Down To Earth
We need to support things like this in our community. Or, in Bart and Paul’s words.
Good morning loyal readers, listeners, friends and family,
As most of you know, we’ve been at this whole Down To Earth thing for quite a while now. In fact, it was this time of year in 2007 that we decided we wanted to stay in Spokane and hatched the idea of starting an environmental issues blog as a purpose for filling what we felt was a void in local environmental news coverage.
Since then, the blog has grown into a full-featured environmental news site and communications tool, we’ve branched off and formed or joined many different organizations, projects and causes, and as many of you Spokane contacts know, we developed, produce, and do a 30-minute weekly radio show on KYRS conveniently called Down To Earth.
And that is really the reason we are writing you today.
The KYRS fund drive is kicking off tomorrow (March 2) and we wanted to contact each of you before it began to ask you to think about why KYRS and community radio in general is so important in Spokane and the rest of the world, and also to ask for your support.
Whether you’re a loyal listener or not, there is something about KYRS and community radio that effects you – yes, even those of you far away from Spokane. In this day and age, the idea of an independent and diverse voice in media is almost nonexistent. There are mega media conglomerations, PR and communications work dressed as news, and mostly just a bunch of noise on the airwaves and on your computer.
During the Fund Drive we will be asking for your financial support – but this isn’t just about supporting the operations of the radio station – this is supporting diversity in the community, this is supporting sustainability in Spokane, and this is supporting a free, independent voice here and everywhere.
Here’s a little about KYRS for those of you that don’t know.
· KYRS is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, independent, non-commercial, community radio station.
· Nearly all of the work at KYRS is done by volunteers. That’s over 100 programmers hosting local shows from diverse musical genres to public affairs shows that cover just about everything.
· KYRS has been on the air for six years – that’s six year’s worth of people saying they support community radio.
· A donation to KYRS will help pay for a new 70-foot tower to power the 6,500 watts that will bring KYRS to full power at the end of the year. The tower costs $25,000. But remember, donations first and foremost go towards current operating expensive.
While we have only been doing our show for three months, we’ve been supporting KYRS for a long time and we know the importance of locally produced independent news programs. In our short three months we’ve been able to report on stories that weren’t mentioned in any other media outlets and we’ve been able to bring in great guests like Taylor Weech, a 20-year-old local youth outreach director to get her perspective on youth and sustainability in Spokane, and Adriane Borgias, a local environmental consultant to talk about the work she did in the Republic area as a third party representative working on communication and consensus building with the community and the Kinross Gold Corporation. In addition we’ve been a voice for the Spokane River, Complete Streets, climate change, and for other organizations in and around Spokane, and a voice for YOU! KYRS is Your Radio Station – and we look forward to many more great guests and perspectives including interviews with Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager and Drew Meuer from Second Harvest Inland Northwest this month. But we need your help. Whether you live in and around Spokane, we know that you support us and the work we do, so please consider donating today. For $35 you can become a KYRS member. Your gift is tax deductable and you will be making not only an investment into our community, but an investment in a free voice.Please visit this site – http://67.199.103.253/donate.cfm – and consider donating today. If you do decide to support us, support KYRS, and support community radio, please consider marking in the comments section of “check out” that you’re donating for the Down To Earth show! We really appreciate whatever you can do. And Spokane appreciates you as well!
Cheers,
Bart and Paul
on Twitter @DTE_Spokane–
“Sala Kahle”
Bart Mihailovich
Down To Earth blog: http://www.downtoearthnw.com/blogs/down-earth
Down To Earth on KYRS: http://www.kyrs.org/showprofile.cfm?id=1257998618783
Twitter: @DTE_Spokane