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As Keziah and I write to you we are planning our upcoming Winter of Our Resolve Pledge Drive that will run from Dec. 2 until Dec. 16th. Before we talk about our path heading into 2025, we wanted to share with you the results of our last Fall Pledge Drive which were encouraging.
Given the results of the national election, the need has never been greater for a vibrant WBAI and Pacifica Radio Network.
While checks and pledges are still coming in, to date our collective efforts brought in almost $61,000. We did not have a stated goal as such because we had to radically alter our fundraising model to comply with the FCC Consent Decree Pacifica signed in April which ended our reliance on premiums and merchandising.
Because this money was pledged with the understanding that the ‘programming is the premium’, the proceeds of our drive goes directly into running the radio station and the Pacifica Radio Network.
We brought in $30,262.25, including all phone/ web pledges, check deposits, $8,500 in foundation support, $1,916.80 via PayPal, a generous $5,000 pledge from Professor Richard Wolff’s Democracy@Work, and $16,000 from five unions.
Specifically, we got $10,000 from the American Federation of Government Employees, $2,500 from Teamsters Local 808, $2,500 from DC 37 Local 983, as well as $500 each from the US Postal Police Officers Association and the Environmental Police Benevolent Association, that represents the men and women who protect New York City’s watershed.
We very much appreciate the fundraising efforts by King Downing, on behalf of his program Nueva York that netted $1,500 and a fundraiser co-sponsored by Dahoud Andre with Haiti: Our Revolution Continues & What's Happening with Sister Betty that brought in $2,492.
We added 42 new WBAI Buddies, listeners who have committed to making a monthly sustaining contribution. Also we saw an uptick in the average WBAI Buddy contribution.
Over the last few months we have continued to pivot to public affairs programming with live broadcasts of Mayoral and City Council press conferences. Dec. 5 we plan on broadcasting LIVE the New York City Council’s debate and final vote on the controversial City of Yes, the most controversial land use policy change in a generation.
We are continuing to work on establishing a nightly Monday through Friday half-hour newscast and our intern program is already up and running.
Mondays we produce We Decide: America at the Crossroads hosted by Jenna Flanagan which highlights labor perspectives and showcases reporting from Pacifica’s sister stations as well as our 200 plus affiliates. Investigative journalist Greg Palast is a regular.
Every Friday at 7 a.m. Marianne Pizzitola, retired FDNY EMT and president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, updates listeners on the battle to save Medicare here in New York City and the rest of the country.
Other new programs include Naturalistic Support hosted by Arnell Dowret focusing on personal growth and relationship building ; Earth Riot Radio hosted by Reverend Billy, Savitri D along with the Stop Shopping tackling corporate greed and the climate apocalypse; Caribbean Voices and Beyond hosted by Charles Isaac Fergusson, a lively mix of Caribbean music, personalities, and culture with a special focus on the expatriate community in the U.S. ; The Abolitionist Show with Frenchie Davis dedicated to uncovering the lies and false histories that perpetuate oppression through dialogue and storytelling.
Please consider becoming a WBAI Buddy today or making a one-time donation by calling our new pledge line at 833-WBAI-NYC or 833-922-4692. If our volunteers are busy with other listeners, please leave a message and someone will return your call. You can also go online to WBAI.org or mail a check or money order to Pacifica (WBAI), 388 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NYC, 11217. The Pacifica Foundation is a tax-exempt,
Now more than ever, headed into the Winter of Our Resolve we need WBAI and the Pacifica Radio Network to endure.
Keziah Glow
Interim Program Director
We Decide: America at the Crossroads
Co-executive Producer
Bob Hennelly
Interim General Manager
We Decide: America at the Crossroads
Co-executive Producer
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