I Listen to Pledge

Maybe I should Stop

I admit it. I'm an armchair program director. Others who have held that position in the past admit to the same malaise. I listen and I can't help myself. Maybe it is because it seems like content directors (PD's) in the public radio system seem to want to keep learning the same lessons we (the old timers) did long ago.  There I was listening and analyzing the pitching and the content.

Three Minutes...Three Mistakes

Pledge has been raging on for over a week. Maybe I'm just cranky. Today I listened to the talent acknowledge a pledge from a regular guest on the show that was being pledged. She said the gauntlet was down for other guest talent of this show's regular segment to pledge. What's wrong with that? She just let the other 12,000 listeners off the hook. She pitched exclusively to a half-dozen people. Since radio is a companion...personal...the best pitch appeals to the individual, not to groups or to insiders.

Then I heard the other talent talk about what a commitment the station was making with three local productions daily. The station invests heavily in local production. That was it. Is the pitch self-evident? No! She needed to answer why. Why is it important to be local? What is the benefit to the listener? How is the station better serving the audience with local productions? I never found out. It is important to understand that local for the sake of being local is not important to the listener. It is the quality of the content and whether or not that content meets the listener's expectations.

Wasted Promotions

After the pledge break, the station promoted a one hour program airing on Sunday night. It was Monday afternoon. I can't for the life of me remember what was being promoted, but that is the point. The most effective promotional strategy is forward promotion/vertical promotion/horizontal promotion.  Forward promotion is for content coming up in the next 20 minutes. It encourages time spent listening. It should be been placed just before the break. Vertical promotion is something that is focused on content coming up later in the day. This was in midday so, perhaps, a promotion for All Things Considered would have been best. Horizontal promotion is for programming content in the same day-part in the next day. Vertical and horizontal promotions create more occasions. At the very least, promotions are most effective if they inform the listeners of something happening on the air within the next 24 to 36 hours.  The promotion aired by the station used a diagonal strategy...and this is considered the least effective of all the promotional strategies. This particular station does this a lot.

It's Radio - Not Rocket Science

I feel fortunate. I learned these strategies by listening to those already in the system. I participated with others in what it takes to gain and maintain and audience through PRPD ARA (Audience Resource Analysis), Walrus Research, RRC, Station Resource Group, and other people and organizations.  The information is out there. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Ask.

To Paraphrase, Old PD's never die, they keep looking for opportunities to increase occasions and duration. Even during pledge.

It's basic radio - Think Audience

Delmarva friends radio group submits proposal

Delmarva friends radio group submits proposal

The friends group contends the stations are in the state their in because of mismanagement. The Friends of Delmarva Public Radio, Inc. also say the proposal from  the consultant, Public Radio Capital (PRC), would culturally diminish Delmarva. PRC recommended the stations become mostly automated. WSCL would become a classical service with programming provided by an outside service. WSDL would become a AAA service with programming provided by an outside service. The Friends hope to preserve the current services according to an article in The Cape Gazette.

Two major obstacles stand in the way. They are facilities and funding. DPR's facilities are being demolished to make way for a new library at Salisbury University. The Salisbury University Foundation has made it clear they no longer can afford to fund Delmarva Public Radio's deficit.

If the friend's can get a reprieve and find new facilities, they need to find a way to grow the audience, increase listener support, increase foundation support, and increase corporate support. They'll also need to look for ways to decrease expenses. These things don't happen overnight.

What could be done?

• Seek help with your fundraising and your goals and objectives. The Station Resource Group and The Development Exchange have resources to help stations.
• Be Brilliant on the Basics. Check out the article by Deb Blakeley and Israel Smith.  How far from the basics is the local content?
• Focus - Do a few things well.
• Look for alliances to increase the quality of local content. Start with other public media outlets.
• Could Delmarva Public Radio find ways to work with their competition without being consumed?
• NPR's flagship programs are expensive. Alternate information programming is available through the networks and independent content providers. The Public Radio Exchange is a good place to start.
• The two stations can still have local content under the PRC proposal. There is room for local programming within the two services being proposed.

