The Student Association Finance Committee Thursday ratified $5,000 to pay for a news wire service for WKDI in the 1987-88 school year that was almost zero-funded by the SA Senate last semester.

The United Press International (UPI) wire service enables WKDI to report the weather, sports and international news. The controversy over UPI stems from a five-year contract the university signed in 1983 which gives WKDI access to the wire.

The SA Senate argued that NIU obligated SA funds without their knowledge—although each time the university purchases a service, a contract is involved. The SA is not always aware of the contracts, but they fund these contracts anyway, said Jon Dalton, vice president of student affairs.

In addition, the finance committee passed funding of about $9,800 for paid executive positions; including $1,734 for a chief engineer, $1,156 for the general manager, the business manager and program director, $867 for the music director, sales manager, promotion director, public affairs director and sports director as well as $800 for the sales commissioner. General Manager Kirk Moore said this is the lowest amount requested in about three years because WKDI did not request money to pay for assistant managers as they have in the past.

Besides receiving money for paid positions, the station also will be able to continue doing their live sports talk shows from the Stadium Club with the $9,270 the finance committee allotted for the phone bill. This money is for regular calls the station makes as well.

With the $5,754 request the finance committee OK’d, WKDI will be able to purchase two new turntables to replace the current nine-year-old ones. With these funds WKDI also can buy a four track production tape deck and two horns for the remote system. Moore said the horns are needed to improve the sound of the remote system. They also received $240 for travel expenses to the remotes. “Remotes are important because they are a big part of the fund raising for the station,” he said.

Another $2,996 was approved for magazine subscriptions, slander and libel insurance, ads and registration fees for a conference in Chicago. At the conference, WKDI employees will learn how to better run the station from professionals in radio and other college stations, Moore said.

The remaining funds approved were $2,200 for production and promotional supplies, $602 for printing of fliers, playlist and billing forms and $295 for office supplies, including cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes.

The station produces about $4,000 in revenue from the remotes and poster sales. SA Treasures Lisa Schlepp said in the past WKDI had predicted a revenue figure of $8,000, but they have never been able to produce that much revenue.

The station also requested $512 in supplemental funding which would enable several members to attend a conference in Austin, Texas, the large producer of the independent music which is the “heartbeat” of WKDI’s music, said David Fishman, music director.

Fishman said professionals and other colleges will attend the conference which would help the station make new connections, and provide the station with free promotional materials. The request failed 7-0 with one abstention because “the conference is not worthwhile for the cost,” said SA Sen. Michael Stumpf.