Friday, May 24, 2013
Nearly a year after local activists pressured Colorado College to bring "Democracy Now!" to its community radio station, KRCC-FM 91.5 has signed on with the fiery, investigative nightly news show.
Station manager Delaney Utterback says last February's petition and protest in which several people marched on their knees across the snowy campus did not affect his decision to air the program, which runs from 7 to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
"Many people have requested the show in the past," he says. "Its controversy aside, since there was almost no listenership at that time [of night], we couldn't go wrong putting a show in that is one, free, and two, has a built-in audience."
The station will broadcast "Democracy Now!" for a year-long, no-cost trial run. Depending on community input, the station may pay a nominal $4,000 fee in 2008 to continue the program, which Utterback expects will boost fundraising revenue for the station.
"The feedback has almost been overwhelming," he said Tuesday, following the show's KRCC debut Monday night. "I probably have 20 e-mails saying that people are happy."
A TV version of the program already had aired in Colorado Springs, via Denver-based KBDI Channel 12. "Democracy Now!" outreach coordinator Denis Moynihan claims the program known for its leftist bent often is successful in conservative areas.
"People concerned with issues like personal privacy and corporate power many conservative people appreciate solid reporting on those issues among others, not to mention the war in Iraq," Moynihan says.
"Democracy Now!" is one of several new shows on KRCC. "E-Town" will air on Fridays at 1 p.m., with "WireTap" playing at 9 p.m. The local news show "Western Skies," which had aired on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, will play in shorter, daily segments, with an hour-long wrap-up at 10 a.m. Sundays.
