Special Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Boulder Community Broadcast Association, Inc.
May 19, 2003

Call to order at 5:10

Board members in attendance: Arleigh, Tracy Miller, Phil Dougan, Gabrielle Silva, Paul Mischo, Steven Sherman-Boemker, Nile Southern, Chip Grandits, and Marty Durlin (ex-officio)

Public, staff, and volunteers in attendance: Jim Ciarlo, Joanne Cole, Evan Perkins, Clover, Elaine Erb, Joy Barrett, Sam Fuqua, Ursula Scriba, and Andy Bardwell

The special board meeting was held to discuss the potential acquisition of 1510 AM in Denver. Marty explained that since there is such extreme crowding on the FM band in Denver, an AM signal is the only option that remains if we are to enter that market. The Denver public stations are uninterested in alternative programming, especially in the news area. The impetus for a potential AM acquisition came from the Rocky Mountain Media Watch group in Denver and Public Radio Capital, which were both aware of the availability of 1510 AM. If KGNU is to proceed, the station would need to commit $5,000 for an initial study by PRC; the balance of the $20,000 PRC fee would likely be paid by the CPB. A list of pros and cons was assembled as the discussion proceeded.
  The pros: We have great radio to offer. Consider Chomsky’s observation that community radio changes a community. A good Denver signal would serve Boulder residents who work in Denver. We will become a more diverse station which could improve our programming. A larger membership base will give us more resources. We could potentially spin the Denver frequency off to a grassroots Denver community group in the future.
  The cons: If we become a much larger station, the culture of KGNU may become less democratic and less intimate; we may lose a precious part of our identity. We would be assuming great financial risk in difficult economic times. We may not have the organizational ability to raise $4 million. We should examine our desire to “save the world.”
  A question was posed about getting realistic membership increase figures, and it was suggested that KCFR’s AM-FM split may provide useful data. It was also suggested that we must protect our existing operation, if possible, from a potential failure of our AM operation in Denver. In a worst case scenario, it was suggested that we could sell the AM frequency, which will probably have increased in value. Jim Ciarlo suggested that a realistic business plan justifies the $20,000 cost of PRC’s services. Marty and Sam believe that we should move toward purchase if financial questions can be satisfactorily answered. It was pointed out that this is a unique situation for the station that would require us to move quickly if we are to seize this opportunity, especially since  an anticipated FCC decision on June 2 will increase media concentration and likely increase the value of 1510 AM. Andy Bardwell of Rocky Mountain Media Watch urged us to be daring in difficult political times.

Adjourned at 7:15

Respectfully submitted
Phil Dougan, Secretary
July, 2003

Index of board mins