As of October 1, San Antonio and Texas will no longer have a local correspondent for the invaluable Fronteras program, a project of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that supported correspondents at seven public-radio stations in five southwestern states, including Texas Public Radio's KSTX. CPB funded the program for two years; in year three, that funding is dropping 20 to 25 percent. Participating stations must cover the gap, and KSTX opted not to do so, said General Manager Dan Skinner.
The CPB grant, which was awarded to lead station KJZZ through a competitive process, wasn't expected to sustain the programming indefinitely. As part of their participation, the Fronteras stations worked on a sustainability plan, and reported on their progress (or lack thereof) at quarterly meetings.
"It was meant to be a collaborative effort among all the stations as a whole," Skinner said. "And that never materialized."
But KSTX was the only station of seven that decided to drop out. Fronteras reporters remain at stations in California, Nevada and New Mexico as well as Arizona.
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