Judith Rafferty KBOO 90.7 FM 65 S.W. Yamhill Portland, OR 97204 503/223-1155 KBOO is Portland's “community radio station." That means no commercials and a policy of opening the station to its listeners. KBOO receives 72 percent of its budget from listener contributions and depends on countless hours of volunteer time. In return the airwaves are opened to whatever those listeners want to hear but are unable to get on commercial stations. "The air is yours," says the program guide, "yours to talk on. Yours to listen to. If you want to use your air to share your opinions, your passions, your concerns, our modest facilities are available. If you want to listen to a radio station that tries to give you something worth hearing, we try." Wow, do they try! KBOO's programming covers all the bases, from traditional public radio fare like jazz, blues and classical to more innovative programs like "The Yiddish Hour," "La Voz de la Communidad," "The Arab Program," poetry readings, holistic medicine, environmental news, and uncut broadcasts of city council meetings. KBOO's scrupulous attention to its listeners is paying off—the station has grown by leaps and bounds since the first broadcast in the summer of 1968. The station now has 300 volunteers, 4,000 contributing members, a budget approaching $200,000 and, according to the rating polls, a share of the Portland audience that makes it one of the most successful public radio stations in the country. Whence such success? Station Manager Vicki Tempey credits it to the fact that "Oregon is fertile ground for public radio." Tempey believes that most listener support derives from the extensive jazz and classical programming and The KBOO crowd 70 Tudith Rafferty
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