Recently I had lunch with a friend who is a generous, longtime public radio supporter. He expressed surprise that more people don’t support their local public radio stations, and we talked about the excuses many listeners make for not contributing. He looked me in the eye and asked, “Do you know why *I* support public radio?” I threw out a few possibilities, and he said, “No! The reason I give is because it FEELS GOOD. That’s it.” He’s right. It does feel good to be part of something you care about. It feels good to have a personal stake in the success and future of something that’s an important part of your daily life.
So, now I’m wondering: do YOU support your local public radio station? If not, why? If so, why? Do you agree with my friend that giving feels good? What would you say to your fellow listeners who don’t support their local stations to try to change their minds?
I’ve been a supporter of WSHU since long before I moved from Norwalk to Newtown, and that was 20 years ago. Morning Edition gets me up every morning with a look at what’s going on in the world. I’ve listened to Sunday Baroque for longer than I’ve been a supporter, and now that I’m retired I have the classical music on in the house all day long. It’s important to me, so I’m happy to contribute my small share. Thanks Suzanne for the hours of enjoyment over these many years. I’m looking forward to many more!
How wonderful! Thank you very much!
“So, now I’m wondering: do YOU support your local public radio station? If not, why?”
Well; you probably won’t like it, but since you asked….
The short answer, I used to but no longer do. This is due to two primary reasons. My musical tastes evolved and I became primarily a classical music listener in my late twenties. I was an annual supporter of my local classical station for a number of years but it inexorably began to morph into a mimic of commercial radio with the same percentage of air time devoted to “commercials” (albeit euphemistically referred to as “sponsorship” or “underwriting”). Unlike public radio, none of these expected me to privately fund them. In addition, my political and social philosophy evolved. With this resulted a hard and fast rule about my donation policy that has effected more than just public radio. I absolutely will not make voluntary contributions to any entity that concurrently accepts funds stolen from me under coercion and the threat of violence; i.e. taxes! Organizations that choose to accept only voluntary support are open to receiving mine If I value their service while those that feed on the stolen pelf that fills the public trough will NEVER have my voluntary support.