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KALW urges stronger district partnerships, highlights student projects amid budget pressures
Summary
KALW general manager briefed the board on the station's budget gap, regulatory compliance, and expanding partnerships with Burton High School students; he requested continued district support and community connections to expand underwriting and local programming.
KALW general manager Matt Martin told the Board of Education on Sept. 20 that the station faces a modest budget shortfall (about $150,000 in the most recent year) but is pursuing additional underwriting, public events and cost reductions. He described regulatory compliance work that concluded an extended license challenge earlier in the year and outlined partnerships with Burton High School for student audio journalism projects, including a funded "Stories During Wartime" student documentary.
Martin said the station receives in-kind services from SFUSD (studio space at Burton and some accounting/payroll support) but now raises most of its operating revenue from listeners and grants. He asked board members to help connect KALW with community partners and funders and suggested district committees (curriculum or career-technical education) could explore deeper collaborations for student internship and career-pathway opportunities.
Board members praised the station's student work and asked for follow-up reports on youth programming and underwriting plans that could increase local revenue without compromising editorial independence.
