NPR quandary

[bjarvis]

Our two local NPR stations, WAMU and WETA, are deeply embedded in their annual fund-raising drive at the moment. On the one hand, I would like to give them financial support as I listen to both avidly. On the other hand, I abhor the idea of being placed on yet another mailing list; both stations also routinely sell their mailing lists to other organizations. I get far, far too much junk mail already.

I wish NPR had a method of accepting donations anonymously. I feel like running up to the station door at 2 AM, taping a $100 bill to the door, ringing the doorbell and running like hell before anyone sees me.

Comments

[allanh.livejournal.com]

I seriously suggest that you consider contacting each of those stations' fundraising directors and sharing your concerns. They may have a "do not call/do not mail" list.

You can check them on this by inserting tracking information into your name and address. (E.G., "Brian M. Jarvis" for WAMU, and "Brian T. Jarvis" for WETA.)

If you start getting mail addressed to one of your tracking names from someone else ... you can go back to them and let them know that you'll never give them another cent because they betrayed your trust.

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

I would endorse both of these actions.

Shirley you are not alone in not wanting trees to be sacrificed as yet more begging letters arrive. You could even specify that the ONLY mail that you want back from them, ever, is an income-tax receipt for your contribution.

the tracked addresses are a good idea too. I'd even harrumph at them if THEY send you paper-spam to the tracked address.

ah, the beg-a-thon season, aint it grand!

(I'm listening to CBC Radio 2 as I type this, too)

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I preferred WETA, although I had both progammed into the car radio.

I like the tracking info idea.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

In the past year, WETA has dropped most of their classical music format in favour of a more news-oriented format. In effect, they're copying competing NPR station WAMU, duplicating key portions of their programming: Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace, etc.. While I much prefer the news format over music, I have to wonder if both can survive in the same marketplace without significant differentiation.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

Heh. Similar things have been happening in Boston. Both public stations (WGBH and WBUR) used, in the distant past, to carry a fair amount of classical music, although WGBH always had much more; but WBUR eliminated it years ago. Meanwhile WGBH has been shaving its classical music broadcasting down (or rescheduling it to the same effect -- weekends from 6 AM to 10 AM? C'mon!) so they can run the exact same NPR and PRI news-and-talk programs that are running on WBUR.

I still give my annual $250 to WGBH, and I turn them off for the duration of their pledge periods. But I mostly can't stand to listen to talk-and-news, and I miss my classical music.