25%.
“Instead of crumbling in the face of this devastating financial hit, we are determined to find a way forward that will make KZYX stronger and more self-reliant.”KZYX General Manager Andre de Channes,
The KZYX board and staff have launched the 174 Campaign to jumpstart these efforts. They urge Mendocino County’s community of listeners, members, donors, and all others who care about the future of public broadcasting in our county to show support by donating $17.40, $174.00, $1,740, or $17,400 using the designated “174” link on kzyx.org.
Donating this symbolic amount sends a strong message that KZYX matters to our community. These donations will let the staff, volunteer programmers, and board of directors know that the community wants KZYX to stay on the air and build ever-greater self-reliance and community service with its support. They also will materially help support KZYX operations, including the costs of equipment and maintenance, programming fees, and the hard-working staff. The 174 Campaign will conclude after 17.4 days, on August 3.
Board president Susan Baird said, “KZYX is so grateful to all the listeners and supporters who took the time to get the word out to family and friends around the country and advocate for public media with elected representatives. Together, we wrote letters, made calls, sent emails, and took to the streets. Everyone’s efforts made a difference--but unfortunately it was not enough. KZYX is far from alone; hundreds of small and rural public radio stations across the country are facing the same budget crisis. In fact, nearly one in five NPR member stations could close down without federal funding, according to one analysis.
But KZYX’s board, staff, and volunteer programmers are determined to avoid that fate. Now more than ever, ‘public radio’ means ‘community radio.’ Let’s show what’s possible when our Mendocino County community rallies around its public radio station.Board president Susan Baird