The Soultown! Volume III: Issue 9 SEPTEMBER 2019 | Page 16

EXCLUSIVE
Beginning of Life, it’s symbol is the bee and its
slogan is The People’s Station, Revolutionary
Radio. It debuted in 2004. An opportunity,
yet dream of Michael Muhammad was the
birthing of a phenomenal idea. It is a low-
power FM non-commercial radio station
broadcasting urban contemporary music. The
station is currently owned by The Community
Outreach, Inc. Its current Founder is Michael
Muhammad.
The Voices of Black Waterloo includes the
Black churches, the NAACP, the Eastside
Ministerial Alliance, and other non-profit
organizations, as well as KBBG and KBOL.
Unfortunately, both radio stations are in
jeopardy of losing their voice due to the lack
of community support. be “connected” to digital services, breaking
radio’s monopoly on the car dashboard and
relegating AM/FM to just one of a series of
audio options behind the wheel. According
to the U.S. Department of Transportation,
the typical car in the U.S. was 11.6 years
old in 2016, which explains why radio has
not yet faced its disruption event. However,
drivers are buying new cars at a faster rate
than ever, and new vehicles come with more
installed options for digital music services.
• The onset of “smart speakers” such as
Amazon Echo, which do not have an AM/
FM antenna, are rapidly shaping home
entertainment without broadcast radio that
does not have a digital option.
With all of this being noted ...
Time Brings Change What Makes Black Waterloo A Great
City/Community?
A study published by the head of New
York University’s Steinhart Music Business
Program sheds light on the future of radio.
It suggests that traditional radio has failed to
engage with Generation Z -- people born after
1995 -- and that its relevance and significance
will dissolve and be nonexistent by digital
services unless it upgrades immediately.
A few key points highlighted in the study
include:
• Generation Z, which is projected to
account for 40% of all consumers in the U.S.
by 2020, shows little interest in traditional
media, including radio, having grown up in an
on-demand digital environment.
• AM/FM radio is amid a massive drop-
off as a music-discovery tool by younger
generations, with self-reported listening to
AM/FM radio among teens aged 13 and up
declining by almost 50 percentage points
between 2005 and 2016.
• Music discovery as a whole is moving
away from AM/FM radio and toward YouTube,
Spotify and Pandora, especially among
younger listeners, with 19% of a 2017 study
of surveyed listeners citing it as a source for
keeping up-to-date with music -- down from
28% the previous year. Among 12-24-year-
olds who find music discovery important,
AM/FM radio (50%) becomes even less
influential, trailing YouTube (80%), Spotify
(59%), and Pandora (53%).
• By 2020, 75% of new cars are expected to
“The diversity and people that make up
this community [is the best thing about
Waterloo],”
states
Mayor of Waterloo,
Quentin Hart. “Loss
of hope, lack of
appreciation for what
we have and lack
of resources [is the
worst thing]. If our
voice is lost, then QUENTIN HART
MAYOR
our ability to learn
and grow is negatively impacted. With no
voice, you lose the ability to accurately
tell your story. You lose the ability to share
and educate the community on things that
matter most without allowing those with no
connection to define you.”
Derrick Holmes,
former
resident,
business owner and DJ
for KBBG (1979-1981)
shares, “Waterloo is
the village. Everyone
has a pretty serious
commonality in terms
DERRICK HOLMES
of knowing each other
FORMER DJ
and supporting one
another. It is beautiful, the changing of the
four seasons is incredible -- especially during
the spring, and fall in Iowa is breathtaking.”
Holmes continues, “I believe one of the
challenges of living in [Black] Waterloo
is that there is a real lack of opportunity,
particularly for people of color. That being
said ... is when the creativity has to be turned
on and be even stronger because we have
to -- as minorities -- create our opportunities.
Adamantly, accordingly and moreover some
things are being overlooked in terms of
manifesting those opportunities.”
The Power of the Dollar.
KBBG and KBOL are in “dire straits”
financially and is on the verge of closing
their doors. More specifically, the staff at
both stations are currently laid off. Similar
to KBBG, KBOL is experiencing a financial
setback and is in transition. Muhammad
decided to suspend broadcasting because
of the strain. “However, when and if we
can find a suitable location and a way
to absorb the overhead we will continue
to broadcast with even more innovation
and vigor,” Muhammad says. Despite the
budget concerns, the staff of both stations
have been diligent in volunteering and
continuing to deliver the best information
and programming for Black Waterloo.
There are contractual policies in place
that is required for public radio stations
to continue receiving financial support,
including the cost of grant writers, federal
funding and staff payroll. Berry returned
to KBBG as president officially in 2017.
“If KBBG loses its financial support from
the community, it will no longer exist. It
is required by the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting (CPB) that one-third of funding
comes from community support. The lack of
support jeopardizes the funding allocation
from CPB.” She elaborates, “The business
of community radio is very complex. It’s more
than just being on air. KBBG is a 501c3,
an institution; an employer; and provides
a service to the community. It’s broadcast
range is a 60-mile radius with a 100 ft tower
on site. We allow other nonprofits a platform
to reach new clients. KBBG’s news and
information are local, reliable and trusted.
Currently, Operational expenses for KBBG
range from $20,000 - $25,000 per month.”
For KBOL, according to Muhammad, “... at
the very minimum $2,000 to $3,000 monthly
Sept. 2019 • The Soultown International Magazine • Celebrating 2 years • Connecting Our Cultures to Our Cyber & Conscious Communities • thesoultown.com
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Photo Illustration by The Soultown