Neckerchief wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:29 pm
TSPR’s coverage of “Hundreds” doesn’t square with coverage in the McDonough Voice which stated “More than 170 protest WIU public radio cuts”. Who is correct? I did not count the number of attendees, so have no way of knowing the correct number.
One thing that stood out to me however was the age of the protestors. They seem to be predominately senior citizens. What I did NOT see was students out in force protesting these cuts. That tells me that WIUM primarily serves local senior citizens, and not students. Why should WIU students continue to pay for funding of a radio station that they do not listen to?
Well, more that 100 is more than 100, so I guess in UPI and TSPR speak, that is multiple hundreds - say 1.7 hundreds
And I couldn't agree with you more that funding should benefit students.
TSPR supporters have argued that their funding should not be cut, stating they annually offer about 12 internships to WIU students.
WIU Athletics has more than 400 student athletes.
Since most student athletes are at WIU more than a single year, to compare apples to apples, let's say a 4-year period of TSPR internships serves 48 students compared to 480 student athletes.
Thus WIU Athletics directly contributes to 10x as many students as TSPR, but the Athletics appropriated (from state funds) budget of $1,796,000 is 4x the size at that for TSPR of $453,920.
Conclusion #1: More student bang for the buck or ROI from WIU athletics.
Then consider the missions of the 2 entities. For TSPR, their mission is to "provide information and entertainment of the highest possible caliber to enrich and engage the public, enhance quality of life, and meet the diverse needs of people in our region and beyond." For WIU Athletics, their mission is to "provide an outstanding intercollegiate athletics experience to an academically successful and diverse NCAA Division I student-athlete population."
Conclusion #2: WIU Athletics is directly about serving WIU and WIU students, TSPR is about information and entertainment.
Journalism, whether print, audio, or video, is supported at WIU by the Western Courier (print), WIUS - 88.3 - The Dog (radio), and WIU - Channel 3 (TV), all run and operated by students.
TSPR is a logical elimination when funding is limited, it is our students who are at the forefront of WIU's mission, where emphasis in on providing "student-centered undergraduate and graduate programs characterized by innovative teaching, research, and service, grounded in interdisciplinary, regional and global perspectives."