Sound Off On Pledge Drives

I first became a member of my local station (KERA 90.1 FM, Dallas) because they had the greatest talk show host ever: Glenn Mitchell.

I renew because they allow a friend of mine, Paul Slavens, to host a weekly 2-hour music show.

of my local public radio station. But I gladly support a nearby college station I can barely pick-up and KCRW even though I only listen occasionally over the internet.

My local station, WBEZ in Chicago is abysmal. It has been run into the ground of corporate mediocrity by its entirely heinous general manager (and I suppose the board for whom he is a lackey).

All over the country (except in Chicago) public radio is all about warmth and folksy goodness. But here in Chicago, the board of WBEZ is sadly possessed by some kind of inferiority complex. WE are not NYC or LA... oh no we'd better remove all trace of humanity and grace from our radio station so that people won't think we are hillbillies!

Anyway, NOTHING short of firing the general manager would get me to subscribe to WBEZ. (and in case you are wondering, my ire is NOT about the removal of the jazz programming. The jazz programming was almost all entirely bad.)

I have been an Irish dancer since 1992, since before pledge drives spread Riverdance into every nook and cranny of the American public imagination.

On the one hand, (PBS) pledge drives made my art form super popular in America and probably helped to resuscitate it world-wide.

However, the incessant playing and re-playing of Riverdance (and Lord of the Dance) brought us the celebrity of one of Irish dancing's most cheesy/scary public figures: Michael Flatley... EWWWW GROSSS!!! Plus he is now the richest dancer in the entire world.

Also the changes in Irish dancing have totally turned it into a little elite beauty pageant type thing, which is also gross... really gross... you should really check out the jon-benet-ramsey-ness...

Some of this I consider the fault of PBS for airing those darn things (RD and LOTD) a bazillion times. haha

I think public media does need to do those pledge drives, but i wish they wouldn't pander to the lowest intellectual denominator to do it. I normally just turn my radio off and occasionally send in money (while my radio is turned off).

well that was my random Irish dancing rant of the day.

Elizabeth

My entry at Public Radio Quest:
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/7572

My College Radio Myspace (feel free to friend me!):
http://www.myspace.com/girlsongprimerradio

Seriously would Public Radio still be Public Radio without pledge drives? It is like your quarterly reminder that some multinational conglomerate has not stolen your airwaves and started spoonfeeding you their version of the propaganda they feel you should know.

No pledge drives? I think that would suck. Are pledge drives too intrusive, yes. I like that stations are using the internet more to get pledges with shorter clips promising that if you call in and vote now we wont take up as much time. I think the drives have made progress but even I admit to switching stations when I have heard one pitch too many.

Confusious Says rate a clip with some stars every day and you will always have a guiding star at night.

http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/8769

turn the Sound Off on Pledge Drives.

...did you see what I did there? I made a little joke-let! A pun-ling!

I remember pledge drives from PBS TV when they would show the entire series of The Prisoner to drum up viewers and then spend half the day pledging. Its a necessary evil, and its what keeps them independent. I wonder if there's a more engaging way to do it...

Be Baffled By Bafflegab!-->
www.publicradioquest.com/node/1319

"All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy" - Spike Milligan

Despite the unpredictable life of a freelancer, I'm a member of both my local community and public radio stations. I chalk it up to my family always being active in the realms of listening and giving to public radio. I can remember my first donation to a local station and how it made me feel like a "real grownup." In terms of tactics for on-air fundraising, I really appreciate the shorter breaks that the public radio station does and I think they do well with donations when they choose not to interrupt specific shows and then remind listeners at the beginning and the end that the pledge drive is still ongoing. Our community station does grueling 3 week pledge drives with three 7 minute breaks in every hour. I have a deep love for the station and it's community, but even I stop listening after the first week or 5 days of this, especially because so many of the on-air pitchers are volunteers with varying degrees of hostiness. When it's my turn to do the solicitation for donations, I try to have fun with it as I think humor is really the key to keeping listeners tuned in through those breaks. I usually talk about how I got involved with the station after hearing a pledge pitcher say that all the news anchors were volunteers. I brought my check down to the station the next day, got a tour and a free mug and my life was never the same. I find it's easy to sell something I really believe in.
--
Julie
DIY Nation

I would just ask that the stations find a way to interject a bit more creativity and, most of all, humor, into their pledge drives. It would make the otherwise bitter pill go down a bit easier.

It doesn't have to be a laugh fest, just something more than the repetitive snore it is now...

On the other hand, it sure beats those 10 minute spot clusters on commercial radio :-)

Ron

No begging whatsoever in my entry...
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/321

Woody,

Will that information cost me three installments of $19.95?

Just wondering.

JC
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/374

PLEDGE DRIVES are outdated. There are creative ways to raise more money and more efficiently and within FCC Guidelines for Non Comms etc. I know how to outraise anyone at raising money. The key is , I don't just blurt it out on public message boards. If you want to know how my multi million dollar fundraising for Non Comm Radio and TV Stations works then email me at RockMeWoody@aol.com only if you are in the capacity of a decision maker...

ONWARD AND UPWARD!,

WOODY NELSON

WOODY NELSON FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008!!!

VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN!!!

KQED in San Francisco has started something new to reduce the length of their pledge drives. They have started doing a "quiet" pledge drive period with just mentions during breaks to get people to donate online. For every X dollars that they get during the quiet period, they shave a day off the active pledge period. They have done this at least twice now, so I am guessing that it works.

We have been members of our NPR station on and off for the last several years, since we're grad students. We both really enjoy public broadcasting, so we are happy to support it when funds allow!

I remember making the leap one pledge drive. You know the funder, the one where the ladies at the women's correctional center are all singing, "I'm sorry."

I think afterwards, Ira Glass nudges the listener into repeating after him... "I Saved Public Radio." That's got to be the number one best funder, in my view. It got me to pony up a good chunk of change for our public radio station.

John Tynan
johntynan.com
KJZZ.org / KBAQ.org