KPR wraps up fall membership drive with $244,000 in pledges

LAWRENCE — Kansas Public Radio’s fall membership drive came up just short of its goal.

After nine days of on-air fund raising, KPR ended its fall membership drive with $242,262 in pledges. At 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, KPR wrapped up Fall Fanfare with pledges from 2,013 listener-members. However, that was short of the $250,000 goal. 

The membership drive began Tuesday, Oct. 8, with more than $92,000 raised through a direct-mail campaign. Eight fundraising days later, more than $150,000 was raised on-air by pledges from new and renewing members. 

“Our members helped us raise a great deal of money, but we fell achingly short of the goal we set for the fall membership drive,” KPR Development Director Sheri Hamilton said. “More than 2,000 listeners helped fund the station. We couldn’t produce the high-quality shows that we do without their direct financial support.” 

All donations during spring and fall membership drives directly support KPR’s local and national programming. 

The overall pledge total does not include challenge grants, in which a company or individual will donate money if KPR can raise a certain level of funding during a specific time period. An additional $36,000 was raised through challenge grants. 

In each hour, KPR interrupts programming for about 10-15 minutes to ask for donations. Regular programming resumes for the rest of the hour. The membership drive featured “Super Tuesday” on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when an entire day’s fundraising was compressed into 90 minutes. That raised more than $30,000. 

Listeners can donate anytime at the KPR website.

One hundred and twenty-five volunteers answered phones from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. during the drive. Area restaurants donated meals and beverages for volunteers’ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

KPR, a 15-time Kansas Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year, licensed to the University of Kansas, broadcasts on 91.5 FM in Lawrence, 89.7 FM in Emporia, 91.3 FM in Olsburg-Junction City, 89.9 FM in Atchison, 90.3 FM in Chanute, and 99.5 FM and 97.9 FM in Manhattan. KPR can be heard online. KPR also operates KPR2, a news-talk programming stream, which can be heard on an HD receiver or on KPR’s website.