Bad news for Public Radio in Virginia. . .

Martha note:  This morning I posted a memo from State Senator Mark Obenshain enumerating what was and wasn't to be funded in Virginia's budget. Initially, little cockeyed optimist that I am, I thought public radio's funding was left pretty much in place. But that balloon just popped, thanks to the following from Tom Duval.

Thought you would want to know what's really going on as well.

Here's Tom's note. . .

State funding for public radio will drop by 50% in the coming fiscal year.  The General Assembly reported that it had restored 90% of funding for public broadcasting, but that figure is misleading.   

I'll try to make this brief but clear... 

The Assembly restored all of the money, more than $1 million, that Governor McDonnell had proposed cutting from the Instructional Television Service (ITS) grants to public television stations.  Then the Assembly added almost $550,000 more to those grants.  The grants are used to produce and distribute instructional programming and materials to schools, not for broadcast programming. 

The Governor also proposed cutting 50% of the Community Service Grants (CSG) that public radio and television stations use for broadcast programming.  Although the Senate countered with a smaller, 20% cut, the House-Senate conference committee finally settled on the 50% figure. 

Because the ITS grants increased so much, the Assembly was able to say that the overall cut to public broadcasting was only 10%.

However, for WMRA, we still get hit with a 50% reduction - about $43,000. 

Additionally, we are losing $10,000 that originally was budgeted for us to air messages supporting the Virginia tourism.  So our total reduction in state funding this July will be $53,000.  We expect that the remaining $43,000 will be gone in July, 2012.

Public radio and me . . .a thoughtful blast of professional sentiment and a question

There's that circle around those crossed lines again -- the crosshairs that, according to Sarah Palin should never, ever, ever be confused with gun sights. I found this particular crosshaired image of NPR on a CrosstalkBlog posting from November of last year, which reported that "Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today urged members of the House to vote in favor of a Republican motion to recommit on HR 1722, a motion which would eliminate federal funding for National Public Radio."

The threatened NPR de-funding didn't happen then, but maybe it's just a matter of the wheels of Congress slowly grinding on until it does. Last Sunday WMRA's General Manager Tom DuVal sent all of us who work for the station a note confirming that:

The House of Reps will most likely vote this week on the FY 11 budget continuing resolution, which includes a 100% cut of public broadcasting funding.  That is funding for FY 13, but there is also talk of rescinding some of the current FY funding. [This represents a loss of 16% of our total budget.]

Starting tonight, we are airing a brief message saying that the vote is happening and directing people to our website for lawmakers' contact info.

Yes, once again public broadcasting is back on the Endangered Government Funding List -- right there with Americorps and  The Office of Science. The reality is that times are tough, for everything there is a season, and perhaps the season of publicly funded broadcasting in this country is about to end.

I promise that sometime I'll wheedle Tom DuVal into writing about  how public funding trickles down through the public broadcasting system to be spit out as its wide diversity of programs. Today, I'm writing about public broadcasting from a purely personal point of view.

I was doing features for NPR, before I listened much, having met NPR's Wendy Kaufman at a Charlottesville party -- where I lived and where you couldn't pick up NPR very well at the time. In between rounds of a back-porch high kick contest, she and I talked about journalism. You should come work with us, Ms. Kaufman said. You'd love it. And she was right.

I  remember, as a journalist fresh from commercial television, producing my first freelance features for NPR back in the late 1980s. It made me feel as though I'd wandered into Valhalla and been invited to pull up a chair to Odin's table.

My first feature was on Ralph Sampson's adjustment to life as a pro basketball player for the Houston Rockets. It was more about the guy than the game. I was given enough on-air time to talk about the counter tops in Ralph's kitchen, which were of chest height to 5'8" me. I've always thought that this one particular detail took you straight into what it's like to go through life at 7'2".

Such telling details are, to me, what makes public broadcasting so essential to our national conversation. It's those details that, more than anything, allow us to understand what it's like to be someone else. To my mind, such understanding fuels compassion; its absence fuels judgment.

If public broadcasting loses all government funding, small stations such as WMRA will go from struggling valiantly to stay part of the community conversation to struggling pretty durn desperately. But maybe in these troubled economic times, that's as it should be. Tough federal and state choices do need to be made. My hope is that lawmakers will make them based on their value to society and not as political panders.

It's an interesting experience to be in your sixties and have attached your professional and personal economic wagon to an organization prominent on the Endangered Government Funding List. Especially when the ethics of your job prevent you from voicing your own opinion about what Congress and the General Assembly should do. It's quite liberating to realize you want to dance with the one who brung you, no matter what.

Where will I go, what will I do if public broadcasting should founder?

Well frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Every day I get to be a part of public broadcasting is a good day.

