New Year's Classical Resolutions

The start of a new year always seems to present an opportunity to improve oneself. If you're reading this post, then chances are you:
1) Listen regularly to WTJU's classical programming
2) Know how to use a computer

If you'd like to enjoy classical music more in 2013, both of those skills will come in handy.

Resolution 1: Listen to more classical music on WTJU
 - We don't air classical music all day long, but you don't have to remember the schedule to know when to tune in. All of our programs are recorded and stored online, ready for you to replay at your convenience. Go to our tape vault (under the Streaming tab), and select the show you want to hear. You can even pre-sort by genre, so only classical programs display on the list.

So if you're a late riser, you can still enjoy all three hours of Dawn's Early Light. Just go to the tape vault on our website and press play to listen through your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Resolution 2: Learn more about classical music
 - There are quite a few on- and off-line resources, but two of the easiest to use are also the most popular (and confidentially they're the ones we use quite a bit, too) -- Wikipedia and YouTube.

While Wikipedia can have accuracy issues, its entries about classical composers, famous works, and style periods are generally pretty accurate (although somewhat abbreviated on more obscure composers). And if the Wiki entry doesn't have the info you want, the websites cited at the bottom of the article usually will.

YouTube is more than just funny videos about cats in bags and dogs on skateboards. A surprising amount of classical music is available on the site, a good deal of it in good quality audio. Perhaps you're curious about the symphonic music of Joachim Raff. A quick search on YouTube will pull up several of his symphonies, concertos and chamber works. All available for you to listen to for free (like Raff's 3rd Symphony, below).


Resolution 3: Be a better member of the WTJU listener community
 - OK, I'm pretty sure no one will actually make such a resolution, but they should. WTJU is here to serve its listeners, but can only do so with support from said listeners. You don't have to wait for a fund drive to pledge your support to the station -- you can do it anytime 24/7 on our website.

So when you go access the most recent episode of A Time For Singing or Classical Cafe to play back, why not make a side trip via the Donate Now button?

Our resolution is to continue to improve the quality of the service we provide you, and improve the quality of the classical music we present.

Here's to a wonderful new year to us all.

Enlightened Self-Interest

Next week we begin the WTJU Classical Marathon, "A Musical Offering." We'll be celebrating classical music in all its diversity, but more importantly, we'll be asking our listeners to pledge their financial support to WTJU.

A public radio station fund-raising is nothing new -- and neither is the challenge. After all, we're trying to persuade someone to pay for something they get for free. It's difficult, but in a way, it shouldn't be. Because what it all comes down to is enlightened self-interest.

Here's what I mean:

Q: Should you pledge to WTJU because it's a wonderful, unique station?

A: No.

Q: Should you pledge to WTJU because you love its wonderful, unique programming?

A: You bet!

Q: Should you pledge to WTJU so that others can enjoy its remarkably wide range of music and public affairs programming?

A: No. 

Q: Should you pledge to WTJU because you enjoy its remarkably wide range of music and public affairs programming?

A: You'd better, if you want it to continue.

See, our fund drive (or any public radio/TV fund drive for that matter), is really all about you, the listener. Unfortunately, public broadcasting isn't fully funded from government or business resources. So every broadcaster -- WTJU included -- has to rely on direct financial support from its listeners.

Over half of our operating budget has to be raised directly from our listeners. So your decision to pledge -- or not to pledge -- is critical. Especially if you consider that only about 10% of a public broadcaster's audience actually pledge (according to some studies). 

If every single person who listened to WTJU pledged $50, we would be fully funded for the entire year. And then the Classical Marathon could just be about the music. But with only 10% participation, the reality is quite different.

Your pledge counts. And because (statistically) you'll be in the minority, your pledge counts even more.

But don't feel obliged to pledge just to make up for the 90% who won't. Your pledge benefits the station, but it also benefits you.

Your pledge ensures that the transmitter will stay in good repair, that we'll be able to continue to offer the services you expect, and even expand on those services. 

And why is that important? Because it makes a better listening experience for you.

We might talk a lot about the radio station this next week as we try to persuade some of that 90% to come on over. But really, this fund drive is all about you.

So please do the right thing -- for yourself. Consider your pledge a form of enlightened self-interest.

(And you don't even have to do it during the marathon. You can pledge online anytime 24/7)

Calling all listeners (to take the call)

The WTJU Classical Music Fund-Raising Marathon is almost upon us, and we need your help. In order for our announcers to really do their best on the air, we need one or more volunteers to staff our phone banks and take those pledges.

