(00:00:05) In the last year or so, for example, Minnesota Public Radio has become a partner and founding member of American public radio's Associates Performing Arts Network MPR. Also created Minnesota news network commercially supported Statewide news service, and this company is involved now with Continental Cablevision of Boston trying to win the Saint Paul cable TV franchise. It's another prospect that could bring in revenue for the operation. All of this is good, of course, but news about public radio at the national level isn't National Public Radio is currently experiencing some severe belt-tightening latest figures available to us. I believe indicate a budget deficit on the national level of about six million dollars and NPR yesterday laid off an additional 75 to 80 workers this new certainly means NPR will reassess its programming efforts. Well with all of this activity going on around us in public radio. We thought it would be an opportune time for NPR President Bill Clinton to join us and indeed. He's here with us today to take you. Questions on the financial and programming aspects of public radio and we welcome Bill Clinton. Good morning. Good morning Lee. Well with all the news on the national level. I suppose the obvious question is how does that affect our programming? Well, I think one of the one of the first things we need to do is be sure when we're talking about NPR and MPR you notice it's hard to distinguish between those the sets of letters. We probably ought to say national public radio and Minnesota Public Radio. A lot of people have have confused the two and have read the reports or heard the reports on severe budget deficits as MPR as in Minnesota Public Radio, you're correct that the most serious problems right now are occurring at National Public Radio in Washington, and I think the so far the impact on our listeners does not appear to be particularly noticeable. As you mentioned the deficit is mounting it national public radio in the first seven or Eight months of the year actually as of yesterday, they announced a seven million dollar deficit in their indications that it will go considerably higher some of the things that have been done under the interim management of Ronald Bornstein of Madison, Wisconsin who is now taking over to try to bring Financial order to that Corporation. They have had to cut from a spending level of nearly twenty eight million dollars back to spending level of about Seventeen million dollars. The only way you can do that successfully is to stop doing some things you have been doing before and among them are programs like the Sunday show which was an Arts Magazine on Sundays that Minnesota Public Radio had never carried. So that's not going to affect our listeners. They have cut out the new sport news portions of something called NP R plus which was a classical music satellite fed service with a series of hourly news cast again, we did not use it. So Or affect us Jazz alive has been targeted as a program. That is probably going to be eliminated. We do carry Jazz alive. The Saint Paul Sunday morning, which we produce is a program that has been cut out of the NPR schedule but it has been accepted for National Distribution by American public radio, which we are affiliated with so that will not only continue here but it will continue as a national series all things in all things considered in Morning Edition are the two programs. I think our listeners are probably most familiar with and most concerned about and as of last week the budgets for those two programs are basically intact the the original budget figure for this year called for four point eight million dollars to produce those two programs as of the last round and I think the final round of cuts for this year and for next year those two programs held with 4.5 million, so they have almost as much money as the original budget called for and I think that means that they will be that they will be held. With the quality that they've come to be known for their is there have been newspaper articles saying that the news staff at National Public Radio has been cut back tremendously various percentage figures 30% 20 staffers that sort of thing in the paper, but what people need to understand is that does not necessarily mean all things considered in Morning Edition, the majority of those people were working on the Dateline program, which was part of the NPR plus service again something that that we had not chosen to carry here. So it doesn't necessarily mean that the impact will be felt or heard on the on the programs that our listeners are familiar with six minutes past noon Our Guest today is NPR president, Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Clinton. If you've got a question for him, you can call us in the Twin Cities at 2276 thousand 2276 thousand if you are listening at a long distance location with in Minnesota, call us toll-free. Red, six five two nine seven 002276 thousand or 1 800 600 to 900 700. Well the problems at the national level are certainly Financial ones. Could we experienced some of those at the local level as well? Is there a danger of that we could as Fallout really from the problems nationally the most frequently Asked question that I get is what happened? Why is this occurring at National Public Radio initially reports indicated that fundraising had been slower than projected that the budget had been set more optimistically than probably should have have occurred. In fact, it appears that it's considerably more complicated than that. It's hard to understand how seven million dollars out of a 26 million dollar budget which was the original budget could could be in a deficit situation. And in that short of time, we don't know the answers yet. They're trying to get those answers but one impact is that they will have to most certainly have to pass some of that debt onto stations. The new management has come in and done. What we as station said to them which was to get control of the situation try to solve the financial problems as quickly as possible and then spread those out over a couple of years. What they have said is that they hope to spread the debt that occurred this year over the next three to four years and to fund that debt payoff by a combination of fundraising from foundations and corporations and an assessment basically of the public radio stations, we anticipate that next year our cost for that debt will be about a hundred and thirteen thousand dollars. So yes, there is an impact Financial impact on us aside. From that our funding is considerably less dependent on federal sources than National Public Radio