Isothermal News

SPINDALE - It's here, it's different and despite the loss of state funding, WNCW is here to stay.
That's the message General Manager Dana Whitehair wants to convey to the community and world at large. Rather than throw in the towel, the station is positioning itself to bring in new members and new sources of revenue.
While no bills have been signed, it's likely the North Carolina General Assembly will strip funding from the three state-funded public radio stations at North Carolina's community colleges.
For WNCW, that means a loss of around $200,000 - which makes up one-sixth of the station's annual operating budget. Roughly five full-time staff positions at the station are being funded by money from the state, Whitehair said.
The station also receives funding from Isothermal Community College, which is where the station is located.
"We're up against some heavy priorities," Whitehair said. "We just have to go, "That's the way it has to be.'"
Whitehair said that around this time last year, he predicted the economic situation would be much worse.
"I was hoping the fact that we were underperforming before I got to the station would balance out even with the economy," Whitehair said. While that hasn't been the case, the station is taking steps to put it in a position to maintain the level of programming that its listeners have come to expect.
"For the first time in history we have a full-time underwriting sales person. He's been on almost a year," Whitehair said. "We've increased our number of new underwriters over the last six months, so you'll hear new businesses supporting the station."
With the recent acquisition of Wilkesboro Community College radio station's FCC license, the station will be able to further expand its business offerings.
"We have the license but we have not put it on the air yet," Whitehair said. "We have to have the right wiring so we can send the signal up there and we need to make sure we can monitor the transfer."
WNCW programming will hopefully hit the airwaves in Wilkes County in the next two months, Whitehair said.
"We hope we can get funding from businesses there - some of the same ones who support MerleFest," he said.
Through the expansion, WNCW's coverage area covers from Knoxville, Tenn., to Charlotte, north of Boone to upstate South Carolina and, as Whitehair said, "On a good day we dribble into Georgia."
"That coverage area gives us a lot of potential for fundraising," he said.
The station is also online, with listeners in other countries as well.
A giving campaign is also on the horizon for the station. Between July 30 and Aug. 2, the station will hold an emergency fund drive. Listeners may make donations in any amount to the station.
"If people are losing their jobs, it's difficult for them to give to public radio," Whitehair said. "We have to broaden the base and have more members."
Finding new means of funding, Whitehair hopes won't mean cutting back on the news, features and music the station provides.
"The realistic worst-case scenario would be to lay off full-time board operators and have more syndicated programming," Whitehair said. "But if you cut staff and programming listeners love ... it just kinds of feeds on itself. I have an immensely talented staff and they are the key to making the station work and overcome this.
"We have a lot of tools at our disposal and it's going to force us to become more resourceful. One of the ways to get over this is to be a little bit better at saying "Look at us.'"
Although state funding looks like a thing of the past, Isothermal Community College President Myra Johnson - who Whitehair describes as the station's "number one fan" - said the station remains a vital part of the college and the community.
"Since its inception two decades ago, WNCW has become a great asset for Isothermal and an integral thread in the cultural fabric of western North Carolina," Johnson said.
"We certainly hope our listeners and community partners will step up in support of the station during this time of financial difficulty."

~