Northridge : KCSN Shaken by Looming Funding Cut

For about 30 years, radio station KCSN-FM (88.5) provided a steady diet of eclectic music and news to listeners in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys from its home at Cal State Northridge.

Then came the Jan. 17, 1994, earthquake.

The shaken staff relocated to larger, more modern quarters in a student housing complex, and thanks to grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the public station was able to purchase new broadcasting equipment.

OK, so what’s the bad news?

“The bad news,” explained Teresa Rogers, KCSN’s general manager, “is that there are several public radio stations that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting has decided are too small to keep funding. KCSN is one of them.”

The result: a loss of $150,000 in annual federal funds beginning in 1998. “We’re going to have to tighten our belts and rely more on listeners and local businesses,” Rogers said.

The station kicks off its spring pledge drive today, an annual event that has taken on sobering new meaning with the future loss of government funding. As a public station, KCSN is prohibited from airing commercials, Rogers said.

Still, staff is optimistic that listeners will rally to keep the station’s coffers full.

“Membership is growing at KCSN,” Rogers said, an increase that began 6 1/2 years ago when the station switched from country music to a mostly classical music format. The average patron donates $50 to $75 per year and payments can be made monthly, she said.

“We want to try to improve the service to the areas we do serve,” Rogers said, noting that the station reaches just a fraction of Los Angeles’ radio listeners.

The membership drive will continue through March 3.

For information, call (818) 885-3636 or 885-3090.