the largest source of our funding comes from membership about 33% In fact, the second largest source comes from something we call earned Revenue which is a wide variety of projects that are designed to make money everything from sales of popcorn at the World Theater for the Prairie Home Companion through rental of our Towers the sales of Prairie Home Companion t-shirts and records and Bill Parker's books and that sort of thing and then of course, we have considerable funding from Underwriters corporations foundations. And finally a portion that does come from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting but far less dependence on that the national public radio when we heard that those funds were going to decline under the current administration's proposals we Sort of plan in place to cover for that and two years ago. We talked about doubling the base of membership. It was at 30,000 at that point it reached forty thousand July 1st of last year and I don't think there's anyone listening that could not be aware that we hope it will reach 50,000 by July 1st of this year and that's part of that plan to keep us from getting ourselves in the situation that National Public Radio seems to have have fallen into. All right. Well, I see we already have a substantial number of listeners waiting to ask you questions. Let's go to the first one. Good afternoon. We have your question, please good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:08:55) Okay. It was no click calling to ask you mentioned. Some of the business ventures that are going on the the cable franchise. And also I know on the national level something was is going on with public radio stations being allowed to Commercial Services on their signals electronically employees pagers and things like that and then there's also your Minnesota news network. I'm wondering where does the money come from to start these businesses and the money made from these businesses that it go to them or does it go to the overall operation of public radio and and as a result of all this would you expect public radio eventually to become self-sufficient or privately funded in a death point will remain public. So there's a lot of questions in (00:09:52) one very astute questions as well. Some of them I'm afraid we're not asked when national public radio got into some of the Venture activities and should have been yes. They are looking at transmission of data on their satellite system sending it out on sub-channels of FM radio stations, like ours we have not yet signed agreements to Cepeda in that and we're looking very carefully at whether we should it does not affect what you hear on the regular FM channel that you listen to but these are ancillary services that are transmitted paging services and data and such that you can't actually hear but are carried on that signal as far as the money to finance them national public radio has formed some some very elaborate Partnerships with the people who will have a piece of the business and National Public Radio will also have a piece of the business if the business succeeds some of those funds were intended to supplant the loss of federal funds for national public radio. One of the questions is what happens if the business does not succeed and there seems to be some question as to whether as to where the capital came from to launch those Ventures at National Public Radio. Was that specially targeted money. And if it was where did it come from? We don't know the answer to that yet. And it may be part of the reason why the problems are so severe there at this time because the income from those Ventures did not materialize as rapidly as it was hoped that it would and as of this point as a matter of fact, I don't think any major source of Revenue has yet has yet developed in Minnesota. The situation is somewhat different. We have not entered into Ventures by and large that require us to put up capital or operating funds ourselves in the case of the cable franchise in the city of st. Paul. We felt that we would be a very good partner working with Continental Cablevision of Boston. They're one of the largest cable franchise operators in the country. They have the expertise. We interviewed their people and felt that they were going to provide a very strong system and that that their credentials were excellent and we Talk to them about what we could add locally in terms of our strength and our ability to make the system more responsive over the long term to the local interest of the people of st. Paul. They felt that was a very strong addition that it was responsive to the request that the city had made for Innovative Concepts involving local Partnerships. And so we've gone together with them we have policy level control that is to say we have three of the seven board seats. We have two of the four board seats on the executive committee. So we very much will have a say in how the system develops and how it operates and what quality of programming it can provide but we have not invested our own money. We have invested the resources the physical resources the people resources of our organization in that case. In other cases like the Minnesota news network, which provides news programming for commercial radio stations. As a byproduct of the news that we gather every day when you hear a seven minute or 8-minute report on midday or Morning Edition or All Things Considered locally that report can be reused in a much more brief form for the news network. What it does is give commercial radio stations outside the Twin Cities access to news that they couldn't get any other way. It's we feel contributes to the informed citizenry in the state of Minnesota. It's an important service and it yes is designed to earn us Revenue, but it's a related service. It's a byproduct of something we're doing anyway, so the risk is is minimal and that's the approach we've taken on all of the things that we've gotten involved in. It has to be a business that we're familiar with that we understand that were involved in any way and usually a byproduct of something we're doing the revenue generated by any of those projects will in fact go into The overall operating budget of Minnesota public radio and it will be our way of dealing with the what appears to be long-term decline in federal funding as those startup subsidies decline these Ventures. We hope will produce enough income to replace that Federal component and we will keep a balance of funding in our budget but it'll never replace membership support. It'll never replace corporate Foundation or under ending support and I suppose one of his spin-off