"Democracy Now!" returns

Graph by Sarah Dick

In an online survey last spring, WEMC listeners responded to last year's cutbacks of Democracy Now! Graph based on results from 189 participants. Graph based on results from 189 participants.

Democracy Now! is back to five days a week on EMU public service radio station WEMC. The change came about a year after the controversial independent news program was cut back to one weekly airing, precipitating protests among members of the listening community.

Last fall, Democracy Now! was cut back from its daily 5 p.m. time slot to a weekly airing on Fridays in response to concerns that the program's approach and tone did not represent EMU's mission. One donor threatened to discontinue support for EMU if WEMC continued to air the program.

According to WEMC General Manager Jon Kauffman-Kennel, the WEMC Board of Reference, which made the decision to cut back, felt that it was the right decision at the time, but they weren't completely happy with it. They were responding to concerns that Kauffman-Kennel understood and agreed with, but the people who protested the cutbacks had arguments that he also understood and agreed with.

Following an online survey late last spring, Kauffman-Kennel proposed to return Democracy Now! to a daily status at a different airtime. The program will now run Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. According to Kauffman-Kennel, the 5 p.m. slot was part of the original problem, because it placed the program in prime driving airtime and made it too much a part of the station's identity.

Last spring's survey was publicized through e-mails and on-air so that WEMC listeners would be aware of it. The results of the survey indicated that listeners were "very strongly interested in news and in stories and perspectives that are not given much airtime by the mainstream media," Kauffman-Kennel said.

When asked about their favorite programs, listeners showed strong favoritism toward BBC News. Second was Democracy Now! Based on the feedback received after the cuts, along with the survey results, Kauffman-Kennel brought a proposal to the WEMC Board of Reference to put Democracy Now! back on the air at a different time.

The WEMC Board of Reference at that time included Kevin Longenecker, Jerry Holsopple, Carolyn Yoder, Marie Morris, Shirley Yoder, Jon Kauffman-Kennel, and student representative Kelly Cullers. With the counsel of the group, the new airtime was decided. According to Kauffman-Kennel, the group spent more time talking about the best time for the show than anything else, and he feels good about their decision. "It's an important program for our core audience," he said.

So far, Kauffman-Kennel says, all the responses he has received regarding this change have been appreciative, though he's sure there are some people who are disappointed. "In radio, you can't make any change without upsetting somebody," he said.

President Loren Swartzendruber also said he had not received any negative feedback regarding the recent changes. "[The Board of Reference] made the original decision based on listener feedback and I supported their decision," he said.