Rent's still due at KUOW!

We know how boring this is-but it's about keeping the best talk radio station in Seattle on the air...

We speak of course of National Public Radio affiliate KUOW, "Nearly 95" at 94.9 FM. It's their Spring pledge drive and you need to call 'em 866-677-5869 (toll-free) up or go online and give 'em some dough.

Make a pledge and get the Steve Scher "Sexy-sexy Man Work-out Video;" or the Ross Reynolds, 'Who moved my doughnut?' coffee mug, or the Marci Sillman nude answering machine greeting as free gifts with your donation.

KUOW is a place where you'll never suffer a Bryan Styble, a Frank Shiers, or a Dori Monson. You'll never grit your teeth over Bryan Suits talking about man-boobs; or hear about The Invisible Fence, The Hide-A-Hose or Catlin Capitol; Laura Kiel never speaks- or sings! on NPR.

But if don't pay now, you must continue to listen to local NPR talkers motor-mouthing, pan-handling,and doing the bucks & wing until you do.

NPR doesn't have traditional advertising, so it depends on the kindness of corporations (30 percent), and foundations (12 percent) but nearly half of its operating budget comes from member stations based on formulas tied to their listenership and dredged up on these semi-annual pledge drives.

(Contrary to the crap you hear on right-wing radio, no more than 2% of NPR's budget comes from federal grants. This has insulated it from Republican attacks on programming).

In 2003, Joan Kroc, (widow of Hamburglar Ray of MacDonald's) bequeathed NPR $230 million- an amount so generous to the constantly panhandling national non-profit, the interest alone has paid for a large expansion in the newsroom- nearly 70 jobs- while other news organizations are cutting back across the board.

NPR is a great continent of hope for the future of real scratch journalism in an age when marketers and bean-counters are either drying up newsrooms or pushing them around.

(After the Kroc gift, you might ask, why do we have to give at these infernal pledge drives? Because half the operating budget is raised from listeners, that's why- so get out your damn wallet! Besides, the sooner you do it, the sooner they'll shut up and we can all get back to All Things Considered, Vaughn Palmer, and BC fish farm budgets).

In the last 10 years, NPR listenership has increased impressively- going from 12.5 million to 25 million listeners tuning in at least once a week according to Arbitron. And since nearly half of its budget comes from member stations based on listenership, total revenue has taken off- from $74 million in 1998 to $140 million this year.

KUOW is the most listened-to talk in Seattle and would come in 2nd or 3rd in the market if it were reported like a commercial station in the Arbitron surveys. (Arbitron's attempts to do that were quashed after pressure from commercial stations).

And remember, righties: NPR is Michael Medved's favorite news source.

As liberal, socialist, commie, deadbeat elites, we love to see non-commercial, listener-supported broadcast media working so well within the free enterprise system while airing stuff they know will not get them a fraction of a scintilla of a ratings point.

Comments

[Duffman]

...and besides a contribution might just be an extra incentive to listen in - instead of listening to Dori.

[Knute Berger]

Plus, a donation will help keep us in cardigan sweaters, right Michael?

[blathering michael]

Knute: Jeez; do you guys get a wardrobe? You desierve one- those cardigans are getting a little holey as well as holy.

[Knute Berger]

Blath: No wardrobe. In fact, Steve and Danny are frequently nude.

[blathering michael]

nude radio: no wonder you guys get the numbers! I remember when Susan scandalized the newsroom down at the PI with her miniskirt...

[cinco]

What if they had a pledge drive and nobody came?

[Proregressive]

>>(Contrary to the crap you hear on right-wing radio, no more than 2% of NPR's budget comes from federal grants. This has insulated it from Republican attacks on programming).<<

So why not refuse the $400M+ a year that comes from taxpayers via the CPB if they are so successful at getting donations from corporations and "listeners like you"?

[Fremont]

Thanks for the plug, Bla'M...I'm diverting the 1K I usually put in your tip jar to KUOW. Cardigans for you and Newt...(I know....)

[Merv]

I just cut a $250 check to KPLU and KUOW. They do a good job.

[Thom]

it's about keeping the best
talk radio station in Seattle on the air.

If it's the best, they shouldn't HAVE to beg.
If it's the best, people would be raining money on them.

[Thom]

so it depends on the kindness of corporations (30 percent)

...ummm...how is that "non-commercial?" Do you know the definition of "commercial?"

They get a tax write-off.

...and hmmm...since this site thinks corporations don't pay enough taxes...shouldn't the tax write-offs for "public" (cough, cough!) radio be eliminated?

[Blaine Bob]

Should any real tragedy happen in Dori Monson's life (i.e. a terminal illness that exceeded his insurance maximum coverage and wiped him out), the guy would become a supporter of socialized medicine in a heartbeat...

Dori World would be a scary dark place.

[marty]

Would everybody puh-leeze send them a check sos we can get back to uninterrupted NPR programming? I had to turn on KIRO yesterday!

[FREMONT]

Ditto, Mart...the pledge drive continues..and continues...