Eat the State! political commentary is now airing each Saturday morning from 8:30 to 9:00 on KCMU's Mind Over Matters. Be sure to tune in--but don't take our presence as an endorsement of KCMU's management, or its evolving format.

On Sep. 9th, KUOW/KCMU management announced at a staff meeting that KCMU would be firing its nonpaid weekday air staff and replacing them with paid DJs. In addition, the intent is to have all of KCMU's volunteers gone by the end of the fiscal year, and to hire a full-time ad sales person for KCMU (remember, this is non-commercial radio!). And the talks for a Puget Sound Public Radio consortium of KUOW, KPLU and KCMU--just one of the scenarios whereby KCMU's alternative music would be banished entirely--are quietly continuing.

KCMU has never been a community radio station. It's always belonged to the University of Washington, which has the right to do whatever it likes with 90.3. If they want to air all Husky Sports all the time, they could. But for many years KCMU has appealed for public donations and volunteer help on the premise of being a community station. The lack of apparent outrage at the latest erosion of this tradition can only be attributed to so many folks having already given up on KCMU.

Seattle desperately needs a community station, AM or FM, that can cover the whole city (in addition to the micro- broadcast pirates popping up). The only way we'll get one is to buy one, or to pry KCMU out of UW's cold, dead fingers. Some folks are discussing putting a buyers' group together; to hook up with them, contact us at ETS!. In the meantime, we're happy to have the air time on KCMU, but we'd be much happier on a station run by and for the public--like "public" radio should be.