Potential radio partnerships

Odessa College trustees are working to find a way to keep Odessa College radio on the air after a Tuesday evening meeting gave the administration the approval to consider partnerships with several interested parties.

UTPB, Midland College, Midland public advocacy group Keep Public Radio and San Antonio's Texas Public Radio have all expressed interest in helping fund the station through a partnership or operating agreement.

"Nothing is decided, but I am confident something will be worked out by the deadline," OC board president Richard Abalos said.

Abalos emphasized the meeting only provided a direction for the administration to go prior to an August deadline. He said he wants OC to still be involved with the radio, and a local coalition of financial supporters seems likely. The board opted not to pursue selling the station now largely because of the public push to keep public radio.

"We took selling outright off the table because of the interest in keeping KOCV," Abalos said. He said he believes an agreement will be reached that would keep selling from becoming an option, but the college can't afford to keep paying around $100,000 a year to cover the station's budget shortfall.

Vice President for Instruction Clayton Alred said the trustees made it clear that a sale of the license shouldn't be under consideration because the value of keeping National Public Radio under OC's wing was greater than any quick cash provided by a sale.

The budget shortfall developed largely because the split from Basin PBS in 2003 resulted in a loss of fundraising staff and then memberships. According to Midlander Bill Dingus, most of those financial supporters were from Midland, but the station doesn't broadcast into much of Midland County, requiring relocating the antenna to an area in between the two cities such as Gardendale while upgrading 40-year-old equipment.

"Unless you improve the signal, you can't financially support KOCV's operations," Dingus said.

Abalos said improving the signal would effectively double the range of the station.

According to Dingus, a meeting is scheduled Monday to start more intense discussions on the station's options. He said his group and UTPB and OC will initiate talks with interested stakeholders on how to proceed.

OC board member Sandra Shaw said purchasing new equipment is a big expense, but one that is necessary to consider as a coalition of supporters is formed to sustain the station. Trustee Ray Ann Zant said the need for new equipment will be part of the discussion because that initiated the entire discussion on the station's future.

"There are a lot of details still needed, but I would lean toward a coalition of local groups probably getting involved," Abalos said.

Gary Johnson, chair of the trustee finance committee, said he was pleased with the meeting.

"None of us wanted to do away with the station, but we couldn't afford to keep paying for it like we have," he said. Johnson noted it took possible closure for the public to step up and take action to keep KOCV.

San Antonio-based Texas Public Radio is interested in either helping manage the station or taking it completely off OC's hands. While Johnson said he envisions a more local coalition handling the station, he said the San Antonio group could play a part.

"We could have a local board and use them to provide some of the national programming but still keep a lot of stuff here," he said. He added that he believed having a local board would make it easier to raise funding, and TPR could provide expertise and assistance.

Dingus said he also believed TPR could have a place, even without transferring complete operations to them. J.E. "Coach" Pressly said he thought all the options presented by Alred had merit, and he was waiting to see what the administration comes up with later. However, he said he would prefer a Permian Basin-based coalition. Trustee Bruce Shearer said all options are viable at this point.

"I don't have a problem with Texas Public Radio. We're all Texans," he said.

Alred said he is looking at all options for the station, ranging from state to local partnerships. He said the process will proceed with surveying interested parties on how they could contribute since each party has different ways they could help KOCV now that the need is clarified.

Texas Public Radio News and Current Affairs Director David Martin Davies said he was impressed with how trustees opted not to sell the station outright. He said TPR could help by putting more local news and announcements on KOCV because of greater staffing numbers, even if it meant piping content from another location. Alred said the quality of programming was a concern. He said the station could give KOCV more grant funding since it has the five staff members required to apply for Corporation of Public Broadcasting grants. KOCV currently has only one full-time staff member. Martin Davies said local control would remain in an operating agreement.

"We would still have a local advisory committee and also a local representative on our state board of directors," he said.

Another issue has been whether the potential move of KOCV from Odessa College meant the Basin PBS station would be left without a place for its control room, digital transmitter and antenna. PBS General Manager Daphne Dowdy Jackson said she received an email reassurance from OC President Gregory Williams that the college wanted Basin PBS to stay. The college will meet with station staff next week to discuss a long-term tower lease agreement.

In addition, any move of KOCV would not impact technical operations of Basin PBS because the TV master control room is located in Deaderick Hall close to both the antenna tower outside and the digital transmitter housed in a small building nearby. The radio station has a separate tower and transmitter location since PBS went digital in February. Up until then, PBS transmitted from the same old gym that KOCV uses.

"The prospects for Basin PBS' future there feels and sounds good now," Dowdy Jackson said.

She said she was interested in the fate of KOCV also because the loss of any kind of public broadcasting would be a hit to the local community. She said PBS was willing to get involved to discuss how it could provide some support to public radio.

"We can do more cross-promotion of fund drives and have tried to brainstorm other ways that our development team could help. We are not only willing, but eager to do that," Dowdy Jackson said.

However, she said helping with development would require KOCV to have a general manager and development director, which they don't now. Dingus said he realized that is something the station needs, and a local coalition could raise the funds to pay for staff like that. Abalos also said partners could help with fundraising and staffing, while Martin Davies said TPR could provide a staff ready to get dollars.

Alred said OC would continue working to develop potential partnerships.

"We want to see it succeed and improve," he said.

POTENTIAL PARTNERS

Here are some of the early potential partners with OC to keep KOCV:

>> UTPB.

>> Bill Dingus' group Keep Public Radio.

>> Midland College.

>> Texas Public Radio.

>> Basin PBS (provided staffing at KOCV increases).