KU News Release

LAWRENCE — After more than seven days of on-air fundraising, Kansas Public Radio ended its fall membership drive with more than $227,000 in pledges.

At 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, pledges from KPR listener-members pushed total donations past $227,000. The membership drive missed its overall goal of $240,000, the most ambitious goal KPR has ever set for a fund drive.

The membership drive began Friday, Oct. 16, with more than $104,000 raised through a direct-mail campaign. Eight days later, more than $122,000 was raised through on-air appeals to new and renewing members.

“This was a ‘good news, bad news’ drive,” KPR Development Director Sheri Hamilton said. “On one hand, we missed our overall goal by about 7 percent. On the other hand, we raised more than $227,000. Over the next few weeks, we’ll decide on strategies to make up for the funding deficit so that KPR programming, staffing and outreach isn’t cut.”

The first day of the drive featured a “Power Breakfast,” when an entire day’s fundraising was compressed into just 90 minutes. That raised more than $24,000. In an effort to give listeners more programming and less fundraising, KPR has trimmed on-air fundraising from 99 hours in the fall of 2006 to only 85 1/2 hours this fall. In each hour, KPR interrupts programming for about 10 to 15 minutes to ask for donations. Regular programming resumes for the rest of the time.

All donations during spring and fall membership drives directly support programming services.

After the numbers were tallied, more than 2,100 listeners had pledged through direct mail, on-air appeals or at KPR’s Web site. The overall total does not include challenge grants, in which a company or individual will donate money if KPR can raise a certain level of funding during a show. More than $23,000 was raised through challenge grants.

More than 100 volunteers answered phones from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. during the drive. Area restaurants donated meals and beverages for volunteers’ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

KPR, licensed to the University of Kansas, broadcasts on KANU 91.5 FM in Lawrence, KANH 89.7 FM in Emporia, KANV 91.3 FM in Olsburg-Junction City, K210CR 89.9 FM in Atchison, and K258BT 99.5 FM and K252EV 98.3 FM in Manhattan. KPR can be heard on the Internet at kpr.ku.edu. KPR also operates KPR2, a news-talk channel on HD Radio. Those broadcasts can be heard on a high-definition receiver or on KPR’s Web site.