During the 60th anniversary of KASU, it is only appropriate to turn attention to the future of KASU. What will the next 60 years hold for KASU? To answer that question, it is important to look at how public broadcasting stations are funded.
Since the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act was inacted, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been one of the key sources of funding for public radio and TV stations across the nation. The federal government provides money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the CPB provides grants to stations. Before 1996, stations would automatically receive grant funding without having to ask for listener support. In 1996, House Republicans called for government funding of public broadcasting to be sharply reduced. During this time, the CPB started requiring that local stations have to show they have support from listeners and viewers of stations through membership drives. Drives are usually held in the fall and in the spring. Those stations who don't show they have the local support from listeners can lose their CPB funding.
Future plans for programming and other possibilities are addressed with listener support in mind. KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough says while current fundraising levels help keep the current programs on the air, anything above that would take more support.
In this series, you have heard some of the stories of how KASU evolved over the past 60 years, from the very beginning in Wilson Hall, to the many programs that were produced by students...the success of the Indian Sports Network...the many first of KASU, such as being the first station to provide severe weather coverage in the region, to being the first NPR station in Arkansas...all of this and much more.