It's actually a pretty simple process. Most of the entry-taking is done for you on the computer. If your reading this blog post, you probably have all the technical skill you need to staff our phones.

And sign-up is easy, too. Just follow this link to go to the WTJU website and start the process.

There are many ways you can help your favorite radio station. A generous financial contribution is one way, but it's not the only way. Telling everyone you know about WTJU is a great way to help us build our audience and our pool of supporters. And remember: they don't have to live nearby -- online listeners from around the world can also contribute.

And a donation of your time by volunteering for our phone banks is another great way to support WTJU.

WTJU is your community radio station. Why not take a more active role in it?

Where's the classical? Well, where's the pledge?

"Where's the classical music?" That's the question that listeners often ask WTJU announcers (and perhaps each other) this time of year. It's gone -- but only temporarily. WTJU features four genres of music in its weekly line-up: classical, jazz, rock, and folk/world music.

Being a community radio station, we're expected to raise the funds to cover approximately half our operating budget from our listeners, which means we hold two fund drives each year. In the fall, the classical and jazz departments take over the station, giving our volunteer announcers to create all kinds of special programs to celebrate these two genres in all their diversity.

In the spring, the rock and folk departments get their turn, and do the same thing. If you've tuned in recently expecting to hear classical music and heard something else, that's the reason. Don't worry -- everything goes back to normal soon. But there's a few things we hope you do during the Spring Rock and Folk Fund-Raising Marathon.

1) If you tune in, stick around. Our rock and folk volunteer DJs are just as knowledgeable about the music they play as our classical and jazz announcers. You can expect top quality programming that really digs into the repertoire regardless of when you tune in. And you might be surprised at what you discover.

2) Whether you stay tuned or not, make a pledge. This station, like many other non-commercial stations, depends on listener support. And the more budgets are tightened from other funding sources (including underwriting), the more important your pledge becomes.

So take a moment and give that person on the air a call. 434-924-3959 is the number, and make a pledge to support your favorite radio station. And don't think in terms of tip-jar amounts, either! Our expenses may be small compared to other stations, but they're not non-existent. If every one of our listeners called in with a $100 pledge, the fund-raising part of the drive would be over before it started (although we'd still do all the great special programs we planned, anyway).

And remember you can also pledge (and listen) online. WTJU.net is the address, and Donate Now the button to click.

Regardless of what your favorite type of music is, please consider pledging. Because your $100 (or larger) contribution helps keep WTJU on the air. So that when this fund drive is over, you can turn on the radio and hear the music you love -- instead of static.

State of Classical Radio - WTJU style

In an intriguing interview, "Ten Questions for a Critic: The State of Classical Music," Tom Huizenge chatted with Washington Post classical music critic Anne Midgette. The questions ranged from the future of live performance to the situation of composers today.

Talking about classical music on the radio, Midgette observed:

I hear an awful lot about classical radio and people's frustration with it. And people's frustration with the conventionality of the programming.[emphasis mine] That real classical music lovers are frustrated with having to listen to the real meat and potatoes, the same symphonies over and over again. And yet classical radio stations say that in order to get the donations that we need to survive, this is what we need to play.

And that's the dilemma many stations face. Adventuresome programming, or the same old same old that brings in the pledge dollars.

We've always kept it adventuresome here at WTJU, as even a cursory glance at our schedule will reveal. We feature a complete opera every Sunday, we have dedicated programs for early music, vocal music, and even organ music.

Most of our announcers started off as listeners, and, I think, the kind of listeners Midgette talked about.

We've chosen to explore classical music in all its diversity and not just play the same old same old. We think it's worthwhile, but do you?

Because the other part of what Midgette points out is true as well. When you stray beyond the confines of classical Muzak, you start to lose mass appeal -- and potential donors.

So if you're someone looking for something more than just the "meat and potatoes" kind of classical programming, welcome to the sonic smorgasbord that is WTJU.

And if you're already partaking of the buffet, then let me ask: have you made your donation to support WTJU? We're not at the point where WTJU needs to choose between playing real classical music and starving, or playing classical pops and thriving -- and your donation ensures it stays that way.

Marathons and Traditions

I'm writing this on the eve of our fall fund-raising marathon. If you're not familiar with WTJU's history, the term "marathon" might not mean much. But it's a long-standing tradition at this 50-year old station.

