Manager Brings Fresh
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COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN. Friday. March 19. 1982 Paae 2B Manager Journalism brings fresh students plan bad films show By Diane Fedak business Missoariut staff wilier France has Cannes, New York has sense to the NYC Fflm Festival, and the Uni- versity has a festival of the five worst films you never wanted to see. The Journalism Students Associa- tion win sponsor this film festival on MarchfS and 27 in Gannett Auditori- By SteveEiFNWeinstein wfll um. Three shows run a night, be- Missomian staff writer ginning at 10:30 pjn. Tickets are available at the door for $2. To get to radio station KOPN, you Two main features will highlight must carefully watch on Broadway each night "Head," the only movie for a small wooden sign. After climb- the Monkees ever made, was pro- ing a narrow staircase, the studio duced by Jack Nicholson in what and offices are on the left directly must have been his starving-arti- st across from a Chinese restaurant. days. The main room is as quiet and di- JSA members Mike Weatberford sheveled as a professor's library. and Jim Lynch, who organized the But unlike a professor's study, re- festival, had a hard time booking cords, not books, line the walls. this movie. The Monkees must be Above the high shelves of records, making a comeback on college cam- one box is labeled 'Teminist stuff" puses, Weatberford said. and a smaller one inside that "More "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" feminist stuff." wfll be the other big feature. Con- -, Staff members amble in one at a trary to the similarity in names, it time. Only a few murmer greetings: has nothing to do with the "Valley of These people know and work with the Dolls" book or movie by Jacque- each other so well there is no need line Susanne. It is the only film of the for polite "hellos." group that is deliberately a bad film. They sit anywhere on one of the Ghost written by Roger Ebert (of beat-u-p chairs or on the couch, cov- "Sneak Preview" fame), the film ered with a polyester mass-produc- ed "makes fun of bad movies while still patchwork quilt. never rising above their level." In the middle of the meeting, the Weatberford said. note-tak- er nurses her month-ol- d "Plan Nine From Outer Space's" daughter. All the while, she contin- daim to fame is its Golden Turkey ues taking the minutes. award for being the worst movie A woman in her middle thirties sits ever made. The award is from a relaxed, her severe hair parted in book written by two Califomians the middle of her forehead and soft- who polled their readers to discover ened by a few streaks of grey. the worst of the worst movies. "Plan "Who's running the meeting this Nola Ruth, genera! manager of KOPN-FM- , combines her business skills with the station's ideals s1 Nine" won hands down. "Except for week?" she asks. Everyone laughs. the book, it might have been forgot- This is Nola Ruth, the new station ten long ago," said. by grants. Weatberford manager of radio station KOPN. As the station initiated more of its at the KOPN staff meeting, BUI Wax, "I feel we have quite a variety of "Godzilla" and "Attack of the self-confiden- ce of Ms. Ruth's relaxed For example, Kathy Hale is one of programming, its budget skyrock- program director, complained that a programming that appeals to lots Rung Fb Girls" complete the festi- much-requeste- may be put to the test in the coming three staff members on the station's eted. In 1972, a year before it was on d National Public Ra- different groups," Ms. Ruth says. n prose library val's entertainment with dubbed-i- months. Ms. Ruth must face a diffi- project. The project's the air, the station had an annual dio program, the Prairie Home Com- "It's a question of being able to let voices and lots of monsters (humans cult question: As Columbia's only listen- staff records conversations with budget of only $2,000; by 1380, the panion, has been picked up by KBIA. themto know what's on the air." and otherwise). er-sponsored radio station, KOPN American writers. The project is budget bad risen to more than "We hadn't been interested in it KOPN has never been involved in Friday night's shows will begin funded by the seve- races posswie cutcacss m crucial National Endowment $162,000. before," Armstrong said. He cited the conflicts that have ignited with "Attack of the Kung Fu Girls," of community-acces- grants. Should KOPN solicit and ac- Arts. KOPN administers the grant But any operation dependent on numerous requests from listeners ral other of the 50 s "Head" and "Plan Nine From Outer cept grants from local businesses? money. federal