If public broadcasting loses government funding, its most legitimate hope of survival is you -- stepping up and giving. We couldn't sell advertising even if we wanted to -- it's against the law for those broadcasting on non-profit airwaves. So, no matter how you look at it, the future of public broadcasting is in your hands.

Right now this is the pressing question: Is having public broadcasting in your life worth a call to an elected official?

U.S. Representatives in the WMRA service area: 

VA District 5 Congressman Robert Hurt                           202-225-4711   

VA District 6 Congressman Bob Goodlatte                       202-225-5431  

VA District 7 Congressman Eric Cantor                           202-225-2815   

VA District 10 Congressman Frank Wolf                          202-225-5136  

WV District 2 Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito       202-225-2711     

"Egyptian Modern Pharos," thoughts from Cairo by Hager Faisal

Hager Faisal

Martha note:  Egyptian citizen Hager Faisal became friends with WMRA's General Manager Tom DuVal and his wife, Lorie Merrow, while she was an exchange student at JMU. Now back in her native country, she works as an an English Language Instructor at Cairo's Misr International University (MIU).  

Last Friday, Hager was in the streets of Cairo when, after three decades in office, Hosni Mubarak resigned as president of Egypt and handed over power to the army. And over the weekend she sent me the following thoughts and pictures, along with a note that said: 

"I am attaching some of the photos that I have taken in Tahrir square,  which are different than those you see on TV. They show how the protestors are talented, civilized, ambitious, energetic, humorous and simple lovely Egyptians. I meant to send you this album in particular because you can only see the big crowds on TV. They also do show how peaceful those people are. The painters were drawing the faces of the martyrs. 

"The pictures that are taken at night are those of the celebration in Cairo Streets. In one picture you will see how the military are acting very nice towards people and they take pictures with them."   

Hager has promised to update us on developments. 

"Before January 25 , 2011, on some mornings, I would wake up full of positive energy while at other times I would feel greatly disappointed about Egypt. My most powerful tool for a positive change was talking to my students.

"Since I am only 22-years old, I have the privilege to understand my students very well, who are mostly between 17-20 years old. I considered myself super lucky to teach at such an early age, because I acted as a faculty member yet I still belong to that young generation who I am teaching. Moreover, I still have the student's perspective because I am a graduate student in the American University in Cairo, where I insisted to get my Masters in Gender and political Economies believing that development is a pressing need in Egypt. Being a graduate student from Misr International University, the same university I am working for, and an exchange student at James Madison University, has helped me to be very much aware of the educational process and the nature of the Egyptian students.

"One course that I am teaching is mainly about the art of analysis and we focus on analyzing problems that face the Egyptian society and offer a deep evaluation for the existing solutions. While in another course, students are introduced to the essential skills of critical thinking and developing a logical argument. This is not to say that education in Egypt is perfect, however, the teaching criteria has changed a lot.

"Accordingly, it was very easy for me to interpret the misunderstanding between President Hosni Mubark's regime and the Egyptian Youth who started the 25th of January Revolution. The first reason is that Mubark's government in the last six years was living under the delusion that they are ruling an uncivilized, ignorant and absentminded population. However, they were not aware of the fact that it is only out of the people's kindness and patience that they were staying silent. They were also so busy to notice that the Egyptian youth are very well trained to use technology not only for fun but for creating their own new world with their desired rules. Social networks, specifically Facebook, were their tools to share ideas, express themselves and take actions. Thus, it was so easy to start the call for a demonstration on Facebook.

"The most surprising thing about that revolution is that the demonstrators who started it on the Tuesday, January 25, 2011 were the upper and middle class youth who do not suffer as much as the poor. This takes us to the second reason of the misunderstanding that Mubark's government was then bewildered thinking that it is only a group of spoiled youth who would go back home after few hours. The underestimation of the youth was the second reason of the misunderstanding. It is important here to clarify that Egyptians from all social classes have participated in this Revolution after the beginning on the 25th of January.

"The dishonest promises and the corruption of Mubark's government were the food of distrust. The youth's revolution was proven to be successful because, unlike Mubark's government, the youth are sincere, successful, civilized, organized, respectful, creative, ambitious and energetic.

"I should like to conclude by translating the message that Egyptians are circulating on Facebook for a better Egypt that summarizes into:

        "Egyptians will:

1. Be positive.
2. Be proud of themselves and their country.
3. Be aware of their legal rights and responsibilities.
4. Help each others.
5. Respect each others.
6. Defend their country.
7. Eradicate corruption.
8. Build their country.
9. Vote in the next elections.
10. Practice democracy."

The survival of the beloved . . .

This, for once, is an entirely personal essay, the musings of me, the woman in the picture to the left.

