Congress to Cut Public Radio Funds: Listener Support is Crucial by Marci Lockwood/General Manager On the brink of another Marathon fund-raiser, it's probably not politic to brag that we managed a balanced budget in fiscal year 1993-1994 which ended September 30th. Maybe you'll think that we're in great shape, that we don't need your financial help. Well, we are in fine shape, but we need your support more than ever. The House of Representatives has voted to slash funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by $21.1 million. This would force CPB to cut grants to stations across the board. It could mean fewer federal funds for KPFA, monies that must be offset by increased revenues from you, our listeners. Pacifica continues to fight a long and hard battle to prevent this funding cut, but encroachment by right wing influences seems to be proving more effective at the moment. If these funds are to be restored this year, or in the future, it is important for your Senators and Representatives to know how valuable public broadcasting is to you. We are very excited about plans to improve our Morning Show by hiring a full-time producer who will coordinate guests and generally tighten the program. This will free Kris and Philip to focus on their interview preparation and on-air sound. There has always been a sense that if only someone could do some of the paperwork, our Morning Show could really take off. Both Kris and Philip are looking forward to the change. We'll also be conducting audience research on the program. Should we include traffic reports? Should segments be longer? Who is our audience? Your feedback is welcomed. Feel free to send it to KPFA, c/o Morning Show Producer. The October Marathon of course, has taken us a great deal of time to prepare, and we think it's as good a fund-raiser as any we've programmed in the past. This season we have decided to do things a bit differently. Starting on October 5th, we kick off the first week by highlighting the best of our regular program line-up. Generally, our Marathons are known for specials that pre-empt regular shows to bring you new and unusual productions. However, our regular shows are pretty special in and of themselves. So we have asked our programmers to cook up unique material to air in their usual time slots during the first week. On October 5th at noon, during Brainstorm, we present Lani Guinier: The Tyranny of the Majority. Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, Lani Guinier was President Clifton's nominee to head the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. At 8 PM that evening, we present a three- hour Grateful Dead special. On Thursday, October 6th, 1 PM, it's Sing Out! Live: The Sequel. You loved our Best of Sing Out! Live special in June. This folk extravaganza picks up where it left off with lots of "live" exclusive KPFA studio performances. Tune in on Friday, October 7th, noon, for back to the land with The Good Life of Helen Nearing. Then at 9 PM, cruise with the best: Those Oldies but Goodies–three hours of La Onda Bajita. On Saturday, October 8th, 6:30, its Freedom is a Constant Struggle with a special on the death penalty. Monday, October 10th, 9 AM, brings you composer/performer John Cale on The Morning Concert. At 7 PM, it's The Secret Side of Free Trade, part 6 of a 13 part series on GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade: Noam Chomsky speaks out. At 10 PM on Monday, October 10th, beat poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure read and discuss during The Poetry Program. Special pre-emptions start the second week of the Marathon. Wednesday, October 12th is Indigenous People's Day, with Native American programming at noon, 3 PM and 7 PM. Thursday, October 13th is Healthy Bodies, Healthy Spirits, Healthy Societies, a full day devoted to personal, social and planetary healing. Friday, October 14 brings us Christopher Simpson: The Science of Coercion: The Pentagon and CIA on campus and influencing the media. Saturday, October 15th, 2 PM: Salsa Block Party. At 8 PM it's The History of Funk. Sunday, October 16th is Women's Spirituality Day. On Tuesday, October 18th, at 9 AM, we hear from Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master, activist and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. At 1:30 PM, We're Here, We're Queer, We're Under Attack: Lesbian and gay rights under fire. The Marathon ends on Wednesday, October 19th, with Listener's Choice, a full day of rebroadcasting the shows you loved the most. If you missed a special, here's your chance to try and catch it again. Be sure to tune in and pledge during your favorite Marathon programs. We all appreciate your feedback, and it helps producers connect with you, the listener, in a very real way. It also helps us access and plan for serving the needs of the community more effectively. Almost 10% of our subscribers are using EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) instead of paying their bills by mail. We encourage all of you who have not yet considered EFT to please give it some thought. Electronic Funds Transfer is an easy way to pay your pledge, without having to worry about lost bills, stamps, and the Post Office. It also means that you'll receive your premium gift in record time. At our end, it has guaranteed a monthly revenue stream and has made our cash flow more stable. We're all looking forward to some truly memorable, exciting, and informative radio in October. .