Please Consider KBUU On California Public Radio Day - We Need Satellite Connections Play

Thursday is California Public Radio Day. Stations across California are taking time off of regular news coverage to remind their listeners of what public radio delivers.

The big stations like KCRW and KPCC all lost their federal funding last year, and they are scrambling for local funds.

KBUU is very small — we never get any federal funding. Because we all volunteers, we are not eligible for money for badly-needed equipment. And while low power equals low overhead expenses, we neither seek nor get federal, state or city funds.

But KBUU is facing some big financial costs up ahead. Recent fiber optic vandalism took KBUU silent. That's because we rely on internet fiber lines to bring the air signal flow from the station to its three transmitters in Malibu. Without internet, no stream.

One of our transmitters has an expensive satellite connection — that's $4,800 a year for just that one site. It doesn't work unless the other sites get satellite — about $10,000 per year for that. That's as much as our current budget.

KBUU is the only emergency news source for Malibu when the winds blow and the power goes out. KBUU is raising money this year to buy the satellite time.

If you are interested in helping us, please go to our website — malibu.fm. Donations are tax deductible for many taxpayers. Venmo works, so does PayPal. Checks work too. Or call the station at 310-589-4875.

Venmo: @KBUU-radio

Paypal: Zuma Beach FM Emergency and Community Broadcasters, Inc.

We normally do not do fundraisers. But once a year we participate in California Public Radio Day.

There are a lot of very worthy charities doing great work in Malibu, in L.A. and elsewhere. Thank you for your consideration.