Dear Ira,
Recently, my local NPR affiliate, KPBS, held their annual Spring pledge drive. For about a week, the station’s regular programming was preempted by pleas for money and promises of chincy trinkets as a reward for my pledge. Among the solicitors for my money were Alec Baldwin and you, who aired a phone conversation wherein you attempted to shame (in a gentle sort of way) a guy who listened to NPR without pledging. After listening to that conversation and other spots you did to chide listeners who weren’t donating, it occurred to me that not only is your argument ineffective (nobody responds well to being chided), there is a much better way to encourage people to give. In the Internet age, the pledge drive model is out-of-date, and until something is done about it, I will continue to enjoy NPR for free.
Specifically, the issue with the current model is two-fold.
First, if you think of the pledge drive as the proverbial stick, under normal circumstances the application of said stick to the individual should cease once that person acquiesces to your demand. However, under the NPR model, a person who gives money still has to sit through the pledge drive. You have gotten nothing for your money but some stupid tote bag and maybe some small sense of satisfaction for contributing. You still have to endure being chided by NPR personalities despite the fact that you’ve done your part. If you’re going to be on the receiving end of an Ira Glass admonishment regardless of whether or not you give, why bother giving?
Second, what happens if you don’t give? The pledge drive goes on and then the station returns to its normal broadcast schedule. In other words, you continue to receive the NPR goodies you want without paying for them so why bother paying for it? What we have here is a case of dual-deincentivization where NPR stations are actually discouraging listeners to pledge money.
Fortunately, there’s something that can be done about it:
- Reward listeners who pledge not with stupid gifts but with access to a member’s only internet stream of the station’s broadcast without the pledge drive. It would be a simple matter to create two broadcast streams (one with the pledge drive and the other without), and to setup a system whereby a member could log in and access their member-only content. This way, when you donate money, you are rewarded for your generosity and not continually punished by a pledge drive that no longer applies to you.
- Member stations should be more transparent about their quarterly operating costs and display that information online. Most (if not all) NPR affiliates already have the means to accept donations online, but when you donate you have no way of knowing how much money is needed by the station and how it’s being used. Again, it’s a simple matter to display that kind of information in real-time on the affiliate’s donation page, and given the fact that these stations are marketed as community-owned, it makes sense for the community to have some idea of what the financial needs of the station are and how that money is being used.
- 99% of the time, the trinkets given to people who donate are garbage. $50 for some ugly tote bag? A flashlight radio? A ball cap? Fail. Give people things they will actually use and want, or don’t bother. The people who post projects on kickstarter.com generally do a good job of encouraging donations with clever rewards, and there’s no reason why you cats can’t do the same.
I enjoy NPR and would very much like to support your organization. It is for the reasons above that I chose to cancel my WBEZ High Fidelity membership, and until NPR member stations change their pledge-model, I and many others will continue to listen for free.
Sincerely,
David Daedalus
Could not agree more with your sentiments. I had WBEZ tuned in last night during their “mini” pledge drive. Ira Glass with someone who said “Yay” every time someone pledged. It was so annoying I had to turn it off. The trinkets you mention (water bottles and “awesome” t-shirts) that are worthless. I would never give a penny much less become a “High Fidelity” Member. This model is outmoded as you correctly point out and needs to be overhauled dramatically.
My NPR station in the Bay Area already does this and has been for a while. Pledge a certain amount and you get a link to be able to stream a pledge free broadcast. And you are wrong – if everyone thought like you did and hundreds of thousands of people didn’t pledge, NPR would go away. Most of their budget comes from donations.
Hi Scott – thanks for the comment! I’m curious as to how your local affiliate’s pledge numbers have been affected by the change.
I think there is another way to look at this. You stated that ‘if everyone thought like I did and hundreds of thousands of people didn’t pledge, NPR would go away’. That seems true to me – that if the people who currently pledged stopped NPR would have a serious budget problem to contend with. However, that’s the point. I’m voting with my dollars because NPR, like any organization, cares very much about their income and will take swift action to protect their revenue stream. I’m currently dissatisfied with the way NPR and NPR affiliates fund their operations (the ones that don’t do what your Bay Area station apparently does), and will not enable their behavior by helping make their funding endeavors successful. Further, there already are hundreds of thousands of people like me who don’t pledge so NPR is already losing a ton of money. They can do better, and I’m not going to give them any money until they do.
I love NPR, and want to see them succeed. I want to give them donations, and have communicated clearly what my requirements are for that to happen. I don’t think what I’m asking for is unfair or unreasonable, but I’m open to having that discussion and to revising my position if an adequate counter-argument can be made.
Thanks again for commenting – and if anyone out there can get any data as to how the Bay Area affiliate’s funding has been affected by the availability for a pledge-free broadcast please post it here!
The ONLY reason I listen to NPR is Car Talk, Tom & Ray Magliozzi are HILARIOUS!!! I live in Portland, Oregon and the local NPR station KOPB is holding their annual Spring Pledge Drive, I can’t tell you how EXTREMELY INFURIATED I was when I turned on my stereo at 10:00 today which is when Car Talk comes on here, Expecting to hear Click & Clack start off the show by saying, “Support for Car Talk on NPR comes from NPR member stations and-” The names of the organizations like Esurance that contribute to Car Talk, I was ALL SET TO ENJOY Car Talk also!!! Had a nice, big steaming cup of coffee & a breakfast sausage sandwich, I turn on my stereo and what do I hear? One of the guys who DJs at KOPB asking people to contribute and sincerely thanking those who already have, I stomped both of my feet and slammed my fist on my desk I was so disgusted!!!!! I fully realize that pledge drives are necessary for NPR to keep broadcasting shows like Car Talk, But I just wish that KOPB would let listeners know in advance both on the radio and on their website when they’re gonna be having a pledge drive or a couple of pledge drives so I can mark my calendar or make reminder notes that a pledge drive will be taking place that particular week instead of just turning on my stereo at 10 expecting Car Talk and stumbling onto a boring pledge drive!!! I do make small donations from time to time as well.
Pingback: An Open to NPR | The David Daedalus Internet Experience