Preparing for the Pitch

I've volunteered to help my local public radio station during their current membership campaign. It's a station I used to manage.

Because I was not a part of the pre-drive preparations, I'm spending a little time preparing. I did some listening to get a sense of what they are focusing on during this drive. It is time well spent. I want to be as engaging and and efficient with my time on-air as possible.

The pitch that's easiest for me is the close. I can recite funding facts. I'm also am pretty good with ease of pledging. I can also talk about how listeners can select their own level while suggesting one for them. Notice that I did not include premiums. Those help establish a level and may help trigger the pledge.

It's the case...the reminder of what public radio offers that is so unique and valuable...that takes a lot more thought. The case is more about why listeners have come to value public radio.

One place I start is the Core Values of Public Radio. That's where I can find bullet points about the value of the service. The Vocabulary of Qualities is my starting point. There's a lot more about the core values of public radio at the PRPD site, Station Resource Group, Walrus Research and the Development Exchange.

Public Radio's content is what drives listening and listener loyalty. Listener loyalty is what drives membership.

Qualities of Mind/Intellect
Love of lifelong learning
Substance
Expand understanding
Connect with the world
On the lookout for unique/excellent content
Curiosity: Asking why not just what
Trust, Credibility, Accuracy, Honesty
Non-manipulative
Non-sensational/No hype
Respect for listener
Purpose
Qualities of the Heart/Spirit
Humor
Idealism
Inspired about public life
Civility/Civil Discourse
Content holds center stage
Guest is the star
Qualities of Craft/Use of the Medium
Uniquely human voice
Conversational
Authentic
Intimate
Deliberate/thoughtful pace
Attention to detail

Maine public broadcasting cuts remain likely

Sen. says Maine public broadcasting cuts remain likely | SeacoastOnline.com

The move will eliminate state funding for public broadcasting in Maine. It is easy to say listeners and viewers will need to take up the slack. Some stations are better prepared to take a 20 percent cut than others.

A solid member base of support begins with the programming. Audience 98 outlined this concept with Fundamentals In Brief.

"But the most powerful force affecting giving is not in their control. Programming not only causes audience, it also causes audience support. Fundraising is always about programming. That’s the indisputable fact of 15 years of research, reconfirmed by AUDIENCE 98^®."

• Giving is the product of two programming factors (the value listeners place on the programming and the amount of listening done to it) and one development factor (the efficiency with which fundraising efforts turn this into financial support).
• Effective fundraising activities can raise giving and gift amounts above public service predictions.
• Fundraising practices can lower giving and gift amounts below public service predictions when they attenuate or otherwise interfere with public radio’s service to listeners.

There are many other factors. One is that size matters. The size of the audience and the size of the core audience (P1 listeners) determines the ability of the station to raise enough funds to become self-sustaining. External factors like market size are important too.

For three decades I was involved in public broadcasting through a variety of positions at Public Radio Stations and in Public Media. Much of my experience centered on fundraising and donor relations.  During my tenure as Program Director and Station Manager we built audience and support through programming appealing to core values of the public radio audience. We had about 200,000 listeners with about 85,000 in the core. Through our services we were able to build and sustain relationships resulting in significant support. Basically what we accomplished was the development and creation of content meeting the needs of our clients (listeners). The content fit in with their lifestyle and beliefs. The public radio audience was mainly made up from two VALS types, innovators and Thinkers. We deliberately targeted them. We fashioned messages reminding them of the value of the programming. A guiding principle was community service resulted in community support. 


These two highly educated groups take up the mantle of social responsibility and are motivated to support causes for the greater good. These are individuals who believe in the value of continuing education and believed public radio was fulfilling that need. By focusing our programming and our messaging towards these two groups, we became self-sustaining.

(It should be noted that this is not a model embraced by Public Television.)


There are many more factors that go into good fundraising. The Development Exchange is a great resource. So is the Station Resource Group. But, it all begins with programming.