questions was is that bad that a nonprofit corporation is being involved with profit-making Ventures. I think it's wise I think it the end result is that the quality of programming that we can provide as a non-profit entity as simply Rises. The one thing you have to keep in mind that is that this is a nonprofit corporation. So that any funds that do come into it cannot go to the stockholders or the owners. It has to be reinvested in the organization and in the in the program product. Our objective is to be able to stay a strong as we are and hopefully maybe to get a little bit better with this funds that are coming in from those sources, but it certainly will stay public radio in a certainly will as you can tell from our announcements regularly through the day it will continue to rely heavily on membership support. All right, many more callers waiting. Let's go to the next one. Good afternoon. Could we have your question, please? (00:15:39) Hello. I heard that on the success of Prairie Home Companion is causing problems for National Public Radio. Could you clarify (00:15:46) that? Yeah, I'd love to there have been some kind of oblique references to that. I know that there was a piece on all things considered in which Frank mankiewicz was being interviewed as to why these problems had occurred basically their management problems at National Public Radio, one of the suggestions. Was that American public radio, which does distribute A Prairie Home Companion and when which we are a partner That that was somehow competing for the funds that National Public Radio needed and if it hadn't done that National Public Radio would be just fine American public radio. In fact hasn't yet raised any money nationally, it has a plan to but it hasn't done it and what I was asked that question I said that certainly it could not possibly have had any impact because it hasn't raised any funds yet. So it didn't clearly didn't take anything away from National Public Radio. It will begin raising funds in my attitude about that. Is that the more people in public radio who make a case for Quality with funding sources, the more likely the pool of funds is likely to expand. If you have one University making a case for higher education, you're not going to have nearly as many people interested in funding higher education as if you have dozens of high quality institutions making that case so it's it's Feeling that when we do begin to look for funds for programming a program Like A Prairie Home Companion will interest new people new corporations New Foundations, and they may at some point look positively on an appeal from National Public Radio the same will occur with national public radio. They may develop an interest which ultimately will fund something that American does the point of it I think is to get the best programs funded not to fund institutions necessarily but to be sure that the best programming is funded and I'm glad you asked that because I felt also that there was a kind of a an implication there that was not really a fair one 2276 thousand if you listening in the Twin Cities area and have a question for MPR Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Clinton won 865 to 9700. If you are listening at a long distance location within the state, let's go to our next caller. Good afternoon. (00:18:12) Yes, this is Fred Olsen in near North Minneapolis and Two sets of questions when I think I'll answer the one that's maybe a little less relevant, but I'm more interested in your answer to my wife and I are in PR members and listen to ksjn news and public affairs programming regularly and rarely listened to commercial radio and however, we often joke about the pledge week references to non-commercial radio by suggesting that it may be it really should be called less commercial radio. What I'm wondering if you could comment on what the limits on the length and content and frequency the distinguish the the non commercials are referred to for example, the ones by Hewlett-Packard in the first bank system, which we find particularly annoying and also do most of these originated with national public radio or Minnesota Public Radio. And also I'm wondering whether the corporation's require such statements in return for their support or how that how do they how do they happen? (00:19:08) You know, your your concern is caused by a difference in policies between Minnesota Public Radio national public. You National Public Radio when they seek underwriting support seek support for to funds they have a news and information fund and they have an arts and performance fund when they find somebody interested in news such as Hewlett-Packard. They become one of 10 15 20 different corporations helping to support that fund every program that draws money from that fund then carries credits for those Underwriters and they have a policy that up to I believe it's six Underwriters can be carried in front of of any particular program. We do it differently Minnesota Public Radio seeks an underwriter for specific program. So that when you hear A Prairie Home Companion, come on, you'll hear the underwriting credit. The program is made possible by Cargill very simple, very clear very easily identified because we are required to carry the under writing credits for the Raised by national public radio you will often times have those multiple credits Hewlett-Packard followed by the Pew Memorial trust and on and on and on it goes I wouldn't do it. That way. They have chosen to do it that way and we really don't have any choice is perfectly legal. We do feel however that the underwriters are a key part of the funding of public radio if without them most of the programs that you care most about simply wouldn't exist. It seems to me to be a fairly easy trade-off to say very quickly that all things considered is made possible by the st. Paul companies, and it's Insurance division Western life for example in order to have that program. That's that's a long way from giving you a full one minute commercial selling something to you. We know it annoys some people but I think the trade-off programming versus that underwriting announcement is a good one. Okay, let's go to our next call or good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:21:21) Yes. Good afternoon. I'm glad that you touched on a little bit about programming because I guess about a year and a half ago an article appeared in either Harper or Atlantic magazine talking about one of the smallest stations up north and it did concerned a little bit things about all things considered. I realized that it does come nationally and you have so much time that