Board Chairman Charles Cepeda was asked to comment yesterday about the lawmakers’ request to hold off the transfer of KRNM to Guam’s Marianas Educational Media Services.
“We need to see a workable plan first before we go back and reconsider our decision,” Cepeda said.
Keeping the station means additional expenses to the college which is facing its most challenging time as it tries to retain its accreditation.
The House recently adopted a resolution stating that NMC, instead of transferring the radio station’s license, should consider shutting it down until the college finds the money to run KRNM.
However, Cepeda said other board members “may not buy” the idea as the decision to transfer the license was already approved by the Federal Communications Commission.
“What I would do is inform the board members and ask the NMC president about their position…but rescinding the decision — I don’t think we could immediately render one because many factors were considered in that decision,” Cepeda said.
The financial burden on the college topped the list of NMC’s concerns.
For 10 years, NMC provided space for the radio station, paid the cost of its utilities and staff, and provided other related services.
Numerous fundraisers were conducted to continue operating KRNM, but it did not get enough support from the government and the community.
“We have limited resources and everybody is struggling financially,” Cepeda said. “It is also my desire to find a nonprofit group from here to operate it…but we can’t find one.”
Lawmakers, in their resolution, underscored the importance of keeping KRNM as a locally operated public radio station.
According to the resolution, KRNM provides the community with programming that cannot be heard through any other media outlet in the CNMI.
The public radio station, the resolution added, also serves as a training facility for students and residents who volunteer to locally produce and host programs.
Further, the resolution stated, KRNM offers informative and emergency announcements that benefit the community.
The resolution noted that the CNMI has invested over $5 million in KRNM over the past 10 years, and that this investment will be “lost forever” if NMC transfers the broadcasting license outside the commonwealth.
