February 9, 1995: Vol26n16: Double whammy for WBFO in proposed federal, state budget cuts, Roth 
By CHRIS SHEA
Reporter Contributor
During the past four years, WBFO, 88.7 FM -- UB's own public radio
station -- has witnessed unprecedented growth: its audience, financial
support from listeners and presence in the Buffalo community have all
increased substantially, the station's general manager told the
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Feb. 1.
	Unfortunately now, according to station General Manager
Jennifer Roth, right in the middle of this success and at a time when
WBFO is planning to more than double its signal strength, the station
may be unable to prevent cuts in funding from pulling its proverbial
plug. 
	Operating out of Allen Hall on the South Campus, WBFO is a
charter member of the National Public Radio (NPR) network and is
Buffalo's only full-service NPR station. Although the station boasts a
diverse format -- broadcasting a wide variety of ethnic music, special
events such as local concerts and newscasts covering Western New York
-- the station's main programming staples are jazz and NPR news. Yet,
like the NPR network and public radio in general, WBFO is battling a
growing movement to cut its government financial support.
	Recently, this movement has culminated in proposed budget cuts
on both the federal and state levels. In New York, under Gov. Pataki's
1995 budget proposal, aid to WBFO from the state Education Department
would drop by almost 25 percent ($18,000). At the federal level, the
outlook is even more bleak; Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has
repeatedly proposed eliminating federal support for public
broadcasting altogether. For WBFO, this would mean an additional loss
of about $200,000 -- 25 percent of its 1995 operating budget, Roth
said.
Both, who has worked at WBFO since
October of 1990, disputed Gingrich's recent public remarks suggesting
that financial support from the listeners of public radio can make up
for any cuts in government aid. "I just don't see that happening," she
said. Roth said contributions from listeners currently provide for 28
percent of the station's funding. Support from local businesses
accounts for an additional nine percent.
	Most of the remaining support comes from UB, to whom the
station is licensed. UB contributes close to 28 percent ($225,000) of
the station's $800,000 budget, Roth said. However, she warned, this
figure could drop, too, as a result of the large reduction of state
aid to the SUNY system.
	While Roth said the station is making contingency plans to
attempt to replace any lost sources of funding, if proposed cuts go
through, the station's financial situation would be "very perilous."
	Any loss in funding for WBFO will have a detrimental impact
not only on the station, but on UB and the Buffalo community, Roth
added. She characterized the station, which currently is staffed by
nine full-time and eight part-time employees, as "the major public
service of UB." Besides airing award-winning talk shows like "All
Things Considered" (whose birthplace, incidentally, was WBFO), the
station sponsors jazz, blues and classical music concerts on campus
and promotes cultural events occurring off campus.
	Roth said, in addition, WBFO is a valuable resource to the
university because "it increases UB's visibility in the community."
Besides attracting high-quality faculty, staff and students to UB, the
station, she noted, utilizes UB faculty as on-the-air personalities,
hosting music programs or using their areas of expertise to act as
news analysts. President Greiner's call-in program is broadcast from
the station as well. 
	The station also is in its third year of offering an
"Introduction to Radio" course through the Communications Department,
she noted, and it regularly takes on student interns and volunteers
looking for experience working in radio. While Roth said she is sure
the station will have to bear some loss of financial support, no final
decisions have been made as to cutbacks on programming or personnel.