I went to work at WMRA during the waning days of the last century. Close association with the WMRA community has steadily increased both my affection and respect for my colleagues and the WMRA Community of Listeners. And, of course, my absolute, rock-solid belief in the journalistic integrity and educational value of NPR news.

We, the WMRA Community, have a big anniversary coming up this Friday: 35 years of having NPR news as part of our community conversation.

Tom DuVal, WMRA's fearless leader, put this in context recently in an e-mail to those of you who've signed up to get e-messages from us:

At high noon on November 12, 1975, WMRA blasted into the world of "public radio." 

The former 10-watt student-run station, reaching primarily the Madison College campus, fired up a 20,000 watt transmitter up on a mountain and began serving most of the Shenandoah Valley and some of the western Piedmont. 

Most importantly, WMRA became an affiliate of NPR, bringing All Things Considered to tens of thousands of Virginians for the first time.

1975. 

Here are a couple of images to take you back there:

and

Times passes, people change (except Cher), and this public radio station has changed as well. WMRA has received steady support from James Madison University (who holds our license) and area businesses, and glorious support from listeners. We've grown pretty steadily, changed formats, struggled financially at times (including possibly now as we await possible funding cuts), added and subtracted programs. But, no matter what, I think WMRA has stuck to its stated mission -- informing us and engaging us in worthwhile conversation.

It's 7:32 in the morning, I'm admittedly half-awake, and the day has yet to begin to peck at me like so many hungry ducks. So, as this is an entirely personal essay, what am I feeling as I type this post?

Unabashedly proud to be part of a brave public radio community that's kept itself going for 35 years.

My own membership in the WMRA Community is what I'll really be celebrating, this Friday from 5 to 7 at the WMRA studios, 983 Reservoir Street in Harrisonburg. Won't you, as a fellow community member, join me?

As Tom D. promised in his e-mail, We'll cut the cake(s), give station tours, draw for prizes, maybe even insert your voice into a Car Talk "call!"

And, most of all, congratulate ourselves for being part of  WMRA's 35 years of broadcasting NPR news.

Thoughts triggered by the NPR/Juan Williams messy divorce . . .

I'd bet the farm you are as aware as I am that NPR terminated Juan Williams' contract one week ago last night. And that you've already read a considerable amount of speculation about the increasingly discordant relationship between Mr. Williams and National Public Radio. And so it seems to me there's no need for me to rehash in this blog who said what, when, and to whom vis-a-vis the events leading up to the NPR-Williams divorce.

If you do need a refresher course on what happened, there was an excellent overview compiled by Tobin Harshaw at the end of last week on the New York Times "Opinionator" column -- along with some 25 pages of comments.

Juan Williams-gate took place when WMRA was a day-and-a-half away from wrapping up our Fall Festival of Fundraising. General Manager Tom DuVal was on the phone with listeners pretty constantly for a couple of days after the news broke, explaining something that it seems as though many modern-day news consumers consider a quaint concept: NPR's code of ethics. Basically, this code states, anyone who does any kind of journalistic work for NPR is enjoined to remain publicly neutral on controversial issues.

I posted notice of the termination on the station's Facebook page, and the comments from WMRA Community members were mixed. To give you an idea of what I mean by mixed, one listener claimed Williams' firing was "insane and stupid political correctness run amok." Another commented that "NPR is one of the last remaining vestiges of actual unbiased journalism. To maintain that unbiased aura, Williams needed to go." We had a good, interesting discussion, I think -- which is why WMRA has a Facebook page in the first place.

I've not been in the office for a couple of days, but still out and about in WMRA Land. Everywhere I've gone people have wanted to know what I, personally, thought of the situation. And I think the best way for me to comment is to say that I, personally, am not going to say what I think in public. Not on the air, not giving a talk, not teaching a class, not on this blog. Neither am I going to comment on this, or any other controversy on my personal Facebook page, because that, too, is a public forum. The only comments I make about controversial issues are made in private..

Why? Because I'm bound by the same code of ethics that Juan Williams was. Airing my personal opinion on any controversial issue would automatically make me less effective at what I do.

And what is that, you ask?

My job, as a person who works and writes in the National Public Radio system, is to listen, question, explore, and challenge. And then to present whatever I discover to you in an organized and understandable way. I'm a conveyor and a convener, not a preacher. I want to inform and engage; not entertain and convert.

I believe firmly in leaving the hard work of forming your opinion entirely up to you.

Please, let me know what you think of journalistic ethics. . .

Our tri-annual Oz-ness. . .

The air has a tang; the leaves have a tinge; the heart has a tingle. It's fall, my friends; high season for festivals.

