Holy shiat, do NOT read the article comments.

Bek: Holy shiat, do NOT read the article comments.

I'm sorry I did. For the liberal reputation the Pacific northwest has accumulated, there are a lot of red state morons that are quite vocal.

UNC_Samurai: Bek: Holy shiat, do NOT read the article comments.

I'm sorry I did. For the liberal reputation the Pacific northwest has accumulated, there are a lot of red state morons that are quite vocal.

I wonder if some talk show radio host or right wing blog sent idiots to this story.

fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life and Wait Wait don't tell me. If they did TAL and "Wait Wait" over and over again, then I'd donate money.

Spade: fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life and Wait Wait don't tell me. If they did TAL and "Wait Wait" over and over again, then I'd donate money.

i like those velvety voiced radio hosts.....like valium for the ears.

Spade: fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life and Wait Wait don't tell me. If they did TAL and "Wait Wait" over and over again, then I'd donate money.

Obvious you never heard of Car Talk before or the Rush Limbaugh Show.

UNC_Samurai: Bek: Holy shiat, do NOT read the article comments.

I'm sorry I did. For the liberal reputation the Pacific northwest king county has accumulated, there are a lot of red state morons that are quite vocal.

Only certain parts of Seattle are liberal. The rest of the metro area and state is conservative. The balance between the two helps make it a very nice place to live.

eqtworld: WASHINGTON - Times have gotten so tough that National Public Radio (NPR) is considering something it hasn't done for a generation: a pledge drive.

Are you freaking kidding me? They do it all the time, they were doing it all week last week in my town.

No, they don't. Read the article again. The local stations hold fund drives to pay for running a radio station, including paying NPR for programming. NPR, the network, only ran a pledge drive, through the local affiliates, once, long ago.

It's a really bad idea, because so many don't understand the difference between NPR and the local station. If they give to the NPR fund drive, they're not going to give when the station holds their regular pledge drive.

Spade: fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life and Wait Wait don't tell me. If they did TAL and "Wait Wait" over and over again, then I'd donate money.

What about Car Talk and Thistle & Shamrock?

Radio Lab

My local member station does semiannual pledge drives. They interrupt whatever is on and start yapping for a good 15-20 mins on the hour.

While I do donate twice a year I think at least the member stations are being as annoying as they can already until they reach their goals.

The list of shows they need to kill is shorter than the list of good shows.

/Burn "Piano Jazz" agressivly, repeatedly.

I live in the land of fake Celtic culture, so Thistle & Shamrock can kiss my ass.

I stopped giving to my local NPR stations when they started running commercials. Ad time bought by companies trying to make themselves look better by supporting public radio, like Montesano.

NPR has a steady stream of income coming from the local stations. I don't see why they can't get their budget to balance.

eqtworld: WASHINGTON - Times have gotten so tough that National Public Radio (NPR) is considering something it hasn't done for a generation: a pledge drive.

Are you freaking kidding me? They do it all the time, they were doing it all week last week in my town.

/I wish after they got their guilt-tax from you, they could somehow give you pledge ad free NPR again

Did you even read the headline much less the article? It clearly states that individual local stations have pledge drives but the NPR organization does not.

It's sort of like those coupons from McDonalds or places like it that you can only use at a few restaurants in the area. The reason for this is that the franchiser of those few restaurants made the coupons and is taking the loss on them, not the McDonalds corporation.

eqtworld: WASHINGTON - Times have gotten so tough that National Public Radio (NPR) is considering something it hasn't done for a generation: a pledge drive.

Are you freaking kidding me? They do it all the time, they were doing it all week last week in my town.

/I wish after they got their guilt-tax from you, they could somehow give you pledge ad free NPR again

You are confusing your local NPR affiliate (the radio station that buys the programming from NPR) with NPR.

nlscb: The balance between the two helps make it a very nice place to live.

obviously, you've never been pulled over in bothell.

redneck yuppies FTL

Just get the podcasts, you don't have to hear any commercials.

I do like Wait Wait, but on the podcast, it seems like someone has the mic too close to their mouth. I hear mouth sounds and loud breathing, which just pisses me off sometimes.

I can understand why people hate NPR. Actual hard news without flash and pretty people yelling is hard to take.

When they start broadcasting All Songs Considered I'll donate.

Isn't this a great thread?

And you know, in order to bring you more threads like this we need your support. Donate at the $100 level and you'll get a free T-shirt with this headline on it.

