Oregon Media Insiders

Come on, John...we're being held hostage here...I e-mailed in my hundred bucks five days ago but the filibuster goes on. It'd be more if I weren't so irritated. I'm getting my NPR via podcast right now, and believe me, it's addictive. And now I'm bracing for the followup guilt letters--not to mention the environmentally-wasteful direct advertising from otherwise worthy nonprofits to whom my name, and others in the OPB member data base, are apparently being sold.

Like Lynn, I don't know what the answer is, I just believe there's got to be a better way than holding your breath till you turn blue. Maybe I'd feel better if you rounded up a blue-ribbon commission of dedicated listeners with some expertise in business and fundraising and did a no-nonsense hard look at it, examining best practices among your peers, identifying options, gathering public input--then airing it all out on OPB.org. So at least we know it's the best and only way.

I wonder about expenses; is the program roster due for a low-ride-out shakeout? Maybe Car Talk and PHC have jumped the shark (I myself don't think so, but what do the numbers say?). Are we subsidizing Macadam real estate? Are people tuning in for your local program and news efforts, or are you a translater for NPR? Can local programming pay for itself by being syndicated via APM or whatever and become revenue generators?

I wonder if us radio listeners are subsidizing TV, or vice versa. I'm curious how Minnesota does it--the auction idea that someone mentioned seems interesting. A friend says Montana does it that way, and it's a statewide event everyone looks forward to. I wonder if you're getting enough for your underwriting messages; five second slogans like you-coulda-had-a V8 are irksome, but not like Oregon Held Hostage, here.

Lynn, thanks for starting this. Pledge week has become the elephant in the NPR room.