you can put in some stories of your own and I think there seems to be a problem with the type of programming that you do when you do put some of your own inserts into that program that comes from NPR and I guess what I my main concern is that I wish You would put some more good things into that type of time slot that you do have and here's just some examples, you know, which I thought were very foolish. You know, we spent in one week when the two Governors were feuding, you know, it was eight minutes of timing one day after the other on a, you know, a bunch of gibberish, you know, we read that in the paper. I'm looking forward to you people doing things that are informative and I thought an opportunity would have been for you people to tell people how our government actually works. What are the tax things about dual bit more informative things on NPR in that time frame that you have on all things considered that seems to be more of interest to me than worrying about whether not to Governors are feuding, you know, I think that's an opportunity for you to inform people and I think that draws is what you're saying about getting more funding if people find that you're doing those types of things then they're more than willing to contribute and I know as a member I enjoy your programming and I do have my criticisms and I'm hoping that you will do something that's little bit. Informative to the people who do support Minnesota Public Radio and I think that's a very key thing to do is to look at the type of programming you're giving us and if you wish to get more funding, I think you have to appeal to the audience at hole in the larger Spectrum at this point (00:23:13) appreciate your comment on that. I don't disagree with you at all. It's our purpose to be informative. I suspect once in a while we put on a piece that any number of us would not consider to be informative. We do feel that the regional and local reports that we add into all things considered make it a much more valuable program. We do that on our FM Network in the five o'clock version and we repeat it on our am stationed at 7:00. Nobody else that I'm aware of in the country does reproduce the program in that way. We put almost as many resources into the program is National Public Radio does to make it a two hour version and to to have local and Regional. Peace. In it for those of you who like it uninterrupted do simply not want to know anything about what's going on locally or regionally. We also broadcasted in its straight form from National Public Radio at four o'clock in the Twin Cities on ksjn am but our preference certainly is to keep you broadly informed about the region and I would agree that our purpose should be to put in the most informative pieces we can and we do try to do that coming up on 26 minutes now past noon Central time, I guess today on weekend is Bill cling president of Minnesota Public Radio. He's here to answer questions on financing programming of public radio in general and we'll go to our next caller. Good afternoon. Where are you calling from? And what's your question? (00:24:38) I'm calling from Rice Minnesota and I would like to ask both thing if Minnesota Public Radio has any plans to encourage its listeners to Lobby its representatives and senators in Washington to restore the funds that Have been so drastically cut. Is there any feasibility to such a such an operation? (00:25:03) We're cautious about that. We did I think maybe you remember when the First Federal cut proposals came we did talk about it and we put a piece in Minnesota monthly magazine asking that you just let the Congressional Representatives know that you feel that this is a high priority one of the problems is that that so many things have been cut back and it gets a little bit difficult to deal with this isolated issue amidst all of the others are Point originally was that public broadcasting was not only being held to no growth which was the original Reagan proposal government should be held to to an old-growth situation, but that we were going Way Beyond that and going back to levels of funding that we had had when the system was first begun that the cuts were The out of proportion to the cuts in other programs at this point. There is a proposal in Congress to not to restore the funds to a level that they had been we were at a hundred and seventy two million dollars for Public Broadcasting in 1981. I believe it was the proposals in the administration call for taking that all the way down to 75 million Congress is currently considering not holding it a hundred and seventy-two which would have been the appropriate response under Reagan policies but to cut it to a hundred and thirty and then try to hold it at about a hundred and thirty rather than going all the way down to 75. We are hopeful that that proposal will pass in the current Congress and certainly if you wanted to let your representatives know what you think about that you should feel free to do so. What's the timetable on that? The bills are in committee now, so I would guess that before the certainly before the August recess. As they will have been dealt with and I would guess within probably within the month not this month within the month of June. All right, Mark callers waiting. Let's go to our next caller. Good afternoon. What's your question? (00:27:05) I have I live here in Minneapolis. And one question. I think that I think a lot of people wonder about I'm a senior citizen, but what I'm concerned about is The reference to earlier remark where someone said that they felt that they NPR was Earth. Our public radio is becoming somewhat that looked like commercial in the sense of raising money. And what bothers me and I don't understand how how you work that that when corporations to donate money to public radio. How does the sister station protected from the influence of what's Akin do who pays the piper, you know, like I know advertisers offer to exert a advertisers influence the newspapers. So I was wondering how does it in PR protect itself from the larger donors of public funds? (00:28:37) Thank you. There's only been one case where we have declined funds because of the influence problem. And that was the state of Minnesota because we cover the legislature and the executive branch. So thoroughly more thoroughly than any other broadcast journalism Department of any station. We felt that and there were clear signs that funds from the state of Minnesota would carry with them considerable efforts to influence our programming in our coverage and having spent some time learning about that. We decided our board the board of Minnesota