We urge WFCR to create a Community Advisory Board, as required by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for many public radio stations, and to hold quarterly meetings at which the public could meet with the WFCR staff about programming issues. Please read the full petition, below.
WE KNOW THAT: WFCR 88.5 FM is a "public" radio station, receiving funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the University of Massachusetts, and its listening audience. It states its mission as
"... to provide the area with diverse news, information, music and cultural programs...[and] programming that entertains, educates and informs in a lively, provocative, varied and sensitive way..." However, without
any audience consultation WFCR recently cancelled several popular multicultural programs
*, thereby reducing its diversity of musical genres, its cultural representation, and its local content. WFCR has no on-air listener interaction, no venue for local artistic talent, and very little local news or interviews, contrary to the original spirit of public radio and of the CPB, which favors material which is
"educational, innovative, locally relevant, and reflective of … cultural diversity." And WFCR does not provide any systematic means by which its listeners can interact with the staff with concerns or suggestions.
THEREFORE: We believe WFCR should listen to its listeners, and that doing so will strengthen the station. We believe WFCR should reflect the diverse cultures and interests of its listening community. We call upon WFCR to strengthen its relationship with the community by establishing the equivalent of the Community Advisory Board required by the CPB for many public broadcasting stations
**, and by scheduling quarterly open meetings at which WFCR staff could interact with the listening public on audience concerns and suggestions.
*Valley Folk, Afropop Worldwide, Thistle and Shamrock, and [half of] Tertulia were eliminated.
** though not for university-owned stations
Much more information on this issue is available at
http://justiceandpeace.net/WFCRdemocracy/where you can
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