Democracy NOW, back from its late-night gulag, is on again in the morning and there is no more talk about dropping it altogether. Several music programmers who were arbitrarily yanked off the air over the last several years are now being heard again on the left side of the FM dial in the Kansas City area. Music programmers on some shows are no longer required to adhere to music playlists dictated by board members.

Last fall, among the many contentious postings from all directions about KKFI here on KCIndymedia, was one questioning why there was a link to the website of Friends of Community Radio and none to KKFI’s website. At the time, the KKFI website was, understandably, prominently and frequently mentioned on the air, while mere mention of Friends of Community Radio was verboten. Not long before that, KKFI board members pre-empted a Democracy NOW broadcast to complain about an Amy Goodman appearance to support Friends of Community Radio, and a KKFI spokesman referred to Friends of Community Radio and/or Pacifca supporters as a group of terrorists.

Slurs against FCR by station management were the only knowledge some folks at the station had about Friends of Community Radio, an organization that we felt was working hard to save the best of community radio in Kansas City. There was a hostile atmosphere at the station, many troubling questions about financial management, and a disturbing drift towards commercial style programming.

Things have certainly changed. The General Manager who nearly ran the station into the ground is gone. Some very community-minded and extremely competent people inside the station worked masterfully with members of FCR to re-write the station’s bylaws and get them formally voted in. Two members of Friends of Community Radio have been voted on KKFI’s board of directors, and many others serve on committees and as Active Members. Democracy is now back at KKFI.

While the internal threat to community radio seems to be gone, the financial threat is very much present. Long-neglected equipment needs repair or replacement. The station may have a chance to move to a different facility that looks to cost less in the long run as well as being accessible to the disabled. By all reports the spirit and mood at the station are very “up” and everyone at the station, including members of Friends of Community Radio as well as some who may have had their doubts about that group, are enthusiastically working together to make the fund drive a success.

KKFI is a diamond in the rough, a precious jewel that deserves community support. In this time of rampant media consolidation and the incredible failure of corporate media to fulfill the functions of a free press, it is vital to support quality alternative media.

As Amy Goodman said in a speech in Madison, WI last November, “We need a different media in this country and we have it! It is growing all over, it is the indymedia centers in cities around this country and in countries around the world. It is Pacifica radio at the five stations and all the community radio stations around… “

“…Yes, you can make a difference! As Margaret Mead said, never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has….”

Make a difference. Support KKFI. Make a financial contribution, big or small. Call 816-931-3122 or go on line at www.kkfi.org.

Volunteer at the station. Attend a board or committee meeting. Call, write, or email the station and tell them what programming you’ve heard that you like or what you’d like to hear. Visit www.kkfi.org - you can find station numbers, committee meeting times, show schedules, and information on how to make a contribution.