Public Radio Debate May Put KCLU-FM in Jeopardy : Budget: Fledgling Ventura County station has launched low-key lobbying effort and plans fund-raising drives.

Ventura County’s public radio station does not receive a dime in federal funding, but the emerging debate in Congress over the future of public broadcasting could leave the fledlging station unplugged.

Operating out of a bare-bones studio in Thousand Oaks, KCLU-FM sits in an unenviable position: It is a public radio station so new that it has not yet received any government money and, as it waits, public funding itself is in jeopardy.

“Survival is a concern to us,” said Dan Kuntz, general manager. “We’re developing other strategies to fund what we do. But if a lot of money is taken away, we as an institution could be in trouble.”

KCLU has launched its own low-key lobbying effort back home, as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting--which funds more than 1,000 public radio and television stations nationwide--attempts to evade the budget ax in the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The contemporary jazz station is running an editorial that, without explicitly taking sides in the congressional debate, encourages listeners to contact their representatives in Washington. And KCLU will hold its first fund-raising drive next month to boost its tiny $87,000 budget, allowing the first 883 supporters to have their names etched in a plaque at the station.

Initiating the controversy was House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who told an interviewer last month that “one of the things we’re going to do this year, I hope . . . is to zero out the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been eating taxpayers’ money.”

The words zero out caused panic among many public broadcasting supporters, who began to envision television without “Sesame Street” or the “McNeil-Lehrer News Hour” and radio without “All Things Considered” or “Morning Edition.”

The county’s two congressmen are divided on the issue. Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) says stations like KCLU are an important educational and cultural resource that ought to be supported, while Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) contends that taxpayer-financed broadcasting may be a luxury that the country can no longer afford.

Beilenson says that he regularly listens to National Public Radio, whether he is in Washington or in the district, and that the threat to eliminate federal funding has generated more mail and telephone calls to his office than any other issue so far this year.

“I am strongly supportive of continued funding at least at current levels,” Beilenson said. “I listen to public stations all the time and frankly find virtually nothing of quality on commercial radio or television. Public financing clearly is not an extravagance. We’re spending perhaps a dollar per American per year.”

Gallegly says he appreciates public radio, although he is not a regular listener. Still, in a time of government cutbacks, Gallegly says government funding for radio and television needs to be scrutinized.

“I’m a fan of public television and radio . . . but there are so many things in this great country we’d like to have that we can’t afford,” Gallegly said. “There’s a lot of things I’d like as a private citizen but can’t afford. We have to be pragmatic. I’m a lot more concerned about my grandchildren being able to survive in this country than to see Big Bird.”

Created by Congress in 1967, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is receiving $285 million this year, with 75% going to television and 25% to radio. There are six radio stations in Southern California that receive federal funds, including KCRW-FM in Santa Monica ($611,421), KCSN-FM in Northridge ($179,411) and KPCC-FM in Pasadena ($181,415).

The behemoth of local public radio is KCRW, based at Santa Monica College and with a signal that extends as far as Santa Barbara and Palm Springs.

KCLU was established to fill in gaps in other public stations’ coverage by providing NPR programs with solid reception and a local flair for those in Ventura County.

Since going on the air Oct. 20, the station has met government funding standards: It has at least three staff members, programs that do not advocate any political or religious positions, and a significant community service role.

KCLU, now supported completely by Cal Lutheran University, has the minimum number of staffers, along with a cadre of 22 community volunteers. And the station has striven to stay objective and provide an array of public service programming.

Three times a week, for instance, KCLU offers a one-hour open phone called “Ventura Talk,” which has covered everything from the debate over Proposition 187 to an interview with singer Peggy Lee. Another program, “Ventura County Matters,” offers question-and-answer sessions with newsmakers. The station also runs local public service announcements throughout the day.

Listener contributions are already essential for public radio and television, as anyone who has listened to the regular pitches for members can attest. And such campaigns could become even more important if federal money is reduced.

In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, KCLU will launch its first fund-raising drive as part of a national campaign called “For the Love of Public Radio.” Listeners can send flowers to a loved one, with the profits split among the local station, NPR and the florist.

Then, from April 2 to 7, the station will hold a membership drive, and those contributing $100 or more will be honored on a special plaque.

Gallegly wants to see listeners and corporate sponsors even more involved in publicly funded stations.

“As long as the government is there to fund this or that, there is very little motivation for the private sector to get involved,” he said. “What we really need to do is ask those who believe in this to put your money where your mouth is. If it’s that good, maybe it’s worth a check for $10 a month.”

Discussions on the level of support for public broadcasting will continue on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks, and there are some signs that a compromise might emerge. A proposal offered by Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.), for instance, would eliminate funding for financially stable stations in large urban areas, such as KCRW, but continue to use government money for start-up stations and those in smaller markets.

That idea, which Gingrich has said he does not oppose, could end up helping KCLU.

Beilenson, however, wants to keep federal support flowing just as it is now.

“It’s a big issue for me, not only for our local station but for all of public broadcasting,” Beilenson said. “It’s a local issue but it’s also far greater than that. In a country as great as ours, we need these kinds of programs.”

Even if Congress does not move to eliminate funding this year, Gallegly predicts that government’s role in such stations will be scaled back.

“I’m sure that you’re going to see a significant reduction in the taxpayers’ role,” he said. “Ultimately, our objective ought to be to continue these quality programs without government funding.”

Kuntz of KCLU said he understands reductions during these tough economic times but believes that an elimination of funding altogether would be a tremendous loss.

“Business as a whole is downsizing, trying to get leaner and meaner,” Kuntz said. “But I would hope for our future--my young son watches “Sesame Street”--that this avenue for commercial-free, thought-provoking programming continues. I understand cuts but for the amount of money that is spent on public broadcasting, . . . I think it’s worth it.”