For many years, regardless of what was regularly scheduled, WTJU would play classical music non-stop the first week in December. That was the week before mid-terms, and the station did so as a study aid.

Over time, the all-classical week (or marathon) took on a life of its own, and eventually became independent of the scholastic year. The other music departments at WTJU (folk, jazz, and rock) wanted marathons of their own, and so four times a year a different department would mount its own music marathon.

Eventually the marathons, being special events, morphed into fund drives. In an effort to make things a little less chaotic for the listeners (and easier for the volunteer announcers -- these marthons are incredibly labor-intensive undertakings) the classical and jazz marathons were consolidated into a single fall event, and the folk and rock marathons into a single spring fund-raiser.

So if, next week, you tune in and hear classical or jazz music when you've not heard it before, don't panic. We're just carrying on a long-standing tradition. And you can help by calling in your pledge to support WTJU.

I like to think a nice $100 pledge would be a good way to further the tradition.

Marathons, Music, and Money

It's about that time of year again. Non-commercial radio stations all across the country are coming to their listeners, had in hand, to ask for their financial support.

We've all heard the pitches, and I suspect we've all ignored them (I know I did for years). But here's the thing. It's not an exaggeration when stations say they can't survive without direct listener contributions. Unlike other countries, which fund their public broadcasters, America's official stance is sink or swim.

And that's certainly the case here at WTJU. Our fall fund-raising marathon is coming up on October 23, and we will be looking to you, gentle listener, for a financial contribution.

I understand there's a perception that WTJU really doesn't need the money. After all, isn't it owned by the University of Virginia? (They do hold the license) Don't they pay for everything? (Partially. About half of the station's operating costs are covered by UVa). Don't public radio stations get huge government handouts? (Hardly. Our share of money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is only a few thousand dollars) What about all those underwriting announcements WTJU airs? Doesn't that pay the bills? (Partially, but we'd have to do pretty much non-stop underwriting announcements occasionally interrupted by a song or two to cover everything)

So it comes back to you, the listener. About half of our operating budget has to be raised from the community. A small part is covered by community-minded businesses through underwriting, but the bulk of it rests with you.

Will you call in with a pledge this time? Or go to our website and do so?

Ask yourself how important WTJU is to you, and pledge accordingly. Personally, I'm looking for a lot of big boy and big girl pledges this time around -- $100 and higher.

For the quality of music we provide day in and day out, I don't think that's unreasonable.

And here's something to consider: if every single listener pledged $100 this fund drive would be over before it started -- and so would the next one. But not everyone will pledge.

What about you? Will you help keep WTJU going?

- Ralph

The Painless Fund Drive

As I've done for the past decade, I attended the Public Radio Marketing and Development Conference. I go as an exhibitor for our business, DCI, which works with public radio stations across the country. But I also sit in on as many sessions as possible as a representative of WTJU, trying to get ideas on how we can fund-raise more effectively.

Don't kid yourself -- the University of Virginia holds our license, provides us with a space, and pays the salaries of the paid staff. But it doesn't cover all of the expenses of running a radio station. And anyone who tells you it does is simply misinformed.

About half of our operating budget has to be raised from the community. Because money comes from different sources that vary, I don't have an exact figure, but it's somewhere around $56,000 we still need to raise this year. Some of it comes in through underwriting, but it's our listenership that has provide the bulk of that shortfall.

Our marathons are a lot of fun, and eagerly anticipated events, but as fundraisers go, their not always completely successful.

So what's the solution? Well, it's sitting in the lower left hand corner of our website. There's a "Donate Now!" button you can click and go straight to our secure server. Make an online donation, and you'll have done your part to support your favorite radio station.

Here's the thing: research has shown the public radio audience is moving increasingly online -- for listening, and for pledging. So if you're listening to us online from somewhere outside the Charlottesville area, donating online makes a lot of sense.

But it also makes sense if you're within our terrestrial coverage area. Because it's something you can do when you want to, any time of day.

We'll have our fall fundraiser coming up in a few months, and phone lines will be open, but you don't have to wait until then. Contribute now, and you can just enjoy the programming.

And here's a concept that was front and center at the conference: What if enough listeners contributed online to meet our fundraising goal before the marathon started?

I'm thinking it would mean we would have 10 glorious days of special programming with no on-air fundraising pitches. If we had 500 listeners donate $100 before October 1, the fund drive would be over before it began.

What's that worth to you? Enough to make you one of the 500?

I hope so. And I hope 499 others think the same way!

- Ralph