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<\/a>Jonathan Cohen of the Jonathan Cohen Trio. (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/p>\nWith federal funding for public radio and TV stations around the country drying up,
supporters and station managers are having to get creative when it comes to raising money to stay in business.<\/p>\n
One such fundraiser, a live on-air concert, takes place Thursday evening on the San Diego City College<\/a> campus.<\/p>\n For a $30 donation, anyone can be in the studio when the Jonathan Cohen Trio performs at radio station KSDS.<\/p>\n Better known as Jazz 88<\/a>, the station is one of just two full-time, non-commercial radio stations in San Diego, along with KPBS. It is also the only local station broadcasting jazz music 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n The non-profit entity is part of the San Diego Community College District,<\/a> similar to how KPBS is connected to San Diego State University.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s concert is the first in a series of events planned for this fall and winter, possibly into the spring, according to one of the organizers, San Diego City College associate music professor Michael Espar.<\/p>\n Espar said the idea for the concert originated from a conversation he had with another faculty member, Louis Valenzuela, who\u2019s a professor at the college as well as a jazz guitarist.<\/p>\n \u201cJazz 88 got hit with these funding cuts and we thought that it would be a perfect occasion to combine studio recording and practice for our students with raising money for a good cause, to support the station that\u2019s right here on our campus, about 100 feet from our studio,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As part of the fundraiser, a limited number of all-access tickets are available to see and hear pianist-composer Cohen and his bandmates inside the City College Recording Studio. The tickets enable fans to gain a rare look at a professional live-stream concert production while supporting local public radio.<\/p>\n The all-access tickets also include Jazz 88-branded merchandise and a behind-the-scenes tour of the radio station after the show. Limited seating will be available in both the live room and studio control room.<\/p>\n Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite<\/a>. The concert also will be livestreamed on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n Students and faculty from the program are leading production, recording and marketing efforts for the event, which organizers have said is expected to result in a professional-quality livestream while providing hands-on training for the next generation of music and media professionals.<\/p>\n