Thursday, October 06, 2005

Compassion or Extortion?

It's pledge week on WDUQ.

Guess I'll be hearing quite a bit more AirAmerica, KDKA, and WPGB this week. Although rumor has it that AirAmerica is in pretty dire straits and may start soliciting donations as well. I didn't hear that from a very good source, but I can't ignore the uptempo to the logo gear pitching on the Al Franken Show.

Still, even the worst right wing whackjob is easier to listen to than "we just need 5 more callers this hour to unlock a $1000 bonus." Kill me now.

Interestingly, this phenomenon is not lost on the management at NPR. And of course rather than react with compassion, well they reacted with extortion. I mean it sounds all nice and everything, but it also has a kind of a "pay up or we'll break your knees" kind of a ring to it. Over the past month, during regular weeks they've been talking up how the pledge drive was coming up,

"and if you donate now, we may be able to shave a day or two off the upcoming campaign"

What does that sound like to you? Compassion or Extortion? Sort of like "listen, you can pay me now or pay me later. It'll be much more pleasant for you if you pay me now."

I guess it worked some. From the time I spent listening today I did hear quite a few times how they were able to shorten the solicitation period due to advance pledges. Or maybe that's just setting us up to believe them the next time they make the offer.

Well, its not working on me, I tell you. I will not be intimidated by these gangland tactics. You'll get my money the same way you always get my money - when you guilt me into it. And not a moment sooner.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oddly, they have apparently found that the outright hijacking of the airwaves with pledge drives is far more effective than alternative methods (mailing their current subscribers pledge forms, "silent pledges" where they only tell you there's a pledge drive but don't actually disrupt programming.)

Gina said...

You do realize that we don't run pledge drives because we like to hear ourselves talk, right? We run pledge drives because we have to. Mail campaigns help with renewing members, as does some telemarketing (hence being able to "save two days" and shorten the drive), but really the only way for us to get new members is to have pledge drives.

We aren't rich. We don't cash your checks and then run out and buy BMWs. We raise this money so we can pay our NPR dues (which are a whole heck of a lot of money) and stay on the air.

Don't listen to the drive if you don't like it, but please don't mock us for doing what we have to do. Make your pledge, and then scan up the dial to commercial radio. We finish on the 15th.

David said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
David said...

It was a joke.

Clearly they have to do pledge drives - at least until someone figres out a way for commercial radio to pay for public radio.

They're still awful.

BabelBabe said...

They are awful, although sometimes I get a huge kick out of hearing Gina on air : )

And they always seem to coincide - DUQ, YEP...so I wind up listening to WDVE or just resort to CDs.

But I look upon them as a necessary evil - to get the radio I like most of the year, I have to put up with three weeks or so of boredom.