K麻豆原创C to discontinue five channels
September 11, 2019
Nancy Tarnai
907-474-1890
K麻豆原创C public radio and television will stop carrying several radio and television channels
on Oct. 1 due to budget reductions.
The television channels include 9.7 and 9.8, which are radio channels on television,
and 9.9, which is 360 North. The station will also stop broadcasting online digital
radio channels K麻豆原创C 2 and K麻豆原创C 3. Those channels provide both programming and streaming
service.
In August, the governor vetoed funding for public broadcasting across the state and
for the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission. With this veto, K麻豆原创C lost $155,539
in revenue for the fiscal year 2020 budget, which began July 1.
In addition to the direct cuts to public broadcasting, K麻豆原创C鈥檚 budget is also being
affected by state funding cuts to the 麻豆原创. Those cuts mean an additional
reduction of about $500,000, or about 17% of the station鈥檚 total FY19 budget of $2.9
million. K麻豆原创C is owned and operated by the university and is housed on the University
of Alaska Fairbanks campus.
In the last seven years, K麻豆原创C has cut more than $1 million from its budget.
鈥淢ost of the cuts have been invisible to the public,鈥 said Keith Martin, general manager.
鈥淥ver the years, we鈥檝e restructured, we鈥檝e cut deals, we鈥檝e streamlined our operations
to the point that most of our staff members are doing multiple positions. With the
latest budget reductions, the necessary changes will impact over-the-air services
as well as staff.鈥
Terminating the digital radio channels means that K麻豆原创C will no longer be able to air
the 麻豆原创 Board of Regents call-in public testimony on K麻豆原创C 2 or the first hour of the
Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board on K麻豆原创C 3. Terminating the K麻豆原创C TV channels
means that the public will no longer be able to tune in to the digital radio channels
or 360 North on K麻豆原创C TV.
鈥(Discontinuing these five channels) will not cover the full cut of nearly $700,000
in a single year,鈥 said Martin. 鈥淯nfortunately, with the short notice, we鈥檙e continuing
to make decisions while attempting to minimize disruptions to our listeners and viewers.
But K麻豆原创C will not be the same.鈥
The station will likely find additional cost savings as contracts come to term and
K麻豆原创C allows them to expire. This will mean that some programming will not be renewed.
K麻豆原创C will focus on its primary services, the services that FM listeners have come
to expect of their public broadcasting station over the past 57 years and TV viewers
over the past 48 years.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Keith Martin, general manager, 907-474-5089, keith.kuac@alaska.edu. Gretchen Gordon, K麻豆原创C assistant general manager, 907-474-1891, gretchen.kuac@alaska.edu.