Letters for October 31, 2002

Citizen Wells

Re “It’s a Wrap” by Don Lipper (SN&R News, October 17):

As the assistant director on much of the film Elsa Letterseed, I read with interest the fine profile by Don Lipper on director Sarah Kreutz. While her charm and perseverance should not be underestimated, there is another person whose incredible dedication to the project throughout many trials and tribulations should be given enormous credit.

Producer Mark Wells—whom I fondly call “Orson”—has worked side by side with Ms. Kreutz on everything from budgeting to location scouting and all the other harrowing details of making a movie. Yet, like all unsung heroes, he is often overlooked because he prefers to stand quietly in the shadows. The film would not exist without him.

Matt Perry
Sacramento

Internal dissent inevitable, but not deadly

Re “Community Radio Static” by Michelle Olsen (SN&R News, October 17):

I am disappointed in SN&R for publishing such a negative and unbalanced story. I have always found KVMR to be responsive to my needs as a community activist and my opinions as a listener. KVMR is a station that many in our community hold very dear and is one of the very few media sources we can turn to for an alternative voice in such critical times.

With the hundreds of people involved in this one nonprofit, it is inevitable that internal divisions will occur. I would imagine that a story could be made about some dissent within the ranks of SN&R, or radio stations KDVS or KPFA.

Wouldn’t it be grand if all the alternative media brought each other down by printing and broadcasting such stories? Then, the corporate media could be our only source of music and information.

Sara Greensfelder
Nevada City

And now a word from a participant

Re “Community Radio Static” by Michelle Olsen (SN&R News, October 17):

Thank you for your balanced reporting of a complicated subject. Here are two corrections of fact and an opinion.

Facts: 1) Brian Terhorst was not hired to get the radio station out of debt. His predecessor, Joseph Guida, accomplished that financial feat. 2) Program hours were not cut back from three to two in order to allow for more local programmers, as claimed by Terhorst. One program was cut to allow for a national program; the evening Music Magazine was cut from two-and-a-half to two hours to allow for a national public-affairs program, “Democracy Now!” I know because it was when I was news director that I and others pushed for that change.

Opinion: The board of directors of KVMR has ultimate responsibility and, I believe, should be held ultimately responsible for management problems at the station.

Joan Buffington
via e-mail

KVMR a success—credit Terhorst

Re “Community Radio Static” by Michelle Olsen (SN&R News, October 17):

In her piece on community radio station KVMR-FM, Ms. Olsen mentioned in passing that during the tenure of the current general manager, Brian Terhorst, the station has become financially solvent.

That’s true enough, and, given the uphill battle any not-for-profit, non-mainstream media outlet faces these days, it’s pretty big news in and of itself. However, just how this solvency has been achieved was left unaddressed. SN&R readers might be interested to know that since 1996, the year Terhorst was hired as station manager, the membership of KVMR has grown from about 1,600 subscribers (a number it had roughly maintained for several years prior) to more than 3,400. In other words, the number of loyal listeners willing to help foot the bill has more than doubled during the past six years. Virtually each of the past several pledge drives has broken all previous records of success.

While Ms. Olsen is obviously free to offer such a claim as “many concur that … KVMR 89.5 FM doesn’t represent its Nevada County community,” it’s an indisputable fact that Mr. Terhorst has overseen easily the most dramatic increase in support and listenership from that community in the station’s quarter-century history.

Simultaneously, Terhorst has been instrumental in helping KVMR and its broadcasters secure various grants, including the National Federation of Community Broadcasters grant through which Joan Buffington very deservedly won her special merit award.

Unfortunately, listener-supported community radio is, in many ways, an “endangered species,” but KVMR has been largely a success story in the Nevada City/Sacramento region, particularly over the past several years. No doubt, there’s much more to accomplish and plenty of room for improvement.

In the meantime, as Ms. Olsen so aptly put it, KVMR continues to broadcast “a potpourri of eclectic music, opinion and news 24 hours a day.” And it’s doing so while unprecedented numbers of people are discovering and supporting what is, in essence, an oasis in a largely barren wasteland of corporate radio.

Any article that doesn’t acknowledge and credit Mr. Terhorst and his similarly dedicated, underpaid and overworked staff for a very large share of this success story simply hasn’t painted a completely fair or accurate picture.

Jeffrey Clark
former member of KVMR board of directors

Nevada City

War, what’s it good for?

Re “Judging George” (SN&R Editorial, October 17):

I am a 62-year-old ex-B-52 crewmember with 210 combat missions. We cannot win a war against anyone with the weapons that are at our disposal today. You never convince a man by killing him.

We are in disfavor with millions and millions of people around the world as a result of our corporate and government interference with other countries’ affairs. We must change our policies and make friends and not enemies. We will never do this with bombs.

We will be threatened with terrorist activities for years to come. And, if we go to war with Iraq, the danger to all Americans will be so great, and life in this country will be so wrought with fear from snipers and other terrorist activities, that our country could very easily come to a virtual standstill.

Let’s do it right this time.

Lanny Kilchrist
via e-mail

Disneyesque American pseudo-reality

Re “This Modern World” by Tom Tomorrow (SN&R Letters, October 17):

Just a quick note to commend Tom Tomorrow on the brilliantly witty statement his cartoon made. This is an outrageously funny yet simultaneously chilling cartoon statement of our national dilemma because it absolutely characterizes the present Disneyesque pseudo-reality that has been obtained in present-day America.

Our leaders barely achieve the same level of starkly vacuous credibility as they attempt to convert the entire world to the American sickness that is our info-media-driven, pop-culture form of the capitalist disease.

Chris Carey
Sacramento

How are values harmful to kids?

Re “The Education Planet” (SN&R Letters, October 24):

I had a sad, ironic laugh when she railed on about how parents caring about what their kids are exposed to was “tyranny.” Last time I checked, it was the duty and obligation of parents to make sure that their kids aren’t exposed to bad influences. But, if you don’t believe me, check the timeline of child-raising over the last, oh, let’s say 40 years.

In the ’60s, parents (mostly of the hippie persuasion) decided that it was “damaging” to a child’s self-esteem to teach them religious tradition, high standards and right and wrong in general. They thought it would be “harmful” and, yes, “tyrannical” to actually give their children limits. They thought that children, who are immature by nature, would be able to “find their own way.”

As a result, many kids did exactly as they pleased and were raised without boundaries. I really don’t think I need to get into specifics; just check the papers each day. Again, a bitter chuckle escaped my lips as I noted her terminology about how parents who home-school are spoon-feeding their religious beliefs to “an innocent child.” Let’s see, public schools have drug abuse, sex education—which could easily be read as encouragement—guns, etc. Would you prefer that innocent children were exposed to this?

If you’re not religious, no biggie. If you actually see it as “harmful” to kids (à la Newdow) to teach them to not kill, not to commit adultery, etc., while bestowing upon them the freedom to barely get educated in public school, then I finally voice aloud what I have been wanting say since the imbecilic court decision a few months ago regarding the Pledge of Allegiance: How exactly is this harmful to children?

Adriana Marmo
via e-mail