Public Radio made a very firm statement about two or three years ago saying that while those funds are offered and have been appropriated. We will decline to accept them because we did feel that that that that was a clear conflict as far as corporations. Foundations go we have not had a problem. The funds are usually targeted for a specific program and they are not so substantial as to put us in a live or die situation. I guess the answer to how we protect you from the influence of anyone who would want to influence those programs is the Integrity of the management. We in fact have never had an instance from a corporation where any request has been made to change or alter or to even to complain about any program that anyone has underwritten so far that seems to be a very good and unfairly treated source of Revenue on the state level on the other hand. We did have several instances of attempted influence in that was part of our decision not to to seek funding from a political body more callers waiting. Let's go to our next one. Good afternoon. You're on the (00:30:31) air. In the chuckling. I'm calling from rural fall area. I'm calling wondering about increasing the membership by diversifying your programming somewhat, you stick to pretty much of a classical music vein and it seems like in the last few years. It's even been limited more to that with the demise of such things as your play and Garrison's morning program, and I was just wondering if you wouldn't appeal to more listeners if there were such things as maybe an hour of jazz some time during the day or a replacement for Garrison's morning (00:31:04) program good concept and one that I think you may be pleased. If you've not read your June Minnesota monthly to take a look at it. We all would have loved to have had Garrison Keillor continue doing the morning program but doing as many things as he was doing simply couldn't be handled by I think any any individual we will however have him back to to read one of the most popular. A pieces of the morning program that he did were the sections in which he would read bit of EB white or story that he can read and present so well and that will be honest a special summer feature in June. We have some other variety programming coming up that is not like anything that we've done recently and I think you'll find that that there is some some new thought going into that partly due to the efforts of Maryland Health sir. Who is the manager of FM programming and has been for about the past year or so keep listening? And I think you may be pleased. Okay, see what the next listener has to question you about. Go (00:32:14) ahead. Yes. What is the city Vision programming that to you're proposing with the Cardinal cable company (00:32:21) City Vision the cable operators each proposed to operate a local program channel in the city of st. Paul. In addition to that there are 2 XS corporations, which they have nothing to do with so that they provide funding for the access corporations for anybody who wants to come in and produce a program of any sort on the access channels. Those are controlled by access corporations made up of the people basically who want to use them. The City Vision channel is the cable corporations own sort of Flagship channel that happens to be the name Continental Cablevision has chosen for its Channel and that will be a television program service which we have agreed under a separate contract to manage for Continental if they get the franchise and it would be our best effort at at providing a local television channel of a cable grade quality for the citizens and residents of st. Paul something that is funded by the revenues from the cable system. So that it in no way. Impacts on the funding sources of Minnesota Public Radio but it does give us a way to provide you some interesting program. I don't think that we would choose to televise Lee and myself sitting here today on this call in program, but it would be some things that do relate to what we do on radio live from Landmark for example would be one that we feel might might benefit if you could watch it a lot of things would be created solely for that channel and would be in the public affairs nature in many cases performance and other sports and a variety of things and the decision on awarding the franchise should come up in late June. Yeah, the franchise decision. There are three applicants. The city council is responsible for making the decision. They will review all the applications and decide which they feel serves the city best. The city councilman will vote on June 30th. And if they choose the Continental Which is the one in which Minnesota Public Radio is a partner. We will have something to say about it. Okay. Our wats line is open at one eight hundred sixty five to ninety seven zero zero. If you've got a question, let's go to our next call or good afternoon your (00:34:47) afternoon. Mr. Cling. Hello. Yes. I am help here is my name. I am a member of ksjn and I'm a great believer in public radio. Alright, there's one thing I hope that they can that they won't do and that's dropped the Minnesota (00:35:06) Orchestra. Well, that's first of all, I'm glad to hear that. You're a member and a great believer because you're the people who have made this (00:35:15) service from tell you something I believe the public radio is going to (00:35:19) survive. I think you're right. (00:35:24) We have a struggle. Yeah, but they are Mighty is going to help us survive. (00:35:32) I agree with you as certainly in the case of Minnesota Public Radio. We've been very careful in developing our sources of support in a diversified manner. So we are not in the crisis. The national public radio is in in terms of the Minnesota Orchestra. That is a program that is underwritten by the HP filler Fuller Corporation of st. Paul former Governor. Elmer Anderson is the chairman of the board of HP Fuller and they have since the very beginning of our broadcast of that very special live Regional and now national series have covered the costs of bringing that to you. So again, it's a case where the underwriters with really very minimal credit for what they do have brought for. I don't know what it is now 10 years of a very important service to many people around this region. You have no need to fear that the anything will happen to that HP Fuller has given strong indications of continuing support. And we should be able to bring it to you every Friday night as long as the orchestra's willing to play. All right, 22 minutes before one o'clock Our Guest today Bill cling president of Minnesota Public Radio. Let's go to our watch Lion