NPR
I enjoy my NPR in the mornings and afternoons; I occasionally even learn something. And, in my opinion, it’s far better than the lame DJs doing their morning talk routines with the fart jokes and the call-the-random-person-and-convince-them-of-something-that’s-not-true schtick.
But this week – this is the week that strikes fear and loathing in the hearts of many. It is the dreaded [dramatic drum music here] Pledge Week.
There are two problems with Pledge Week. First off, no matter how much money I donate, I still have to listen to Pledge Week Pleadings. Over and over again “Don’t you love public radio?” “We need donations to keep this quality programming on the air for YOU,” and on and on it goes. Making the insanity stop would be far more incentive to send them some money. Secondly, despite their claims to only having Pledge Week twice a year, there are layers of public radio. There’s the local radio station that cuts off the Quality Programming at 7pm and plays jazz; Capitol Public Radio Broadcasting group that (from what I understand) oversees the local stations and then NPR itself, that sells the programming to the local stations to broadcast according to their own schedule. So with all three entities doing Pledge Week “only twice a year,” that’s actually 6 pledge weeks – one every other month.
I understand they need to raise the money to keep bringing me the quality programming I love and enjoy, but by the end of the week, the “pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase send us mooooooooooney” whining is very grating and makes me never want to send them money ever. It’s kind of like when I was a kid and whining would only make my parents less likely to give in to the request.
I guess I have a week of fart jokes to look forward to.
3 comments 
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May 4th, 2004 at 4:14 pm
I feel the same way about PBS. I send them my donation when I get around to it. Sometimes that stretches to less than once per year, but I am annoyed by the repeated mailings, the telephone calls, and the PLEDGE telethons on the channel. Like you, I get less motivated rather than more motivated by all the badgering.
May 6th, 2004 at 2:17 pm
Our NPR station in Tulsa, KWGS, did a non-instrusive pledge drive about a year ago. They told you when the pledge drive started, but didn’t constantly talk through your programming about it. They’d just gently remind you to go online and pledge, and they’d mention that they weren’t pounding listeners (like you) over the head…
They actually exceeded their goal in four days.
Also, I don’t know why your NPR station does the multiple pledge drive thing… usually what happens is the local affiliate does a drive and that pays for the national syndicate fees. Maybe your station shares its frequency though, so each entity has to raise money itself? Just a guess…
May 8th, 2004 at 12:51 pm
I am *so* glad that our NPR station does the non-drive-drive. They are only on for 2 hours a day, once at 8am, and again at 5 (obviously to catch people going to and from work). It is hugely sucessful here, and I never miss any programs or feel bombarded by NPR ads. It makes me happy. Makes them happy too…
I’m sorry your station hasn’t wised up…tell them you’ll pledge again when they change the format of their pledge-drive! 