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10/23: WABE reaches fall pledge drive goal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After missing its last pledge drive goal for the first time in many years, noncommercial station 90.1/WABE-FM redoubled its efforts earlier this month and hit its goal of $1 million, plus another $50,000 for a separate online drive.
The station, which airs a blend of classical music and public affairs programming such as the popular “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” had cut its spring pledge drive to nine days and fell about $65,000 short of its $900,000 goal. General manager John Weatherford said they did a follow-up mail and online campaign and “ended up getting that made up and even a bit more. It’s all evened out.”
The fall pledge went back to 10 days, which apparently is a better amount of time to capture more of the WABE’s regular listenership.
As of Monday evening, the pledge total was $1,052,663. (Given that 93 percent of the pledges were paid via credit card and only 7 percent by check, the station will get virtually all the pledges.)
General manager John Weatherford said he was worried given the state of the economy and the housing market but the station made it. “I was particularly heartened this time around,” he said. “The listeners really came through.”
The money is used exclusively to pay for programming, be it NPR programs or local reporters. And of course, if you pledge a certain amount, you get pledge gifts, be it a Bruce Springsteen CD or “Car Talk” T-shirt for $120. The most popular gift? The “I Heard it on NPR” travel tumbler. For $250, you could meet “Morning Edition” co-host Steve Inskeep, who is coming to Atlanta Nov. 9. Weatherford said 44 percent of people turn down the gift, asking that all their money go to programming instead.
Comments
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By Brooke
October 23, 2007 4:05 PM | Link to this
I like WABE!
By Critic
October 25, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
WABE sucks. It’s just talk radio without listeners calling in.