[Vision2020] Letter to the Editor regarding Daily News editorial

[KRFP]

I sent the letter below to the Daily News:

--Leigh Robartes


Your editorial yesterday (Daily News Sat., Oct 30) reads as if only the 
“left of center chattering classes” are able to tune their radios to 
92.5, let alone call in during our candidate forums. We publicize our 
forums so as to attract a cross section of the electorate. We take calls 
from listeners in the sequence they come in.

Our forums are unique in that voters can publicly and directly ask as 
many as 25 questions in an hour, and they don't have to leave home to 
participate.

I have hosted candidate forums every year since 2005 on KRFP, and 
numerous years prior on KUOI, and there have been no candidates “being 
lectured,” and I don't remember any candidates “being eviscerated,” even 
in the figurative sense of the word.

Mostly we've had questions about public policy and positions on issues. 
The format certainly allows for all sorts of questions from callers, but 
given past experience it's purely speculation on your part that there 
would be a lack of civility. Over the years, most candidates have gladly 
participated, although occasionally some have declined, including at 
least two Democrats.

Seeing no story from your news reporter Christina Lords, only Saturday's 
editorial, I'll include some of what she called to find out Friday. I 
said Gresham Bouma told me he couldn't take the risk that he would say 
something during that night's radio forum that would be jumped on by 
those opposed to him so soon before the election, when there would be 
little time to respond. He also didn't want a one-hour forum on his 
Pastor. I told Gresham that was unlikely, but I was unable to persuade 
him to participate.

I should set the record straight on Bill Goesling not participating. I 
had penciled him and opponent Tom Stroschein in for October 13^th , but 
Bill asked for a change to October 19^th , not “this week” as your 
editorial stated. Bill then called several days in advance and said he 
had forgotten about a fundraising event for the 19^th and probably 
wouldn't make it. By that time all the publicity had gone out and 
although I tried to get Tom to re-schedule, I was unable to, so we went 
ahead with Tom on the 19th.

--Leigh Robartes

Station Mgr.

KRFP / Radio Free Moscow, Inc.

92.5

Moscow, ID