Dear Web Listener,
Way back in the 20th Century, some government people had a tremendous
idea about the new-fangled field of radio: giving ownership of the
airwaves to the people. The government would grant the
licenses, but broadcasters were supposed to treat the airwaves as a
scarce national resource, not as a means to enrich themselves. The
licenses that the government gave out would have no monetary value, in
an effort to forestall the commodification of the airwaves.
Alas, it was not to be. Today, a handful of companies control most of
the radio stations in the country, and the government's broadcast
licenses (still officially "valueless") get bought and sold for
hundreds of millions of dollars.
The government later tried, through National Public Radio, to create a
non-commercial radio service that was immune from market
forces. Earlier, a group of pacifists had formed the Pacifica
Foundation to promote radio that promoted free expression and was
responsive to the local community. Now, as their early days fade into
history, both NPR and Pacifica (great programming
notwithstanding) increasingly play the same ratings game as their
commercial counterparts.
But at WFMU, the experiment in radio freedom is alive and well,
blemishes and all. We still don't take underwriting announcements
(this program brought to you by), or air anything that sounds remotely
like an ad. We allow our DJs - not focus groups, market researchers or
management - to call the programming shots. We don't accept any
funding with strings attached, whether it comes from the government,
foundations or corporations. And we don't interrupt our programming
every few months to ask for money. We keep our on-air appeals to an
absolute minimum and we try to have as much fun with it as the
government allows.
And this year, the fun happens from March 19th to April 1st. WFMU's
annual marathons are the cornerstone of our freedom, and the broader
our support is, the more secure our future will be. Please help to
keep our experiment alive and well by making a contribution to our
2001 campaign.
There are almost as many ways to support FMU as there are programs,
and this website outlines them and the far-too-numerous goodies we've
lined up to entice your pledge. If you can help us out by making a
paid $75 pledge by April 1st, you're entitled to an extra
T-shirt. Folks pledging online will be eligible for dozens of CDs
reserved for web pledges, and we're once again making the very special
DJ cassette and CD premiums available to folks pledging $330 or
more. Click on through for more information, pictures and
schedules. By the way, if you're planning on pledging more than once,
please include your listener number, if you happen to know it.
But the important thing is that we hear from you from March 19th to
April 1st, either by calling us at 800-989-9368, by making a secure
online pledge or by mailing a donation to us. Your donation will keep
WFMU the model of free radio that it has become.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to hear from you during
the 'thon.
Ken Freedman, Station Manager (ken@wfmu.org)
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