I just "listened" to Advertising Bennet that folksy guy who ever so gently precedes the "AND-FROM" robot who piously announces the string of commercials that actually finance this supposedly "listener" supported NPR station.
He just bemoaned (again) the fact that only ten percent of WFDD listeners donate to the radio station. So that means 90% of its operating funds come from advertising and the propaganda spewing university it shares space with. So what's so surprising about so many people, myself included, not able or dumb enough to throw money at them just to be used as the Neilsens public radio.
What advertiser wouldn't love people who give away money to anyone who asks for it needed or not? If they're well off enough to be feel good suckers for them surely they'll BUY OUR STUFF TOO even without a feel good mug or tote bag!
If you are like me, one who sees advertising as pollution not entertainment and hopes some day to see the "PUBLIC" be returned to NPR and PBS like it used to be (with just one or two private sponsors) before the radical Right decided the public was learning the wrong stuff . Thus flooding the stations with annoying, monotonous, commercials would turn people away from "public" media since they felt the same as the regular networks!
So the blasphemous question to ask the donation clerks at WFDD 88.5 FM is
1) When will you be commercial-free? 2) How many sustaining listeners do you need to replace two ads? 3) If I become a sustainer at X level will you cancel one sponsor? 4) Why don't you tell listeners at pledge drives "we would have fewer commercials if we had more sustainers"
So that it doesn't appear that the mgmt enjoys commercials or the private university wants to advocate private commerce over public subsidies (WFU = Radical Right?) and mandates a COMMERCIAL RADIO STATION in the disguise of an NPR member!