Now as we public radio people are nothing if not festive, WMRA is launching its own annual Fall Festival of Fundraising toward the end of next week. And as with all festivals, WMRA's F.F. of F. represents hours and hours and hours of preparation and planning.

Our development people (Diane Halke, Debbie Reed, Ivette Churney and Susan Lamb) started weeks ago lining up both phone volunteers and the food to feed them. Debbie sent out her "matching gift" letters, asking you for money to support the Member Matching Fund (please, don't ignore her request; having a big pot of Member Matching Fund money really makes those phones ring during the on-air part of the WMRA F.F. of F.)

There's also physical and technical preparation. Next week, we'll turn our conference room into the WMRA F.F. of F. phone center. Jen Fuller of the JMU telecom office will spend a morning getting the kinks out of the system. (And, yes, there are always kinks. In fact, Jen has ridden in on her white horse many times during the fundraiser to subdue an errant kink or two.)

Diane and Debbie have spent hours wrangling with our fundraising software -- an area of fundraising I am never allowed near, because I would break it.

As for those of us who are slated to go on the air during the WMRA F.F. of F. . .

Our Program Director is Matt Bingay. He's shown left running a marathon, which is not all that far removed from what he does the month before an on-air fundraiser. Matt has been urging us for weeks to spend some time actually thinking about what we're going to say on the air during the fundraiser. Not only thinking about it, but making notes, writing out new, fresh phrases that come to mind.

For me, this involves spending time thinking about what I value about the station; why I support it; why I feel it is an absolutely essential part of my own life of the mind and spirit. My theory is that, when it comes to supporting public radio, I can best get you to pick up the phone and call by transmitting my own passionate love for WMRA. It's the same theory I use editing the WMRA Civic Soapbox; we communicate best when we communicate something of ourselves.

But, of course, there's a lot more than thought involved. Yesterday, for example, during our bi-monthly, on-air staff meeting, we actually listened to past fundraising each of us had done and critiqued ourselves;  rediscovering that we all have a tendency to go on, that we need to aim for having a conversation, not making speeches. Matt also played some new MemberCard spots -- (the MemberCard is that magic piece of plastic giving you 2-for1 dining at area restaurants). These spots feature interviews with restaurant owners and managers who participate in the program. These, along with all the "My Source" spots that Bob Leweke produces, put your voices on-the-air, which is a real goal of those of us who work at WMRA. This is, after all, your station.

Today we begin rehearsals. Yes, even though we've all been doing this for years, we still need to rehearse; go into the studio with a producer and a recording of whatever show we'll be fundraising during, talk into the microphone, and practice making the case that you benefit by supporting WMRA. I find these rehearsals absolutely essential. On-air fundraising requires a deep well of psychic energy, and, for me, these rehearsals prime my personal psychic energy  pump.

There. Enough. That's by no means all the preparation that goes into the WMRA F.F. of F., but you get the idea. Perhaps when you get up next Wednesday and hear Bob Leweke (and special WMRA F.F.of F. sidekick, Matt Bingay) asking you to call 1-800-NPR-WMRA and support the station (or go to wmra.org and do the same), you'll smile and think "Oz," knowing there's been a lot going on behind the curtain!

Unrelated Saturday snippets . . .

1.  ATC  Host Terry Ward's sneakers have gone national on NPR. They are number 11 in the NPR Sneaker Slide Show. And, in my opinion, by far the coolest!
   
2. Gettysburg lasted 3 days. Thank you, Poli-Sci professor Steve Bragaw, an old friend from my Sweet Briar College days, for contributing that nugget of information to the WMRA Fall Fundraising Effort (see yesterday's blog post, if this mystifies.) And if anyone else comes up with any personal, historical, scientific, mythical, athletic, etc. three-day event that wrought major change, please post it to this blog or else e-mail me directly.
3. On a completely personal  note, I do love my office mates, for a variety of reasons. We generally work very hard, we're generally helpful and supportive of each other's efforts, and we're generally tolerant of each other's quirks and shortcomings. We also find each other funny--which is life-saving, sometimes, when the stress level rises. I mean, just because we work in public radio doesn't mean we're serious all the time. For example, General Manager Tom DuVal and I were firing one-liner e-mails back and forth at each other about something ridiculous on Friday afternoon. When he stopped by my office on an unrelated issue, Tom pointed out we should be Twittering. Using up e-mail space to deliver one-liners, he said, was overload, like going after a pigeon with a cannon. It had been a long, productive week. I was feeling really tired and brain dead, and then this guy made me laugh out loud over nothing. What more could one want from one's Big Boss Man.
4. Finally, Morning Edition Host Bob Leweke and Tracey Brown are marrying today. Here's their picture (dark, but still so romantic). May blasts of good will and good wishes come their way from all of us.