Financial Aid For College 2008: A Live Call-In Program Airs February 27 on OPB

For parents, teachers and the college-bound, Oregon Public Broadcasting presents Financial Aid for College, a live, half-hour special airing Wednesday, February 27 at 9pm.

Every year, the cost of college tuition goes up. New students must be ever more resourceful in finding ways to pay for their education. Financial Aid for College is designed to help families of all economic backgrounds and students of all ages. Hosted by OPB's Steve Amen, the program features a panel of financial aid experts who provide crucial loan and grant information, and offer advice on the college application process. This year's experts are Kathy Goff, senior financial aid coordinator at Portland State University and Dan Preston, dean of Enrollment Services at Linfield College.

New for 2008 is the Oregon Opportunity Grant's Shared Responsibility Model which allows more Oregonians to receive access to higher education, including middle-income families through a structure that calculates funding available from the federal government and family resources when determining aid available to pay for college. If all of the available resources do not add up to enough to cover the cost, the state will help fill the gap through the Oregon Opportunity Grant.

Viewers can call financial aid counselors toll-free during the broadcast and have their questions answered in English or Spanish.

Financial Aid for College is a cooperative project of the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC) and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Oregon Public Broadcasting on AM Radio In Eugene

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is pleased to announce that it will go on the air on AM 1600 KOPB in Eugene on Wednesday, February 20 at approximately 3pm. OPB recently acquired KOPT AM 1600 from Churchill Media in order to expand its award-winning radio service to the Eugene area where it already has a strong television service and donor base.

"Our supporters in the Eugene/Springfield area have long asked for OPB radio to be available," said Steve Bass, OPB president and CEO. "We are particularly excited that listeners in this area can tune in and take part in programs like Think Out Loud, our new daily, locally produced show that engages people in a conversation about the issues of interest in our region."

Think Out Loud can be heard weekday mornings at 9 and rebroadcasts weekday nights at 9 and online at opb.org/thinkoutloud at anytime.

KLCC FM, a public radio station licensed to Lane Community College in Eugene, endorsed OPB's entry into Eugene when the purchase was announced in October 2007. KLCC already partners with OPB to maintain a Salem news bureau. "I welcome OPB to the Eugene/Springfield radio market," said Steve Barton, general manager of KLCC, adding that OPB will provide a great opportunity to increase the depth and breadth of local radio programming.

Lynne Clendenin, OPB's vice president of Radio Programming, said OPB's news and information programming mix should complement KLCC's. "We are offering many programs not currently available on KLCC FM such as Talk of the Nation, Marketplace and BBC World Service" said Clendenin.

This expansion also provides OPB the opportunity to work with Lane Community College to offer increased public service for the citizens in Eugene and Springfield.

Mary Splide, president of Lane Community College, also endorsed OPB's entry into the Eugene market saying that, "Increasing the community's access to public radio news and programming supports the college mission of education, lifelong learning and workforce training."

This represents another milestone in OPB's quest to build stronger, more personal connections with communities and audiences throughout Oregon.