CPB/ISIS Local Content and Services Report
1. Describe your overall goals and approach to address identified community issues, needs, and interests through your station’s vital local services, such as multiplatform long and short-form content, digital and in-person engagement, education services, community information, partnership support, and other activities, and audiences you reached or new audiences you engaged.
KOTO Community Radio's mission is to inform, educate and entertain while reflecting the needs, desires and diversity of our community. We accomplish this myriad ways — through public access opportunities such as community commentaries, a live public affairs program, a free comprehensive community calendar and a phone line that is always open. KOTO also provides local news every weekday as well as a live weekly call-in show with local officials.
KOTO addresses issues and needs of citizens and organizations by offering a microphone for the entire community, including every other nonprofit in the region. This way they are able to share their messages, news, information and more.
KOTO has made an extra effort to extend the mic to the most rural parts of the county by improving our signal and establishing a youth radio program and satellite studio in an underserved community. We also recently received FCC approval to expand our signal to further include rural communities in the region.
In addition, KOTO expanded its Spanish programming in 2021 to be more inclusive of our entire listening audience. This has included more Spanish news and public affairs programming, DJ trainings in Spanish and a Spanish informational program every Monday evening.
2. Describe key initiatives and the variety of partners with whom you collaborated, including other public media outlets, community nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, the business community, teachers and parents, etc. This will illustrate the many ways you’re connected across the community and engaged with other important organizations in the area.
KOTO shines when it comes to collaboration. We broadcast our local government's town council meetings, a tradition since 1975. The KOTO news department covers almost every government meeting in the region, from county to town to transportation. We also regularly host live public affairs programs featuring the education community and students from local schools.
KOTO also works with several local entities, such as the Progressive Women's Caucus of the San Juans and Rotary to broadcast election forums live on the air. The KOTO news department also produces its own election content and hosts candidate forums live on the air.
KOTO partners with the local Collaborative Action for Immigrants to provide Spanish interpretation and Spanish programming to listeners. In addition, the library hosts a regular Spanish radio hour.
One key initiative that we're particularly proud of is an annual "day of giving," during which KOTO hosts other nonprofits from across the region. Representatives are invited to share their missions and causes with the broader community.
One of KOTO's vibrant and longstanding collaborations involves local music festivals. KOTO broadcasts the festivals live every summer from Telluride Town Park. We have thousands of listeners who tune in across the globe for this free service.
These are just a few examples of the ways that KOTO is connected across the community and engaged with fellow organizations in the region.
3. What impact did your key initiatives and partnerships have in your community? Describe any known measurable impact, such as increased awareness, learning or understanding about particular issues. Describe indicators of success, such as connecting people to needed resources or strengthening conversational ties across diverse neighborhoods. Did a partner see an increase in requests for related resources? Please include direct feedback from a partner(s) or from a person(s) served.
It's easy to measure KOTO's impact on the local community through our public access, news and public affairs programming. Our community is quite vocal and we often receive feedback and input on station operations, programming and more.
During the pandemic, KOTO has played an important role in our community by serving as a crisis communications partner. Staff has worked with local governmental and health entities to disseminate important information, in both English and Spanish. And finally, we estimate that our expanded Spanish programming has resulted in a 20 percent spike in listenership. KOTO is the only source for local news in Spanish.
KOTO has hosted well over 100 hours of live COVID-related programming since the pandemic began. This has included connecting people to resources and strengthening community ties during a very disconnected and uncertain time.
4. Please describe any efforts (e.g. programming, production, engagement activities) you have made to investigate and/or meet the needs of minority and other diverse audiences (including, but not limited to, new immigrants, people for whom English is a second language and illiterate adults) during Fiscal Year 2021, and any plans you have made to meet the needs of these audiences during Fiscal Year 2022. If you regularly broadcast in a language other than English, please note the language broadcast.
KOTO is proud of the strides it has made to become a more inclusive organization. In 2021, we took a number of small steps toward this goal. They include:
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for all staff.
- Spanish interpretation during our live COVID updates with local officials.
- Introduction of an informational Spanish program on Monday evenings.
- DJ training in Spanish.
- Website is now available in Spanish.
The local Wilkinson Public Library hosts a regular Spanish radio hour on KOTO. We also have several organizations that use our public access programs to specifically address the Spanish-speaking community in our region.
A top priority in 2022 is to enhance diversity within the organization by recruiting more Spanish-speaking DJs. We also are budgeting for a part-time bicultural news reporter.
5. Please assess the impact that your CPB funding had on your ability to serve your community. What were you able to do with your grant that you wouldn't be able to do if you didn't receive it?
KOTO's exemplary service to the community is possible, in part, due to CPB funding. Without CPB funding, KOTO would be in a position of budget cuts and staff layoffs, resulting in severe impacts to our programming and public access opportunities.
CPB funding allows KOTO to have four full-time staff members and a part-time reporter. Therefore, we are able to offer music, youth programs, local news, public affairs programming, crisis communications, public access programs, critical public service announcements, election coverage and our signature iconic events. Our small staff covers a huge amount of ground! It would be extremely difficult to operate at this level with even one less person on our team.
It's hard to imagine our community without KOTO. And KOTO is able to thrive thanks to CPB funding.