Dear Profs. Johnston and Schiffrin, As you know, there is student interest in an IMC class in radio journalism next semester. According to Dean Dan McIntyre, SIPA students should initiate requests for new classes through their concentration director. The purpose of this letter is to do so. We are writing to inform you of a high level of interest in the radio class on the part of IMCers and other SIPA students, and to request that steps be undertaken to offer such a class in the spring semester. Although there has never been a radio class at SIPA before, we do not feel that this fact should hamper our abilities to host a radio class now. We feel that radio is a crucial tool in the current multimedia world of journalism, and we want the option for it to be part of our skill set when we graduate. Radio classes at the J-School are notoriously difficult for IMCers to gain access to, and if we do happen to gain access to it, we are forced to pay an exhorbitant fee to use the equipment. The fact is that radio classes are popular at the J-School for a reason, and IMC should have its own radio class. We have been in contact with Marty Goldensohn, a radio journalist for NPR, and are exploring whether he could teach this class. Marty worked for NPR\'s \"Marketplace\" for years and knows the business well. He spoke to students in Gwenda Blair\'s Opinion Writing class at the J School two weeks ago, and appears to be a very patient, kind and knowlegable teacher. We should know soon whether Marty could teach this class, and if not, he can recommend someone who could. Furthermore, we have spoken to first-years who are very interested in a radio class. This extends to students in the HR and EPD concentrations who know that radio is sometimes the only media source in parts of developing countries around the world. We believe that there would be sustained interest in this class beyond this year from students in several concentrations. We, the undersigned, are students in these three concentrations who have a serious interest in taking a radio class. We are not just signing this letter as an expression of solidarity, but as an expression of personal interest in having a radio class be part of SIPA\'s regular schedule. Please contact Jackie Carpenter and David Trilling to advise what we should do next to make a spring semester radio class a reality. Thank you. Please sign with your name and concentration.

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