Not quite 20 years ago, I wrote weekly opinion pieces for two newspapers circulated in rural Whitman and Latah Counties. I guess I must’ve been too hard on George W. Bush’s buildup to the Iraq War and certain Moscow business owners threatened to cancel display advertising were I allowed to continue.
Disgusted at this heavy-handed effort to compel the publisher to abandon her “open door” policy for editorial submissions, my old friend Lu Jane Nisse pulled the plug on all political submissions.
A sorry state, I thought. Two more independent voices were denied from the public forum.
By a strange twist of fate, at almost exactly the same point in time, I began to hear rumors that a progressive, nonprofit radio station was soon to begin broadcasting out of Moscow.
I soon found myself pickaxing and chipping through basement concrete to bury the station’s antenna deep enough to get a good grounding. Soon after that, I was on the station’s board of directors and very soon thereafter, celebrated our first broadcast season with my own two-hour political talk show, “The Barefoot Elitist” (named after my bylines in Lu Jane’s papers).
The station, now approaching 17 years on air, is one of a vanishing breed. Nationwide, no sooner does the FCC make frequencies available for purchase than well-heeled religious zealots and right-wing ideologues buy the rights — in many cases without any intention of broadcasting but as part of a plan to deny the airways to independent voices like Radio Free Moscow.
What does our local, community-based radio bring into our lives? Local news. Tons of it. From live recordings of Moscow City Council meetings to coverage of candidate forums to the latest, accurate information during the COVID-19 crisis. Throughout, we have informed listeners of resources available locally. Where to go to get tested, get treatment, find food assistance or find help for a displaced worker or homeowner.
There’s a lot more there. Locally produced music programming from Arlene’s Grateful Dead Hour to jazz and hip-hop. And sure. There is a spin. As KRFP’s mission statement is proud to announce, we stand uncompromisingly for peace, social justice, multiculturalism and a clean environment for all.
If these are your concerns as well, tune in to 90.3 FM. Or go to the website and take a look at our weekly schedule.
Whether you’re a new listener or an old friend of KRFP, you need to be made aware that these are troubled times for Radio Free Moscow. The COVID-19 pandemic has knocked the wind out of our sails. Fundraisers which, in years past, paid for a lot of our operating costs, were shut down. To stay on the air and continue to provide badly needed, up-to-date, on-the-spot reporting, we had to dig deep into our reserves.
Sadly, these reserves are virtually used up.
Back on the board after a long hiatus, I have watched all the struggles to move beyond a small, 100 watt FM station which truly was just a Moscow station to a full power station that can be heard widely throughout our two counties. Live streaming now allows our programs to be heard worldwide as well.
I can say without exaggeration our efforts to continue to provide independent radio journalism for the greater Palouse could soon be but a memory.
Who will be the losers if the voice of Radio Free Moscow is silenced? We have only two low-paid employees and they will certainly feel the bite.
On a grander scale, our surrounding communities lose their ability to access an independent, noncommercial radio not available to listeners anywhere else here on the Palouse.
What’s needed to sustain KRFP into the new year? Donations of course. Memberships certainly.
Equally critical, however, is our lack of younger, progressive volunteers not only to host their own programs but to fill board positions and be there when there’s heavy lifting to be done. At 74, I’m part of a small group which has carried the torch for well over a decade and a half. Social hour with the current board members is nothing so much like a visit to a geriatric ward. For those gays, eco-warriors, labor unionists and die-hard Bernie supporters, I have something you can do to make a difference right here, right now.
McGehee, a lifelong activist, settled here in 1973 and lives in Palouse with his wife, Katherine. His work life has varied from bartender to university instructor to wrecking yard owner.
