Politics intruding on public radio and programming was a major concern voiced by audience members Monday during a public forum for an executive director candidate for Iowa Public Radio.

Finalist candidate John Stark, general manager of KNAU-FM at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz., said he is taking the situation very seriously.

“I am absolutely concerned, especially about the suggestion that a position should be created to review editorial content on public radio,” he said.

Stark said he was somewhat comforted by remarks made by the new head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting who said she explicitly values the editorial freedom of public broadcasting. Stark also said he believes all news should maintain its freedom and integrity without censorship.

Stark is currently the general manger of six stations in Northern Arizona and said three stations were much stronger when combined than left separate.

“Instead of competing with each other, public radio should work together and together we are much stronger,” Stark said.

Most of the audience’s questions were related to local programing issues and fundraising.

“During peak listening times, national programing is what the largest number of people want to listen to. In Flagstaff we combine the national news with local so that we may reach and impact the greatest number of people,” Stark said. “You have to fish where the fishes are, and if we can appeal to more people during peak hours and still provide local content it is more productive.”

Stark also made clear he does not like the usual “numbingly boring” approaches to raising money and looks forward to coming up with more creative ways.

He added that he looks forward to fundraising times, as it is a time the station gets the feedback that really matters — donations. Stark also brought up the technological issues that public broad television now faces because he does not want public radio to be in that position. Stark said public television has lost significant viewing margins to cable and now they face flat or fading memberships and are losing programing to cable.”

“We must take advantage of new technologies available to us and our resolve to embrace these new technologies and use them to our advantage,” he said.