grants is in trouble. If Presi- for picking up the show. "Any radio radio stations. Ms. Navarre says the Space." Ms. Ruth, of City, most of volun- Reagan's budget passes, by fis- board has avoided the local under- a native Kansas But the staff are dent station is in competitcn," Armstrong Saturday's shows wfll be "GoririT-la,- " 19S4 win may Mo., attended the University but teers. Volunteers have always cal tile administration have says. writing issue partly because it "Beyond Valley of the graduated in 1973 Uni- the from Boston formed the bedrock of the station. cut federal financing for all public Charlotte Navarre, the president be divisive. Dolls" and "Plan Nine" once again versity. Although she majored in KOPN was founded nine years ago broadcasting to half of the Carter ad- of KOPN's board of directors, does "At some point in time we're going for those who missed it the first psychology, she worked in business this month by several idealistic ministration's projected outlays. not think the station should seek lo- to have to sit down and discuss the time. for about fiveyears at various jobs. young Columbians. They formed the The Reagan administration advo- cal underwriters to finance pro- issue. We're worried about grants As a credit manager, "I learned a New Wave Radio Corp.,"the station's cates increased support by private grams. Instead, she advocates busi- we're applying for, if the money's lot about cash flow and how impor- parent body. donors, including corporations and nesses becoming subscribers of the not there." tant planning is," sN SaVS. The station's base of support both businesses, to take up the slack cre- station at special rates. At the staff meeting, the conversa- 'Buried Child9 like all members of the KOPN then and now is the local subscriber. ated by the federal government's Ms, Navarre and Ms. Ruth agree tion again and again came back to staff, Ms. Ruth began as a volunteer Subscribers automatically become pullback. that the principal source of income grants. Ms. Ruth discussed ways of last year. When Jean Patmquist, the voting members. A 1381 Federal Communications must remain the subscriber. Tor processing forms and complained of set for Fayette previous general manager, left for a However, technical fadlites, such Commission ruling allows non-prof-it general operating money money complicated accounting procedures. similar job with a Houston commu- as the station's antenna and sound radio to mertion a program under- to pay the rent and the phone," Ms. Wax asked for names he should The little Theater of Central nity radio station, Ms. Ruth took board, have been steadily upgraded writer's services as well as name. Ruth says, "we depend on listener contact for various projects during Methodist College in Fayette win over. by grants from government and pri- KBIA, the University-owne- d radio support" his upcoming stay in Washington. present Sam Shepard's' "Buried Ms. Rum, whose husband Marty vate contributors. Now the station station, which is also non-prof-it, al- Successful subscription drives The news director announced that if ChUd" tonight through Sunday. Riback owns Riback Supply Co., be- depends on grants from government ready takes advantage of the new have enabled the station to achieve a grant does not come through, local Shepard's work ranges over the lieves that the station will have to and qnasi-governme- nt bodies for a regulation. On the "Morning Edi- solvency. Already 77 percent of Sep- pews coverage will be suspended. arid landscape of the modern Ameri- confront the issue of seeking local large part of the station's program- tion," for instance, the station men- tember and December 1381 pledges Ms. Ruth approaches the future can mind. "Buried Child," which underwriting. "It's just like every- ming as wefl. tions the local underwriting bank's have been collected. with optimism. We're used to oper--' won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979, re- thing else there are pros and In 1S7B the station received $51,000 drive-i-n services as well as the Bom women said the station could ating on a low budget You get used volves around a small grocp. cons." from the government and $15,000 bank's name. to uncertainty." p-- generate more income by finding Performances begin at 8 m. Some of the tan she manage from the National Endowment for KBIA also launched a subscription segments of the Columbia commu- "But says Ms. Navarre, "Under- Tickets' may be purchased at the may not agree. Some staff work on the Humanities. As late as last year, fampaign railed the 92 Club. Both nity either not yet served by pro- writing win come up again if it be- door.