December 1, 2025

Dear KAFM Members,

As many of you know, KAFM recently lost its annual funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting due to federal cuts. Although we remain an apolitical, community-focused station, this loss represents roughly 25% of our annual budget. In response, we are aggressively reducing expenses, pursuing additional private grants, negotiating more cost-effective vendor services, and closely evaluating our operations to ensure maximum efficiency.

Thanks to your support, our 2025 fund drives have more than doubled last year’s results. We are also expanding revenue-generating events and reviewing staffing to ensure we are positioned for long-term sustainability. We are modernizing our business practices so we can better understand how our resources are used, identify the strongest revenue sources, and explore new opportunities that align with our mission.

KAFM has always thrived on local support—underwriting from area businesses, donations from listeners, and the passion of our volunteers. That passion is still strong, but we must share it with a wider audience. In today’s media landscape, we compete with streaming services built on narrow playlists. Our advantage is the fresh, diverse music our programmers bring to the airwaves. That is our strength—and our story to tell.

Our greatest need now is simple: new listeners. New listeners become new members, and a growing audience strengthens our appeal to underwriters. Opportunities abound. A dedicated Hispanic music program could reach the valley’s diverse Hispanic community. Seniors—especially those in assisted living—might tune in for Jazz or Broadway if they knew when to listen. And whenever kids are on air, their families follow.

In the past six months, we’ve welcomed about 35 new members and several new underwriters. Most people discover KAFM because a friend recommends us. If even 250 current members each introduced one new listener per month for a year, we could grow our audience by 3,000 people. If just 10% of them became $10-per-month members, that would generate an additional $30,000 annually. We are also aiming to add 40 new underwriters at $100 per month. With your help, these goals are within reach.

You can support KAFM’s growth in simple, meaningful ways: wear your KAFM apparel in public, promote your shows on social media if you’re a programmer, follow and share our posts, invite friends to the Radio Room, and spread the word about why KAFM matters to you. Your enthusiasm is our strongest marketing tool.

The months ahead present challenges, but we’ve faced challenges before—some successfully, some less so. That’s the nature of a community, and KAFM is built on community. Together, we can navigate this moment and move forward stronger than ever. We have made significant progress this year, and were it not for the CPB cuts, we would be entering 2026 in our best position yet. Our focus now is on building new partnerships and shaping a sustainable future.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
KAFM Board of Directors