We'll be back to the thread in a moment, but first let's talk to actual readers like you who have made the pledge to support us...

12349876: eqtworld: WASHINGTON - Times have gotten so tough that National Public Radio (NPR) is considering something it hasn't done for a generation: a pledge drive.

Are you freaking kidding me? They do it all the time, they were doing it all week last week in my town.

/I wish after they got their guilt-tax from you, they could somehow give you pledge ad free NPR again

Did you even read the headline much less the article? It clearly states that individual local stations have pledge drives but the NPR organization does not.

It's sort of like those coupons from McDonalds or places like it that you can only use at a few restaurants in the area. The reason for this is that the franchiser of those few restaurants made the coupons and is taking the loss on them, not the McDonalds corporation.

Um, the Car Talk guys and the WWDTM host were begging for contributions yesterday. Are they not representatives of NPR, thusly, the organization?

Considering it, hell. They're already doing it.

EmmaLou: Just get the podcasts, you don't have to hear any commercials.

I do like Wait Wait, but on the podcast, it seems like someone has the mic too close to their mouth. I hear mouth sounds and loud breathing, which just pisses me off sometimes.

I just wish they'd podcast a decent news program. They did podcast Day to Day until it ended, but Day to Day was fluff.

kliq: I can understand why people hate NPR. Actual hard news Democrat talking points without flash blanace and pretty real people yelling debating the issues instead of just giving one side and acting like it is bi-partisan is hard to take listen too.

FTFY

Herb Utsmelz: Um, the Car Talk guys and the WWDTM host were begging for contributions yesterday. Are they not representatives of NPR, thusly, the organization?

Car Talk is a show that is produced by WBUR, a radio station in Boston and is syndicated by NPR. It works much in the same way as Oprah's TV show. Their begging for contribution is for the production of their show, not for the NPR organization.

Here's an idea.

Perhaps NPR could take all that time they spend asking for money and sell it to advertisers, then spread that time around in short segments so that its not quite so annoying. Perhaps they could charge more for time in and around popular shows and times of day. That way, they wouldn't have to beg for money from viewers at all.

They are already doing something similar when they announce the corporations who 'sponsor' certain shows.

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: nlscb: The balance between the two helps make it a very nice place to live.

obviously, you've never been pulled over in bothell.

redneck yuppies FTL

Oh man. They are a special kind of hell.

kliq:

FTFY

Milkbeer: Sounds familiar, like Air America....

Perhaps liberals will learn that no one cares about "global warming" "evolution" or ripping on christians 24/7

you forgot to put ripping on christians 24/7 in quotes.

No, thanks. My local NPR Music station ran their funds drive and it took $50 added to every donation by a local mall and a free CD to get me to kick in $25. They promised in February that if they were successful, they'd need to do less fund raising in May. Meanwhile, they recited the phone number about 500 times a minute.

That said, public radio is a pretty noble cause and much better than the drivel elsewhere on the airwaves.

/Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Wait Wait, Diane Rehm, World Cafe and most of the local WYPR and WTMD stuff FTW

LargeCanine: Here's an idea.

Perhaps NPR could take all that time they spend asking for money and sell it to advertisers, then spread that time around in short segments so that its not quite so annoying. Perhaps they could charge more for time in and around popular shows and times of day. That way, they wouldn't have to beg for money from viewers at all.

They are already doing something similar when they announce the corporations who 'sponsor' certain shows.

There's a very thin line public radio cannot cross.

aresef: LargeCanine: Here's an idea.

Perhaps NPR could take all that time they spend asking for money and sell it to advertisers, then spread that time around in short segments so that its not quite so annoying. Perhaps they could charge more for time in and around popular shows and times of day. That way, they wouldn't have to beg for money from viewers at all.

They are already doing something similar when they announce the corporations who 'sponsor' certain shows.

There's a very thin line public radio cannot cross.

extremely thin

LargeCanine: Perhaps NPR could take all that time they spend asking for money and sell it to advertisers, then spread that time around in short segments so that its not quite so annoying.

In other words "sponsorship" ... already doing it....

LargeCanine: Perhaps NPR could take all that time they spend asking for money and sell it to advertisers, then spread that time around in short segments so that its not quite so annoying.

I know it's sort of a slippery slope argument, but advertising brings the danger of a FOX News culture where profits are more important than truth, and the advertisers could dictate the programming by threatening to quit supporting.