and asked where you're calling from. And what your question is. (00:36:50) I wanted to say that I do feel that the programs that you generate in the state are some of the best things and I was in bed for bed. Rest two summers ago and listen to you constantly and I always do when I'm in my car radio and places like that and I'm very appreciative of the fact that you do have classical music because I cannot find such a breadth of coverage anywhere else on the radio bands and I particularly enjoy the Saint Paul Sunday morning program, which is extremely Innovative and important and also the live from landmark of course and the You know the Saint Paul Sunday morning programs and I'm talking about but the all things to considered I think is extremely repetitive if you listen to it on a daily basis and also too long. So I guess I'd like to give you some compliments for your things that are generated within the state. (00:37:50) Sounds like a mostly satisfied customer. Yeah Lee I wanted to add that while we appreciate hearing both the compliments in the criticism of what we do one of the best places that we get that is from the membership on the renewal envelope flaps when they come in there's a place to write down what you think. Those are all tallied in their past around to the staff about every month or so and it's very interesting to see what people like what they dislike what they want to see more of what they want to see less of so, we're in reasonably close touch with those of you who support the service in particular. It's also interesting to me to find out that some of our most enthusiastic supporters are people who have in fact been in the hospital or been in bed for a week or two weeks and have listened constantly. They really get the full concept of what we're doing and we often hear that kind of comment. All right. Let's go to our next listener. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:38:47) Thank you. I'm calling from Robbinsdale have been a Member of Minnesota Public Radio for at least 10 years. I would also add that I've lived elsewhere and I fully agree with the statements that are made occasionally and some people may not understand that there really is nothing else like it anywhere the quality and the depth of the programming is outstanding. I've got several questions one is I guess a minor complaint or comment and that's I listened to Morning Edition virtually every day and I noticed that occasionally on the local breaks. They seem to repeat several of the national news stories when in fact, I would think there'd be several local stories that they could use in that time period in the because they when they go back to the National coverage you hear those stories again, and I just think that the local breaks ought to concentrate more on the Minnesota type (00:39:47) news. I'll respond to that one first that's part of our efficiency of operation here the I suspect what you're talking about is the eight thirty seven thirty eight thirty half-hour breaks. And that's a case where Bob Aronson is feeding news both to the Morning Edition audience, which is listening to our AM station and also to the Statewide FM Network, which is not listening to Morning Edition. So they're hearing those news stories for the first time. I think that's probably where the conflict occurs more often than (00:40:25) not you're probably right. I didn't realize that they were doing what the same time one of the minor question that something I've heard quite often in the Bryce National programs just what is the German Marshall fund (00:40:42) interesting question? It's for those of you who don't know why that would be asked that's one of the major Underwriters for news programming at National Public Radio. The German Marshall fund did was a fun set up by the European governments to thank the United States for the Marshall Plan which was set up after the war and the Marshall fund is used in the United States to further International understanding and they do fund all sorts of projects for that purpose. Alright, our lines are full and we'll go to the next call or good afternoon your on the earth. We have a question, please we're Bill clang. (00:41:25) Yes. I'm calling from Roseville and I'm wondering if there are Financial or popularity considerations affecting the morning program from 629 where we no longer are getting introductions to the music but instead dropping the needle and then having three or four announcements between and then dropping the needle again, even to the extent of introducing that the sports is coming up and yet not telling us what the next piece of music is. Thank you. (00:41:53) Thanks for your comment. The morning program is most of you probably have noticed on the FM Network system is going through a period of transition. We've had a lot of different announcers doing it. There's no intention to change it. But my guess is that it happens simply because people who've not been familiar with that format. I've been doing it, but it's good criticism and we'll pay attention to it Lee. I was just thinking about that German Marshall. Question, I suppose some people think that's German Marshall as in field Marshal. In fact, the German and the Marshal don't go together. It's a it's funded by the German government in okay. Thanks for the for the Marshall Plan. Okay. Let's go to our next caller. Good afternoon. You're on the (00:42:37) air. Yeah. I'm I'm I'm working right now and I'm only kind of half listening to what's going on. And so I don't want if if I'm making a fool of myself, please stop me but a while ago. I heard somebody call complaining about the naming of Underwriters on the air. I'm a small businessman and I would like I do contribute to public radio and I let would like to contribute more to publicly deal. The problem is is getting a return. I mean, I'm I have to make a profit in a problem is gain a return on my money that I invest. I don't want to sell crude hear anything, but you accept money from large. Operations and as a small businessman. I cannot contribute that kind of money. I was wondering if there is any way that small businessman can get exposure on public radio without having to have the obligations that large corporations have I mean something like the Beethoven's Ninth Symphony will be underwritten by a violin maker or cabinetmaker the kind of people who put ads in your monthly magazine (00:43:54) interesting point and my first piece of advice would be that you call Gloria Sewell in our development office here and talk to her about your interests there two or three ways. I can think of offhand one is the day sponsorship