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March 11, 2018 4:21 pm  #1


There has to be a better way to fund raise

As a perpetual donor to Jazz FM...the week long fund drives, have me tuning out...and this week, they had their early spring fund drive going on and it is painful to listen to.

My feeling is they have to try something else.

The goal for the week was a lofty one for this listener supported station, they wanted $300,000.

At time of this post they have $72,000 to go and today was to be the final day.

Here is my question for the board...(Big Yella)...what other methods of fund raising would you use?

Do you think these kind of week long intense cries for cash works very well?

Personally, they might want to have a listener supported Jazz bowl-a-thon, where listeners form teams and raise funds from those they know...and have Toronto's local jazz musicians bowling and performing too...plus prizes for the best teams, the most money raised, the fanciest bowling shoes etc...

Would you change up the way the station raises funds? Do you tune in during an on air fund drive and what would you do differently?


 


The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
 

March 11, 2018 5:21 pm  #2


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

Muffaraw Joe wrote:

The goal for the week was a lofty one for this listener supported station, they wanted $300,000. At time of this post they have $72,000 to go and today was to be the final day.

Capitalism at work, Sir!  Perhaps, the audience simply isn't there - simple as that.  Or, given the flurry of options out there, people don't want to pay for something they can get elsewhere for free.

Happy Capitalism!  
 

 

March 11, 2018 5:32 pm  #3


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

NPR has shifted the balance more towards corporate underwriting. While these tend to be national in scope, Toronto is big enough and home to enough head-offices that it may work. I say this, of course, having no idea if they're already doing that, or how much if they are. Makes it easier to listen to, and can count as a charity donation for the corporations. 

 

March 13, 2018 5:28 pm  #4


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

@tim.  its a matter of effective control.  a decent idea worth exploring... but licence holders are responsible for content offered on hd or even scmo.  few would agree to such an idea i would think..

Last edited by splunge (March 13, 2018 5:31 pm)

 

March 13, 2018 5:55 pm  #5


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

HD side-channels are part of a major evolution in delivery vehicles currently in mid-stream. Nothing is anywhere near settled yet. Stations would be foolish to surrender their main channels right now - not until it's abundantly clear where things, technically speaking, are headed. Globally speaking, there are competing platforms / standards. North American (IBOC) HD is far from a done deal. Best they can do is stay as current as possible with the various available platforms (including a strong web presence where the sky is the limit in terms of what they can offer over and above their main broadcast channel).

Far as fundraising goes ... there should be (and to some small degree are) efforts all year long. Fund Week should also be made entertaining. It's a low point as currently done - I agree. But it need NOT be a low point, so long as the TALENT resource is engaged and there's team unity and direction. Do your best programming. But, bottom line is it has to be a year-round effort. These stations need one person on staff who carries that responsibility alone; I'd separate that position from even the little bit of advertising that's allowed.

(I spent four years at CIUT doing spoken word programming; and a year or two on the board).


 

 

March 13, 2018 6:07 pm  #6


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

I used to listen to that station for Jazz music being played but in the past two years its turned into a jazz talk station.  There are so many other options now, and donating to a station that literally talks all day and now even worse with this fundraiser is a no-go for me.  

Since they have a strong audience, why cant they do commercials like Classical 96 does?  It would be far much better than them talking so much all day and focus more on the music front.  


 

Last edited by markow202 (March 13, 2018 6:13 pm)

 

March 13, 2018 6:15 pm  #7


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

Tim Brown 2016 wrote:

My suggestion requires leaps of faith on a few fronts, but here goes.

We have a number of AM stations in Toronto with seriously limited coverage. What if CJRT (and CIUT for that matter) were to covert to HD Radio and sell their HD2, HD3 capacity to the AM stations I'm referring to?

CJRT has amazing coverage and CIUT's coverage isn't bad. Even with the diminished coverage of an IBOC stream (verses the primary analogue signal), these HD2 and HD3 signals would easily outperform the AM stations I'm referring to.

Interesting. Though 640/860/740/680/1010/1050 have the ability to get on their own sister FM2s now (and most are to some degree) and it seems those companies are just going through the motions with that.
 

 

March 13, 2018 6:23 pm  #8


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

cGrant wrote:

Perhaps, the audience simply isn't there 

"THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO CONTRIBUTED DURING OUR EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN.YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE ABLE TO RETURN TO OUR AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMMING." 
 It's award winning programming, so surely that means something...


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

March 13, 2018 6:44 pm  #9


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

Radiowiz wrote:

cGrant wrote:

Perhaps, the audience simply isn't there 

"THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO CONTRIBUTED DURING OUR EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN.YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE ABLE TO RETURN TO OUR AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMMING." 
 It's award winning programming, so surely that means something...

Sure. And radio isn't known for hyperbole, exaggeration and rhetoric? That quote was probably written by Jack B., as he's also a script writer, ad exec, brain surgeon, real estate agent. It's strange he had all that time to write that, given his 150% increase in numbers and jammed phone lines.

C'mon, I thought you weren't the gullible type. 

And, BTW, if you ever worked in radio, you'd know EVERY station is #1, EVERY station has the most music, EVERY station has the largest morning show audience, EVERY station has the fewest commercials and EVERY jock is award-winning.  <increadible eye roll here>

 

Last edited by cGrant (March 13, 2018 6:46 pm)

 

March 13, 2018 7:11 pm  #10


Re: There has to be a better way to fund raise

cGrant wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

cGrant wrote:

Perhaps, the audience simply isn't there 

"THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO CONTRIBUTED DURING OUR EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN.YOU ARE THE REASON WE ARE ABLE TO RETURN TO OUR AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMMING." 
 It's award winning programming, so surely that means something...

Sure. And radio isn't known for hyperbole, exaggeration and rhetoric? That quote was probably written by Jack B., as he's also a script writer, ad exec, brain surgeon, real estate agent. It's strange he had all that time to write that, given his 150% increase in numbers and jammed phone lines.

C'mon, I thought you weren't the gullible type. 

And, BTW, if you ever worked in radio, you'd know EVERY station is #1, EVERY station has the most music, EVERY station has the largest morning show audience, EVERY station has the fewest commercials and EVERY jock is award-winning.  <increadible eye roll here>

 

Hahaha this is too true.  Best was Chum Fm used to have a short skit that played between songs when I believe a new music track was about to be played and it would say "on the world famous CHUM FM"

Never heard of CHUM FM when I was in Europe!