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Colorado College President Richard Celeste
14 E. Cache La Poudre
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

RE: Please don’t let KRCC dawdle any longer, we want DEMOCRACY NOW!

Dear Mr. Celeste,
As a KRCC listener, I ask you in your role as president of Colorado College with oversight of KRCC, to please bring the nationally syndicated news program DEMOCRACY NOW to our community radio station.

This request has been repeatedly rebuked by the KRCC station manager, but I believe the time has come to consider the idea with more sobriety.

Certainly you have noticed the population of this city has never been so ill-informed, and the time has never been more critical. While we can blame FOX, MSNBC and CNN, responsibility rests in no small part with NPR as well.

That’s where KRCC can come in. If more NPR affiliates such as KRCC carried DEMOCRACY NOW in the same line-up with their pro-corporate and pro-war programs, listeners would hear the stories and angles which NPR is currently choosing to omit. Perhaps NPR can be shamed into resuming the objective reporting for which it has always been respected.

DEMOCRACY NOW has won numerous journalism awards; the program is carried on over 350 stations nation-wide, host Amy Goodman has spoken to sell-out audiences on the CC campus; local community members have been making this request year in, year out; DEMOCRACY NOW even offers a six month free trial period. KRCC will regain disenchanted listeners and add further listeners searching for a news source they can trust. What exactly is KRCC resisting?

For the sake of the citizens our city, for our country and for the world, we plead with deep and sincere urgency that you hold KRCC accountable. DEMOCRACY NOW can do that. Let’s join ranks with the stations already airing this highly respected news program. Our country is at a crossroad, please act as soon as possible. Please Mr. Celeste, take our plea to heart.

Sincerely,

___ I am a member of KRCC, since: _______

___ I was a member of KRCC, from: ______, to: ______

___ I will consider being a member if KRCC carries DEMOCRACY NOW!

___ I will consider taking my donation elsewhere if KRCC still refuses DEMOCRACY NOW!

Christine Ahern, Station Manager
WJFF, Jeffersonville, NY:
The response to Democracy Now! over the last six years has been overwhelming. The show raises more money for us than either Morning Edition or All Things Considered. The message from our community is clear - Democracy Now is an essential part of our programming schedule.

Mary Aigner, Program Director
KZYX, Mendocino, CA:
In the four years that KZYX has been airing Democracy Now!, it has become an essential part of our news and information programming, providing a complement and balance to the perspectives heard on NPR. Since day one, Democracy Now! has consistently outperformed both Morning Edition and All Things Considered, both during fund drives and in listener loyalty. For many listeners, it is the high point of our broadcast day. We highly recommend adding Democracy Now! to any station looking to expand the reach and scope of their news programming.

Jesse Webster, General Manager
WJSC, Johnson College, VT:
Democracy Now! has brought in faculty members and student activists who had previously tuned out instead of in and I have gotten emails from long-time listeners of our musical programming commending us for “broadening our horizons”. I am also convinced that running Democracy Now! has only increased our credibility with the college. Recently, our student government (the body which finances WJSC’s operational budget) awarded us a one-time grant of close to $7,000 (140% of our operational budget) to re-equip our aging studios - I admire your understanding of the difficulties of low-budget community radio, and willingness to help us become a better radio station both for our on-campus listeners and for our community at large.

Ben Kerr, General Manager
KOTO-fm, Telluride, CO:
Democracy Now! provides the balance with mainstream news, including NPR. As we were told by many other stations before we began airing it, “you’ll be amazed at how much your listeners will enjoy it.” And it’s true.

Our decision to air Democracy Now! came from years of listener requests that grew to a point that we could no longer ignore it. We also have a programming advisory board that played a major role in the decision to carry Democracy Now!. Currently we only air it one day a week, with the long term desire to increase that to several days a week. I think that any public/community station is doing a great disservice to their listeners by not exposing them to Democracy Now!.

Philip A. Hassinger, General Manager
KVNF, Paonia, CO:
I am not personally a great fan of Democracy Now! due to the unevenness of the productions - some are brilliant - some are just shrill. That being said, I started off bringing Democracy Now! on two days a week during the Pacifica turmoil and now air it four days a week. One of the strongest arguments for airing Democracy Now! is that in many of our listener’s minds it does balance NPR. A majority of our listeners, while appreciating NPR, feel that they left their ‘liberal’ heritage years ago and are now at best ‘middle of the road’ and to some even conservative (as when they mistake White House press releases for news.)

So, while some Democracy Now! shows make me cringe, overall I am very satisfied with our programming decision and our listening community is *very* happy with it. I honestly feel that airing Democracy Now! has made us a stronger more cohesive community. The results show up at pledge time - Democracy Now! is far and away our best hourly fundraiser, and in the intense volunteer support that this show seems to inspire.