My Seventeenth Pledge Drive!!

In addition to being a popular magazine for teen girls, the number seventeen has much significance in mathematics, and is the atomic number for chlorine.  This Fall Drive will be my official seventeenth Pledge Drive at KWMR! If you don’t count our attempts at summer drives (which are not very successful). KWMR focuses on fall and spring drives, and our fall drive is coming right up (Monday, October 22 through Wednesday, October 31)! I joined the staff on June 21, 2010, and have not looked back once. I’m in this for the long haul, and I hope you are, too…..

When some people hear the words “pledge drive” they groan, and then are ready to tune into pretty much anything but public radio announcers pleading for funds to stay afloat. At KWMR, we take pledge drives pretty seriously, have a lot of prep that is done, and they are  pretty fun. Our programmers are on board, they get the significance of taking time out of our normal broadcasting twice per year to raise 25% of the operational funds for the station. Many volunteers put extra work into crafting a pledge show that is not only informative and interesting, but that also builds in the time to ask folks to contribute.

It is a great time to make a first time, additional or significant contribution to KWMR. The theme (we love themes) is disaster preparedness, and we have some good premium gifts in exchange for your support. There is no time like the present for preparedness. Here we sit, one year after the North Bay Fires, with a red flag warning in effect, even after a healthy first rain of the season. Winter is just around the corner, and some experts are anticipating an El Nino winter.

Once again we will end the Pledge Drive on halloween. We have a resident programmer that goes ALL OUT with the decorations, and so having trick or treaters swing on by is a great fit. Plus programmer Gus Conde is hip to host the kids who come trick or treating, on the air to discuss their costumes. It’s a hoot. This happens on Wednesday the 31st from 5-7pm. I have found that some of the adults have equally creative and detailed costumes. Feel free to join us!

You can pledge early (and often) HERE. And please feel free to drop in in person. We are here 8am – 10pm every day, including weekends. If you have not seen our studio (and our new broadcast console) this is a great time to do so. We also need help answering phones (email MIA). And there is food here pretty much all the time. Swing by, say hi, make a contribution (of any size), have a snack, and celebrate community radio with us!

We are prepared! Are you?

Amanda Eichstaedt
Station Manager and Executive Director
KWMR

p.s. Waylon loved your encouraging comments on his column. He will be back periodically with his perspective!