Whatcom Watch Partners With KUGS FM to Bring You Independent News via Democracy Now!

Evan Knappenberger is a disabled veteran and recent graduate of Whatcom Community College. He is also an advertising representative and contributor to Whatcom Watch.

Starting this fall, Whatcom Watch will be underwriting the hit independent media show Democracy Now! hosted by award-winning journalists and authors Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, on 89.3 FM, KUGS, Bellingham. As sponsor, Whatcom Watch is exchanging advertising space in the Watch for underwriting privileges year-round.

Democracy Now! has been one of the best sources of international independent journalism for over a decade. Their daily show is played on over 850 radio and TV stations around the world, as well as online at www.democracynow.org. To listen to the show, tune in to 89.3 FM, at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m, Monday through Friday.

I spoke with Mark Nowak, Marketing and Development Director at the station, and Jamie Hoover, KUGS executive director.

Whatcom Watch: How long has KUGS been playing Democracy Now! and what kind of popularity does it maintain?

Jamie Hoover, KUGS: KUGS has been a Pacifica Network Affiliate since 1997. More information about Pacifica is available at www.pacifica.org. Democracy Now! is played twice a day on KUGS and I believe KUGS to be one of the few stations until recently that has aired the program twice daily. The current schedule is 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Democracy Now! has a loyal listenership, which is evidenced by the turnout for Amy Goodman’s public appearances in Bellingham.

[Editor’s note: Last year, Amy Goodman spoke at the WWU performing arts center, with several hundred in the audience. In 2006, she spoke at the Congregational Church sponsored by the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center to a sell-out crowd.]

WW: What kind of outreach into the community is Democracy Now! providing for KUGS, and how does it fit with your mission?

KUGS: Other public affairs programming that airs on KUGS includes This Way Out (LGBT programming), Making Contact, Latino USA, Sprouts, Listen Up Northwest, One World Report, National Native News and Free Speech Radio News. These programs fit into the mission as stated “… (to provide) public affairs programming that encourage a greater understanding of the human differences and cultural pluralism within the university community and the larger world we live in. Through its programming, KUGS-FM will serve as a bridge from the university to the surrounding communities.”

WW: What does the technical process of receiving, playing, and re-playing Democracy Now! look like?

KUGS: As far as technically receiving Democracy Now! we receive the program through the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) and Content Depot. The show airs at 8 a.m. Eastern and we record the program at 5 a.m. At 7 a.m. the KUGS staff member retrieves the recording from the operations office and plays it over the air. This is the same recording that airs at 7 p.m.

WW: What exactly is the Pacifica Network and what does it do? Is it expensive?

KUGS: There are approximately 131 Pacifica affiliate stations throughout the United States. As a network affiliate the station receives administrative, technical and programming assistance from the Pacifica organization, as well as access to programs through the satellite system. As an affiliate, KUGS has the opportunity to access public affairs programming that may not be available on other media outlets. The affiliate fee is based on a sliding scale according to the station’s operating budget.

KUGS: Not all workers are volunteers. All the on-air DJs are primarily WWU student and community volunteers, except the morning show host who is a student employee. KUGS also has 7 part-time student employees who are paraprofessionals working on the day-to-day operations of the station. §