YOUR AD HERE »

Guest editorial: Come together to support KPCW

Come together to support KPCW this week

KPCW General Manager Renai Bodley

Now that the dust has settled from last week’s horror in Charlottesville, the hard work begins as Americans take a closer look in the mirror to examine how this happened. How do we become a society where diversity is embraced, not feared? I think the best place to start is in our own neighborhood, and KPCW can help.

Months ago, the KPCW staff chose “Come together” as our Summer Pledge Drive theme. At the time it seemed appropriate because the political divisiveness that percolated in the 2016 election isn’t going away. It seems the public focus is more on what drives us apart than what brings us together.

We are a community of contrasts: Park City is the most liberal municipality in the most conservative state. Our economy depends on the dollars of the ultra-rich, yet the working class who cater to them can’t afford to live here and drive long commutes to a city that prides itself on net zero goals. In Wasatch County, the population explodes with people who love the rural ambiance, then buy homes in new subdivisions that gobble up pastoral settings.

KPCW is committed to explore the dichotomies in our community and report on them daily to help inform our listeners. You hear us on 91.7FM in Summit County, or 91.9FM or 88.1FM in Wasatch County. You can also listen on kpcw.org, or on the KPCW app on your smartphone. Our listeners know they can depend on our regular coverage of local government, school board meetings, amid the live traffic updates and the lost-and-found reports.

This is my first pledge drive as KPCW’s general manager. I’ve been in the news business for 27 years, and in the dozen newsrooms I’ve worked, not one equals KPCW’s commitment to covering local issues. We also put those issues in a larger context with national news reports at the top of every hour from NPR. Plus, we provide national programs like “Marketplace Report” and “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” In addition, KPCW airs seven hours of public affairs programming a week, featuring the latest business, environmental, health, science and entertainment news along the Wasatch Back.

KPCW is a nonprofit organization operating on a noncommercial broadcasting license. That means we are owned by you, the public, and without your support we could not stay on the air. The proceeds from our four-day pledge drives every August and February provide approximately 20% of our operating expenses. If you listen, we hope you will contribute.

We’ve been on the air for 32 years, and with the influx of so many new people along the Wasatch Back combined with the dominance of satellite radio, there are many residents in our coverage area that aren’t aware of the good work we do for our community. In addition to our news coverage, we also partner with the area’s many nonprofit organizations by promoting their efforts. In 2016, KPCW aired the equivalent of $792,000 in donated air time to nonprofits by producing and airing 32,000 PSAsand more than 1,000 live interviews in our local news programs.

I invite you to “Come Together” with KPCW next week to pledge your financial support of the station starting 7am, Monday, August 21st. You can call in a donation to 435-649-9004 or donate on http://www.kpcw.org. Please give. A better informed community is a better community.

Letters

School district must lead

Park City School District is being investigated by the federal Office of Civil Rights for persistent and ongoing violations. It’s a very big deal that has a lot of our community on edge.



See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.