which all sorts of people use and it's a very nice sort of community. Institution really in which we announce that today's programming is sponsored in part by hoagland's flowers in honor of Mother's Day or something like that. That's one possibility and that's a reasonable expense and it's a very helpful source of support for the system a second you mentioned yourself, which is Minnesota monthly in which does reach the certainly all of the supporters of this city service and the third would be that we do have quite a number of small businesses who are Underwriters as you listen carefully, you'll find find some I suspect that you're familiar with so I would suggest you call Gloria and talk to her about it and she may be able to find something that fits your interests. All right, let's go to the next caller. Good afternoon. You're on the air. We have your question, please. (00:45:01) I'm calling from Minneapolis. I'm one of your faithful and Avid listeners and supporters and I had a chance to realize this last summer on a vacation Ali when I was able to hear the same wonderful. Programming while out in the wilderness. There is some I do have one comment though, even in spite of the fact that you have very good programming. I noticed that you have programming for Latin Americans and for the print handicapped and other segments of society who happen to have great current needs, but I know of no regular program now reporting news and engaging in Dialogue on crucial The crucial issues facing women in the present Society. We no longer have this on TV or on k. Uo m at there is a great need. Why don't you have (00:46:00) it. In fact, we do one of the things that we do is to keep track of any targeted audience in which there's a reason to provide any emphasis. What we don't have is a program called. Women today or any targeted program but we do intersperse women's issues in almost every element of our current affairs programming. I was looking at the list reason I'm feeling so confident about what's been done in that area. As I was looking at the list about two weeks ago. It is a very very Broad and very very thorough list of programs that were done. We feel as a general policy that it's best to mix together issues of concern. To the general public in other words to take women's issues minority issues and put them into Vehicles like all things considered or midday. So that everyone hears those rather than just the specific audience to which those issues might be addressed. We would rather have the whole of society hearing what those issues are what the concerns are what some of the solutions are so that something might in fact happen and with that approach, I think you'll find if you listen carefully that we are dealing with women's issues on a very broad scale throughout our programming, but in fact, we will note your your comment and continue to emphasize it eleven and a half minutes now before one o'clock Central time, you're listening to weekend on Minnesota Public Radio. Let's go to the next listener. Good afternoon. You're on the air. (00:47:42) Hello. I have a question about the NPR satellite that Minnesota Public Radio uses. Yes. I also I understand that American public radio uses that to distribute its programming among its various subscribers. Does NPR get any sort of compensation from a PR for that use and if not, is that fair to NPR? (00:48:05) Yes. It's a fairly complicated question, but it is not the NPR satellite. That's one of the one of the errors that was in a report. I suspect you heard earlier on all things considered the satellite is owned and financed by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the use of all public radio users. Whether it be National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio American public radio or an independent producer. If you wanted to produce a radio piece you have access equally on a schedule of priorities in other words live programs tend to have a higher priority than taped programs. But but within those priorities you have equal access with anyone else. Including National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio and American public radio pays their fair share cost per hour for the use of that satellite system. So that anytime we produce a program anywhere in the country. The Prairie Home Companion for example came out of Boston last weekend. It was a minute late coming on the satellite system. So we will cut down what we pay them for that. But in fact we have access to it equally with all other users thanks to the administration of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting which was set up to take care of all users within the public radio Community. There was a misstatement and I don't blame you for thinking that that it is the national public radio satellite did in fact is not just a curious note how expensive is satellite time is that it costs about $100 an hour for a stereo Channel plus some related and ancillary costs. Depending on how many bells and whistles you want on it. Okay, 9 minutes before one o'clock. Let's go to our next listener. Good afternoon. (00:49:58) Financial supporter ever since it began before and I depend on Wisconsin Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio and channel 8 and Duluth, which is our educational Channel most entirely for what I'm hearing and I appreciate the things that you do that you can't hear elsewhere. I objected having the deaf programs on public radio because I think you can dial up and down the commercial radio and get lots of that but we can't get the other things. But the thing that I would like to suggest is of course, mr. Going about this for several years is a fairer representation of the conservative Viewpoint. This is in your commentators. And in the people present the news it's all slanted from the Viewpoint of the individual giving it on what they omit and what they put in and how it's done and I think you're doing a better job you did but for example on National Public Radio, these two have James Buckley as a commentator since he is no longer there. As if not replace them with anybody who was a conservative commentator and all I wish you'd pass this on to National Public Radio because there's a whole audience of conservative people waiting out there saying why should I contribute to that? They never express my viewpoint and I just get angry because it's never expressed and it's always gets the smear treatment and I think programs like Ted koppel's Nightline, which he's doing pretty well in presenting. Both sides makes a great hit with a lot of us who have been very angry about having loved good