More than half of Boise State Public Radio’s annual revenue comes from listener donations. That’s why periodic pledge drives are so critical to maintaining, and strengthening, Boise State Public Radio throughout southern and central Idaho.
During our spring membership drive that wrapped up April 15, we heard from 1,500 people and raised more than $180,000. That’s huge. In just six days, Boise State Public Radio listeners contributed almost 15 percent of our annual membership goal. What’s more, our membership base has grown to more than 10,000 households, that’s an increase of 10 percent in the last five years.
Membership manager Eric Jones says it’s critical for Boise State Public Radio to continue to grow the number of listeners who support the station in order to pay for the news and classical music programming that airs 24 hours a day over two separate channels.
“We have a phenomenal listenership,” Jones says. “We greatly exceed the normal station in terms of the number of members we’re able to attract, and the total dollars we are able to raise from the community. That allows us to have a much more vibrant news team for a station of our size. It also allows us to support multiple program services that most stations cannot.”
As state and federal appropriations for public broadcasting continue to shrink, it’s crucial that Boise State Public Radio grow its base of listener contributors.
Boise State Public Radio General Manager John Hess says the spring pledge drive was a huge success. “Thanks to the generous support of our KBSX and KBSU listeners, we can continue to provide outstanding news and unique cultural programming to our listeners across Idaho.”
If you didn't get a chance to pledge your support during the on-air drive, you can still contribute here.
