Officials favor keeping radio station operating

While the decision came as music to the ears of radio enthusiasts who advocated to keep the station currently broadcasting mostly big band music, trustees suggested they could only support its operation if it better accommodates student learning.

“It has to align with our mission some way,” said board Vice President Georgia Jack, who said she appreciates radio and acknowledges its potential usefulness, but preferred further study of the matter.

Trustee Alan Sarver shared a similar perspective.

“If we are delivering significant student value across the board, I would be in favor of not giving up the asset,” said Sarver.

The board took no formal position on the station’s fate, and trustees will again address the issue with more information in a later discussion.

Ultimately, officials are faced with a choice of keeping 89.1 KCEA-FM running, leasing it to another nonprofit organization, selling it or simply giving the license back to the FCC.

Trustees seemed disinterested in giving up the license or selling the station, which was projected to go for anywhere between $300,000 to $1.3 million, according to a district report.

As a result, officials are hopeful to determine a way to sync the asset with educational programming, such as building it into a broadcast or journalism career pathway for students. Leasing the station to another nonprofit was identified as a secondary option available to the district.

Keeping the station running would likely require enhanced investment, noted Superintendent Mary Streshly, who suggested the station could ultimately cost nearly $100,00 annually.

Trustees preferred to identify teachers who may be interested in weaving the opportunities provided by the station — currently housed at the district office — into their curriculum before agreeing to allocate more money. They also encouraged those who support the station to seek ways for it to generate some money, in hopes of offsetting any potential future budget burden.

As it stands, station manager Craig Roberts oversees operations and assures the roughly 6,000 automatically programmed big band tunes stay in rotation, while fulfilling all other FCC obligations.

A believer in the potential of the station, Roberts called on officials to hike their investment and focus with hopes of providing value to students as well as the wider community.

“You can sell the station today but if you change your mind and decide it wasn’t a good idea, you’ll never get it back,” he said.

Station sports director John Mylod, who oversees the infrequent broadcasts of local high school games, also encouraged officials to keep the station by detailing the variety of skills and abilities built through working in radio.

The perspective seemingly resonated with Gerryk Madrigal, the student representative on the school board, who favored preserving the station. Noting the immense amount of time students sink into social media with potentially deleterious affects on their mental health, Madrigal suggested radio could be a useful mechanism for engaging teens in a healthy hobby.

“There are a lot of issues with self confidence in young people and I think if the district were to keep the station, the opportunity is there for students to take advantage of it,” he said.

The sentiments expressed by advocates were well received by trustee Carrie Du Bois, who said she would prefer officials find a way to make the station work.

“We need more opportunities like these for kids to try different things. To get them off their phone. I like everything I’m hearing about how this station works,” she said.

Board President Chris Thomsen shared a similar position, and pointed to Madrigal’s comments as especially persuasive in his interest for further looking into the opportunities offered by the station.

“That has moved me toward wanting to explore the value of this asset,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105