conservatives passed right over and the Never Never represented and I think if you are a liberal yourself you don't realize this but if you were to hear it all conservative Network, you can Discover it and I think you have a lot of potential contributors if you can get them to listen and incidentally, I think it's great that business is contributing and I certainly don't check your hearing the credits given I think the more we can do that the better happier we can make business in this state the better I'm all for it. (00:51:56) Thank you, and you're right I have heard. That comment before from a from you and from a variety of people and we've done a lot to try to understand it. First of all, we have to distinguish again between national public radio and Minnesota Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, I think does an excellent job of balancing the reports that it puts in from its region. There have been criticism criticisms in continuing comment about liberal bias at national public radio, and it seems to sort of Rise and Fall your comment about Ted Koppel may give us a clue as to why that that happens periodically Kapil usually has side-by-side commentators in the way that we use Kennedy and krog saying for example, liberal and conservative Democrat and Republican view on any issue right next to each other all things considered has all viewpoints and we have checked very carefully through the conservative commentators as well as the what you might call the Mocking tone commentators. There are some of both there is a balance of both and the amount of time given to both. In fact is equal. If you look carefully at the full schedule what causes a problem I think there are two things one is that the time given to any single issue on National Public Radio is more than you get on NBC news or CBS News. And so if a Viewpoint is being expressed that you don't agree with you have more time to get mad about it. It goes on for five or six or seven minutes and that does I think cause people to come in more frequently on that and we hear from both sides about it every time somebody gives either a liberal or conservative Republican or Democratic comment. We are watchful we don't have direct control over national public radio, but you can be sure that we do pass your comments on to them on that issue as well as many others. It is our feeling that that it is partly a matter of the amount of time devoted to those issues and secondly that the commentators are separated that they are on individually speaking their point of view and it might be an hour before you hear a Viewpoint from the other side and you may miss that. So that's what I would say about it and we'd continue to like to hear our audiences comments about that issue will continue to pass them on to National Public Radio. Okay, we have time for two or three more questions if the questions are kept short, good afternoon, you're on the air. (00:54:36) Yes. Hi. I like to Echo the sentiments of a couple of previous listeners that all things considered is often very repetitive. And in fact on the street, I've heard it called many times all things reconsidered because So repeat it over and over again. I'd like to see more locally generated news out of the AM news team and particularly some in-depth public affairs. But the question I had is this would a commercial Venture be allowed to own and operate a an FM network of your size and AM station the 20-plus station network and a cable franchises well, and if this was not philosophically agreeable to the Federal Communications Commission for a commercial Venture what justification would a public Venture have of being able to to monopolize the media to this (00:55:27) extent? Well, I don't think it's monopolizing the media the the issue historically has been the question of control in a single community and the issue with came in the primarily in the 60s for small communities, which had a single newspaper a single radio station or single television station. Under the control of a single family or a single Corporation so that there was only really one Viewpoint heard there. We don't have 20 plus stations. We have nine stations spread from Michigan through Iowa and most parts of Minnesota. The reason that that is allowed in public radio. This is the limit in the commercial world is 7 FM stations in 7 AM stations and 7 television stations we have 8fm, so we would be one over the commercial limit, but we only have one AM station. The reason there are no limits in public broadcasting is that the same commercial incentives are not there and the economy of scale is encourage the Wisconsin State Network system has I believe 10 stations needed in order to cover that state other states have public television and Public Radio Networks under the same managerial control again for the economic efficiencies your comment about Cable in the Twin Cities. There are some 40 radio stations of which we operate to there are any number of entities that operate the AM/FM radio and television and I don't think that that there is any concern that raised really on the part of anybody that suggests that there's any kind of media control their question is what can you do for Or Communications in the quality of communications and if we feel that we can add a quality component and a non-profit quality component to something like cable system. We try to do that. I think if we have to consider if we didn't do it who would do it. And in this case those would be people who probably would not add the same strength to it. We have about 30 seconds left Bill if we're watching the membership goal at this time, aren't we? Can you sum that up in 30 seconds? Yes. I suspect that. Some people are wondering why we are continuing to try to reach the 50,000 member goal when after all we did have membership week. One of the key points on that is that we have every year to add new members in this year the told that the target was 10,000 members. We did that in our to membership weeks, but you at the same time have to keep the base. We had 40,000 members. We went into the year some of those do not renew for a wide variety of reasons. So it's important for people to understand that both that renewal rate. And the number of new members are necessary to meet their goal. If we're going to have 50,000 members. We're almost there were about 2,000 member shy and it can be made up either from from new members or from renewal of existing members. All right. Thanks for coming in today weekend is made possible by economics laboratory products and services for household institutional and Industrial Cleaning worldwide.