$1,499,988.41.

Richelle Antczak McCuen read back WCBE’s operating budget, one digit at a time – commas included.

“We’re very used to taking it down to the penny,” she said.

McCuen, the Columbus public station’s Director of Membership, Web Administrator and part-time announcer, also had some other figures down to the penny. How about $447,265.16 for programming or $829,650.90 for personnel? Public radio stations don’t just magically make their way over the airwaves; it takes a lot of budgeting to keep it all going. When NPR says it’s supported by member stations, that means the stations have to pay NPR for the programming and those fees increase as the station’s ratings improve.

Public funding? Well, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting does lend support to public stations such as WCBE, but that’s rarely more than 10 percent of the budget and CPB’s resources are limited. Most of the money a public radio station depends on for survival actually comes from listeners.

McCuen is tasked with generating about half of WCBE's lofty operating figure through philanthropic support and in order to entice donations, she’s got all of $6,000 to work with. That doesn’t buy many t-shirts when you’re trying to raise three quarters of a million dollars.

“We develop some unique partnerships within the community,” she noted, as she discussed the art of operating on a shoestring.

It’s nothing new for WCBE. Our jewel of a public radio station celebrated its 55th birthday last year and marked the occasion with a screening of the documentary This is WCBE at Shadowbox.  A second screening was held at Studio 35 in January and WCBE is currently working with Gateway and Drexel to set up additional screenings this month and next (details can be found at www.wcbe.org, and a DVD is also available).

The film captures the rather fascinating history of a classroom radio station (the call letters stand for Columbus Board of Education) that became a charter member of the NPR network in 1970. In 1990, WCBE boldly broke the public radio mold and ditched the classical format in favor of Adult Album Alternative, providing WCBE with a remarkably diverse listener demographic. Sadly, FCC rules prohibit public stations from selling advertising, so WCBE can’t fully capitalize on that demographic.

The Columbus Board of Education still holds the station’s license, although the station has been on its own since 2005 when budgetary concerns put WCBE on the chopping block. Current GM Dan Muchalko was essentially hired to sundown the station, but after surveying the situation, he went back to the board with the proposition that the station be permitted to operate if it could sustain its own operations. WCBE got a reprieve, but only under the strictest conditions.

“If we go one penny in the red, it’s lights out,” McCuen explained. “Now that’s not at the end of the fiscal year – it’s at any moment. If we go in the red, it’s lights out. That’s when you see us doing special fundraisers.”

WCBE barely made it that first year, finishing just $1,000 over that dreaded red line. Ever since then, however, the station has increased that margin. They actually cleared $150,000 last year. That’s money the station can invest into new equipment, enhanced programming and various community projects. When you start thinking along those lines, you realize that $150,000 really isn’t a lot of money.

But the connection to the community is what sets WCBE apart. There’s little turnover in this tiny staff of 11. WCBE’s least senior member has been with the station for five years and when people actually do leave, it’s not long before they start looking for opportunities to return.

“We have a mission to enrich the community,” McCuen said. “We’re committed to growing Columbus and we believe that’s why we’re here.”

McCuen stepped down from her music show to focus entirely on fundraising. That focus runs after normal business hours and even into her vacation, where she insisted on taking time away from her time away to send (614) promotional materials.

“It might sound a little dramatic, but I wouldn’t be able to live with the thought of missing an opportunity,” she said, “and we all feel that way. Jim Coe (Underwriting and Business Development) only gives out his personal cell phone number because he doesn’t want to miss a call.”

Coe echoed many of McCuen’s sentiments. “It’s a passion,” he said. “Nobody is in it for the money. We all see this as something that is bigger than ourselves.”

Tune in at 90.5 FM or check out www.wcbe.org for details about upcoming documentary screenings and more.

Signal Strength

A few highlights in WCBE’s 55 years

1956 – At 9:15 a.m. on September 26th, WCBE-FM signs on the air at 90.5 MHz.

1967 – WCBE evolves from a classroom-based station to a non-commercial, classical music station.

1970 – WCBE becomes a charter member station of National Public Radio (NPR).

1972 – WCBE becomes the first school-system owned station in the U.S. – and non-commercial station in Columbus – to broadcast in stereo.

1990 – WCBE changes format from classical music to a Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) music format.

2000 – Online streaming of WCBE broadcasts become available.

2010 – WCBE celebrates the most successful fundraising year in station history, raising $720,000 in listener donations!