13/09/2024
I know it seems like I talk about KFAI all the time - and I DO try to post a link to my Saturday show every Monday just to remind you it's going on (although I suspect Zuck hardly ever shows THOSE to you) - but it's really only two or three times a year that I throw you the hard sell and ask if you can check your sofa cushions for some spare change to throw in our tip jar to help keep everything running and paid for over at the station.
I've been an active volunteer for Fresh Air Radio since 2016, a certified engineer and on-call substitute host since 2018, Dollar Bin has been online since 2019, broadcasting on Saturdays since 2020 and a member of the Board of Directors since 2021, ALL of it an enormous privilege and pleasure to represent the best radio station in Minneapolis/St Paul and probably the entire universe.
Way more important than listening to me spin vinyl for an hour every Tuesday or subject you to new music for a couple hours every Saturday (but only when I don't get enough requests!) is the broad spectrum and variety of programming available from Fresh Air - since 1978, we've tried to share our platform with the unheard and the underserved, folks you often wouldn't otherwise hear from in our "mass" media, with the most diverse collection of cultures and languages represented by hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of hours of programming on Fresh Air Community Radio, our second stream and HD2 channel Fresh Air 2, our extensive programming archives on Mixcloud, our network of podcasts available via our website and Soundcloud and probably even more cool stuff I'm forgetting or haven't even learned about yet.
But the reality is all this stuff costs money to keep up - money for the physical location at the corner of Cedar and Riverside, money to keep the transmitter atop the IDS transmitting, money for the servers and clouds hosting our content, making the streams possible and keeping it available on YOUR schedule.
We're doing all right with grants and underwriting (hey, doesn't your business wanna underwrite my show? Let's talk) but the most important part of our support comes from you - in effect, you're giving us the feedback that your vision aligns with ours, you appreciate what we're doing, and you will cheerfully open up your coin purses and speak with your wallets. Or something like that.
As always, I will try to sweeten the deal by adding $5 of my own to every $5 or greater donation that comes in tied to me (mention a show or just CRZ in the text box) and we also have another new crop of lovely shirts and tote bags at hopefully affordable levels (20/30/60/90 or 200 for one of everything). I'll also send a signed photo of me you did not ask for and don't want but tradition is tradition and if you have no children of your own, I'm told they look great on your refrigerator.
Although encouraged to start a Facebook fundraiser, I think it's actually way better to hit up our website and make your donation there - of course, you can call 612.375.9030 if you want to take care of it over the phone. (Who knows, you may end up with yours truly answering that phone!) But if you're comfortable giving your information to Zuck instead, I'm sure not gonna turn away your donation to THIS fundraiser!
Because I'm a day late, a couple of you have already come through - thanks to James and Steve!
This drive's goal is $60,000. As a stretch goal, I'd love to be responsible for $3,000 of that. I think that means I need to talk 100 people into averaging $25 although that puts me on the hook for $500 so maybe I'll rethink my math.
Even if you can't donate financially, consider volunteering your precious time! There are many opportunities to help out - let me know if you're interested and I can tell you what's available and connect you with our coordinators if I haven't scared you off after that. I'm personally around and manning the pledge phone Monday through Friday starting at an unspecified time during the AM Drive (because it's unlikely I'm there right AT 6am) - give me a call or come on by the station! Last day will be Wednesday, 9/25.
