The Better Mouse Trap (And Pledge Drive)

Wrong Kind of Mouse

For nearly as long as they've been trying to invent a better-mouse trap; they've also been trying to invent a better pledge drive.

This past weekend I stumbled across a story on CNET about public radio and pledge drives. And that's something we spend a lot of time having meetings about at KSER.

And when you start reading about pledge drives there's often a lot of misinformation.

For example, the CNET story started off this way:  "For anyone who listens to public radio, there may be no greater annoyance than the semi-regular pledge drives that seem to go on for weeks and constantly interrupt your favorite programs."

That's might be a well-written, attention-grabbing sentence to start an article, but I'd have to label it fiction, not fact.

Surely if you listen to KSER or any other public or community radio station there has to be something in your life more annoying that a pledge drive. If not, then you're living the good life. And if a station like KSER does 4 pledge drives in a year, can that be considered semi-regular?

The last KSER pledge drive lasted 7 days. Some last 10. I don't think any have ever gone on longer than that. Now, maybe that might seem like 'weeks' to some people, but not to me. (Although I did spend 4 days with the in-laws once that seemed like weeks.)

And 'constantly' interrupting your favorite programs?  I guess compared to how seldom KSER programs are ever interrupted, maybe 4 or 5 three-minute pledge breaks per hour might seem like constant.  But, compare that to commercial stations that frequently broadcast 5 or 6 straight minutes of commercials in 4 or 5 commercial breaks every single hour day and night!

I can't speak for other public stations, but here are a few facts about pledge drives and KSER.  In a normal year we conduct four pledge drives lasting anywhere from 7 to 10 days each. During the time we are doing pledge drives, we still provide all of our normal programming. We slightly shorten some segments, but we do not eliminate or preempt any of our shows.  Each 'pledge break' lasts about 3 or 4 minutes and we normally do about 4 per hour.

Now, I will admit that off the air we spend a lot more time than that talking about and planning for pledge drives. And, believe it or not,  we spend most of that time trying to figure out ways to make the whole experience better for you! 

Many public radio stations have tried a lot of different approaches to pledge drives. There was the so-called 'silent' pledge drive where they just ran a few promos. They weren't exactly silent, but they also didn't exactly work.  Some have tried being more serious, some more funny.  Some stations give away tote-bags and ipads and umbrellas. But that's just another thing they have to spend money on.  Your money.

One public radio station in San Francisco recently launched a new system allowing listeners who contribute, to never have to hear a pledge break again. How?  Contributors are given a pass code and can listen to a special separate 'feed' of the station's audio online or on smartphones without the pledge breaks.  As far as I can tell, the station is not talking about how many thousands of dollars they spent to develop the system or how much they spend to provide the pledge-free audio feed. Maybe it's a good idea, but if you're going to be kind enough to contribute to KSER, I don't want to see us spending your money...thousands of dollars...on a technical system we'd use 4 weeks a year. I'd rather make sure you keep getting the programming you want 52 weeks a year.

But that is where you can help. Sure, we rely on you for financial support. But we also count on you for feedback, advice, direction and even content.  We get feedback all the time from our listeners about much of our programming, especially the music shows.  People are frequently telling us what we could differently or better....or, believe it or not, some things they don't like!

You know those people who are always trying to invent the better mouse trap?  Some people are always trying do the same with radio pledge drives. Maybe that will be you. So, if you have a suggestion or a good idea (heck, even a bad idea) let us know.

An awful lot of the best programming on KSER comes from people who used to be just listeners. Listeners who became volunteer DJ's or volunteer contributors to our news and public affairs shows. So maybe one of our listeners...maybe you...will invent the better pledge drive.

If you come up with something great, we'll be having a lot fewer meetings!