(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Classical KCME has been broadcasting out of Colorado Springs since 1979. However, the 24/7 public radio is in need of donations following federal funding cuts.
KCME is actually part of two separate stations operating as one. KCME and Jazz 93.5 run out of the same building, with the same staff. After the federal funding cuts, they’re now working to fill a roughly $100,000 gap.
“All of our hosts are local. They live here, they work here, they perform in the Philharmonic. They are your neighbors and your companions and your friends, and so that is something really special,” said Stephanie Horton, the Classical KCME and Jazz 93.5 General Manager.
The fundraising effort is a big task, considering they already needed to increase their budget by about $100,000 before the cuts.
“We have a total of 27 staff members, but only six full-time staff. So most everybody is part-time, wearing multiple hats,” said Horton, “They’re teachers [and] professors in the music world. They have other part-time jobs or full-time jobs, and so this is really a passion for them… We don’t just call them DJs, we call them on-air hosts because they really bring you the information behind the music.”
They say it’s one of just a handful of stations across the country that only broadcast music, without news or other interruptions.
“Not just here serving Colorado Springs in the Pikes Peak region, but we also have translators that serve Chaffee County, Summit County, and Fremont County all the way down past Pueblo, toward Walsenburg, [and] all the way up past Castle Rock,” said Horton.
To address the funding shortfall, they are encouraging 100 people to sign up to donate at least $10 monthly by Sept. 30. You can donate by clicking here.
“There is, of course, nervousness and worry about the future. But there is also a sense of ‘We can do this’ and ‘We can do this with our community because they’re going to stand with us,'” expressed Horton, highlighting the station’s reliance on community support.
“We need to make sure that every single day we are doing everything we can to make sure that this station’s going to be here for another 45 years,” she added.
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