By SUSAN McCABE

As I listened to KUOW’s NPR pledge drive last week, I was struck by how its on-air personalities present NPR as “community” radio and how forthright they are about asking listeners to pay for their operation.

I was struck for a couple reasons. One is that I know NPR is one of the most potent national lobbies against independent community radio like Voice of Vashon. NPR is, in fact, one of the groups that has worked long and hard to make sure stations like VoV cannot get even non-commercial FM broadcast licenses because it foolishly fears competition for membership.

The other reason the NPR pledge drive struck me is that I realized its members hear from the station every day, so they value the product and want to keep it going. That’s not true of VoV.  Vashonians don’t hear from VoV regularly. Why?

There are many reasons, not the least of which is that VoV has been a huge success. What started out as your community radio station is now your community media conglomerate, and it’s running a 24/7 webcast, a 24/7 TV station and a 24/7 Travelers Information Service (TIS) and emergency broadcast station at AM1650 — Voice of Vashon Standing By — all on pure, raw volunteer energy. There’s no time left to reach out.

Because you don’t often hear from VoV, you’re free to forget about it. And, when you do tune in, you may not be able to get it on your computer, or you may not like the mostly audio content on TV Channel 21, and you may only feel you need to hear the weekly TIS message once or twice a week. Fair enough. But, unlike NPR, VoV really does belong to you, so much so that you have the power to change what you hear, to create what you see and to be part of the TIS content. 

VoV truly is independent community media. Any Vashonian can create a show for airing on VoV’s webcast and VoV TV. Just contact Bill Wood for webcast or Dan Schueler for TV to get started. Call Jeff Hoyt if you’d like to be one of the VoV “personalities” who keeps the town informed on VoV Standing By.

You also have the power to keep VoV vital. You probably assume VoV will just “be there” because it has been for nine years.

It’s been around for nine years because VoV’s volunteers work tirelessly to keep it going and because some loyal Vashonians provide underwriting funds and make regular contributions.

But Voice of Vashon is growing and in search of new ways to keep this little media conglomerate going. For instance, it’s time to erect a third transmission tower so the emergency broadcasting Travelers Information Service can cover the whole Island. It’s time to add equipment for public access video development. And it’s way past time to get you involved in creating content for VoV webcast and VoV TV.

Rick Wallace compares VoV to the pelican that dove for a fish and came up with a 150-pound tuna that it either has to spit out or lift off. VoV needs your time, your money and your support to lift off that tuna with three tails.

If you believe in truly independent community media and you want to have it in our Island community, I urge you to participate somehow in Voice of Vashon. 

First of all, listen.  If you don’t like what you hear, create something you do like. If you can’t donate money, donate your time. It takes a lot to run even a tiny media conglomerate like VoV — VoV needs programmers, on-air personalities, marketers, someone to answer phone calls and e-mails, a Web site manager or two, TV crews and more.

Voice of Vashon belongs to you.  It is intended to showcase all that is Vashon.  How much do you want to keep it?

— Susan McCabe lives, writes and volunteers with Voice of Vashon on Vashon Island.