We’ve talked before in this blog about a subsistence existence, pertaining to a common financial mindset at many stations in public radio. I’m pretty convinced that there also exists a similar mindset when it comes to excellence and excelling.
Audience
Dreaming Our Future
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Kicking the tires of philanthropy.
To give or not to give, that is the question.
Not-for-profit radio stations around the country are entering into the spring fund-raising season, facing the same challenges as last year and the year before that, and the year before that. The perennial challenge is engaging the listener in a conversation about the relevance of the station in peoples’ lives and the need for voluntary contributions to cover the station’s expenses. There’s a cause and effect dynamic at work. Programming causes listening, good programming causes loyalty, loyalty causes giving. In theory. Is that all there is to it, do the best we can with creating content and then ask for money – and we shall automatically receive?
“In this economy”
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times, “We’ll be lucky to achieve our goals in this economy”.
We’re all in the same boat, this challenging economic boat – in the doldrums yet relatively secure, generally insulated, and comparatively safe – not untouched mind you, but our lifestyles are barely altered – we’re afloat. We may be thinking greener, driving less, recycling more, watching household expenses, packing lunch, eyeballing boxed wine for the first time and generally curbing our consumption but at a pace that could be characterized as a stroll. No real urgency.