Money to help American Indian radio station return to airwaves

By Dirk Lammers, Associated Press Writer | Wednesday, September 06, 2006

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An American Indian radio station that has been off the air for nearly five months has been awarded a $46,000 state grant to help repair its transmission tower.

KILI-FM, on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, has been silent since an April 15 lightning strike.

Tom Casey, KILI's business manager and development director, said the station had to finalize its funding before ordering the new equipment, so the earliest it could return to the airwaves would be the end of October or early November.

"If you ask our listeners, they want it done tomorrow," Casey said Wednesday.

KILI requested a $201,000 emergency grant from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program at the Department of Commerce in Washington to help replace its antenna, transmission line and transmitter, and install a grounding system.

The state funds cover the 25-percent match required for the federal grant.

Gov. Mike Rounds said that without KILI, state officials have no way of letting Pine Ridge residents know about impending danger.

"KILI is the only dependable means the state, or anyone else, has of communicating to the public on the Pine Ridge reservation during an emergency or disaster situation," Rounds said in a release.

The station had been raising funds to cover the match. Casey said that money will now be used to pay for additional costs for an upgraded antenna that uses less electricity and to help cover matching funds for a $125,000 Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant KILI won to help the station go digital.

The Center for Native American Radio, which offers 33 radio stations that serve Indians assistance with programming, accounting, engineering and fundraising, has been helping KILI with its grant proposals.

CNAPR is overseen by the National Federation of Community Broadcasters in Oakland, Calif., and was established with a $1.5 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

America's 4.2 million Indians often live on reservations located far from each other, increasing the sense of isolation for some of the nation's poorest, most vulnerable groups. Radio stations that cater to Indian interests could help boost morale, provide networking opportunities and give them a sense that they aren't alone, proponents say.

CNAPR referred the station to a consultant who knows how to write proposals, Casey said.

"With that expertise, it really helped," he said. "It gave us a leg up on getting that done."

KILI is the largest Indian-owned and operated public radio station in the United States, according to state officials. Its 10,000-square-mile listening area covers parts of the Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations.

When the station starts broadcasting again, Rapid City residents will be able to listen in at 88.7 on their FM dial.

Casey said the station's goal is to reflect the community it serves and highlight positive events going on in Indian Country.

In addition to sharing memorial and birth announcements, the station typically broadcasts live from events such as the Oglala Lakota College graduation.

Casey said he's heard from a lot of people who say KILI is a big part of their daily lives.

"We connect this community," he said.