'These NPR pledge drives are sooooo boring!'
The title quote comes from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Crow T. Robot in episode 402, when Joel and the ‘bots watch The Giant Gila Monster (I think). It is one of the few episodes I still have on tape (I needed to look up the episode number on Wikipedia) and Crow’s quip always comes to mind during NPR pledge drives. Like the one that started late last week…
I like NPR. I listen in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon, using it to complement my daily CRG and frequent visits to the BBC website. I like the national and local staffs, think most of the stories are interesting and engaging, and feel NPR and IPR do a good job of reporting sensibly and soberly. It is obvious that NPR is well aware of a certain contingent of listeners and their political and cultural interests, and I think that flavors the choice of content. (A story about tattooed librarians comes to mind.) But I do think NPR does a good job of remaining objective. Long story short, I think it deserves my support and I donate a little moola once a year to my local member station. (NPR derives most of its funding from the subscription fees it charges member stations, much of which are paid through listener pledge drives.)
But Crow hit the nail on the head: NPR pledge drives can be torturous. Good Lord! Hour after hour after hour of somber, sincere entreaties for support. NPR really knows how to convey puppy dog eyes over AM.
Most of the time I tune it out or turn off the radio, but sometimes it is hard not to listen, not to hear the hosts and reporters plead. Their supplication can be heart-rending or cheaply cheerful. Often I wonder what the studio Kool-Aid has been spiked with. (“It’s the Kool-Aid guy gone mad!”) Today the IPR team celebrated the 1,000 contributors milestone by making their own glass shattering noises. Whoa, I thought. Is this really happening?
It is, of course, all for a good cause in the end. As boring as the pledge drives are, I can endure them three or four weeks a year. I think the results are worth it.
(On a related tangent, I think it would be cool if NPR had something similar to BBC Radio 1. Given the corporate stranglehold of commercial radio, I think it would be refreshing to have an independent source of music.)
I like NPR. I listen in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon, using it to complement my daily CRG and frequent visits to the BBC website. I like the national and local staffs, think most of the stories are interesting and engaging, and feel NPR and IPR do a good job of reporting sensibly and soberly. It is obvious that NPR is well aware of a certain contingent of listeners and their political and cultural interests, and I think that flavors the choice of content. (A story about tattooed librarians comes to mind.) But I do think NPR does a good job of remaining objective. Long story short, I think it deserves my support and I donate a little moola once a year to my local member station. (NPR derives most of its funding from the subscription fees it charges member stations, much of which are paid through listener pledge drives.)
But Crow hit the nail on the head: NPR pledge drives can be torturous. Good Lord! Hour after hour after hour of somber, sincere entreaties for support. NPR really knows how to convey puppy dog eyes over AM.
Most of the time I tune it out or turn off the radio, but sometimes it is hard not to listen, not to hear the hosts and reporters plead. Their supplication can be heart-rending or cheaply cheerful. Often I wonder what the studio Kool-Aid has been spiked with. (“It’s the Kool-Aid guy gone mad!”) Today the IPR team celebrated the 1,000 contributors milestone by making their own glass shattering noises. Whoa, I thought. Is this really happening?
It is, of course, all for a good cause in the end. As boring as the pledge drives are, I can endure them three or four weeks a year. I think the results are worth it.
(On a related tangent, I think it would be cool if NPR had something similar to BBC Radio 1. Given the corporate stranglehold of commercial radio, I think it would be refreshing to have an independent source of music.)