Constance Velocity: NPR has a steady stream of income coming from the local stations. I don't see why they can't get their budget to balance.

Because it's NPR, except the P part gets smaller every year. When you're a public good, financed through the government, and the government cuts back your funding, you have to increase what you get from the other sources.

Get it?

12349876:

Car Talk is a show that is produced by WBUR, a radio station in Boston and is syndicated by NPR. It works much in the same way as Oprah's TV show. Their begging for contribution is for the production of their show, not for the NPR organization.

Ye. Makes sense. Thanx for clarifying.

Spade: fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life ...

This American Life (new window) is not NPR at all. It's Chicago Public radio, and is distributed by PRI. Just because some NPR stations carry it, that doesn't make it an NPR show.

Didn't Joan Krok leave them about a katrillion dollars? How the hell can they be on hard times?

Times have changed. Change with them.

NPR provides their programming to affiliate stations, in return for revenue.

Now that NPR is putting their programming on the Web, they should get some of their reveue from the Web.

Start small and work their way up. Start with little blurbs and urls, and if that works, then expand the appeals.

bubbaprog: Constance Velocity: NPR has a steady stream of income coming from the local stations. I don't see why they can't get their budget to balance.

Because it's NPR, except the P part gets smaller every year. When you're a public good, financed through the government, and the government cuts back your funding, you have to increase what you get from the other sources.

Get it?

I'm a financial manager for several non-profits. If our income goes down, we cut expenses, possibly programs, thus balancing the budget.

If it's more about preserving jobs than programming, their problem makes sense.

A budget's a budget. You work within it.

Manfred J. Hattan: Didn't Joan Krok leave them about a katrillion dollars? How the hell can they be on hard times?

I just looked up there last published tax return. It is for the year ended 9/30/2006. About half there revenue is from investment income. Joan croc left 225 million back in 2003. They had about a 2 million surplus income over expenses.

Their assets are about 270 million but these were valued at fair market value. This would have been affected by the crash. To what extent is unknown until their next return is published.

They're not exactly hurting.

NPR is the intelligent person's radio network.

Rather obvious.

/Sorry if that puts you off.

UNC_Samurai: Bek: Holy shiat, do NOT read the article comments.

I'm sorry I did. For the liberal reputation the Pacific northwest has accumulated, there are a lot of red state morons that are quite vocal.

Speaking as a red state moron, I say "Let it die!" The commie-libs in Washington will probably also let it die as I believe they will feel that 99% of the press are totally on-board and pushing the commie-lib agenda anyways.

NPR is no longer needed as a government-funded democrat mouthpeice and its days may well be numbered.

Judging by the number of people who are complaining that NPR already has fund raising drives, reading TFA is not a prerequisite for flapping one's gums. NPR has not had fund raising since 1983. The fund raising you hear is completely local, for your station only. It is not NPR fund raising.

I also note that many of the shows indicated above as favorite NPR shows are not NPR shows at all, but are produced by American Public Media and purchased by your local public stations. These stations also purchase NPR programming, but they are not NPR stations. They are NPR affiliates only for their NPR-produced programs.

So you didn't read the article and you don't know what you're listening to. Keeping it classy on Fark once again.

MorphOSX: Spade: fark that. Only thing good on NPR is This American Life and Wait Wait don't tell me. If they did TAL and "Wait Wait" over and over again, then I'd donate money.

What about Car Talk and Thistle & Shamrock?

okay, TAL, Wait Wait, Car Talk and Thistle and Shamrock.

Spade: okay, TAL, Wait Wait, Car Talk and Thistle and Shamrock.

All Things Considered?

kliq: I can understand why people hate NPR. Actual hard news without flash and pretty people yelling is hard to take.



The always bias, Miss Terry Gross

SuperDuper28: My local member station does semiannual pledge drives. They interrupt whatever is on and start yapping for a good 15-20 mins on the hour.

While I do donate twice a year I think at least the member stations are being as annoying as they can already until they reach their goals.

Unless you're in Vermont, western Massaschusetts or upstate New York, you have not heard the king of annoying pledge drive voices: Alan Chartock of the mighty WAMC.

Fran Drescher's voice, Hugo Chavez' politics (and ego). I wonder if WAMC's pledge drives wouldn't do better if they dropped the pretense and just said "SEND CHECKS OR ALAN'S GOING TO KEEP TALKING."