Press Releases

November 18, 2002
Public Radio Fund Raising is a Community Effort

WLIU 88.3 FM concludes most successful fund drive ever-with a lot of help from its friends

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

General Manager Wallace Smith announced today the completion of WLIU's most successful fund drive ever. "It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, and likewise, it takes a whole community to keep listener-supported radio vital and thriving," said Smith. "We raised over $65,000, just short of our goal of $70,000, with a significant increase in the total number of pledges and an increase in the number of pledges from new donors," explained Smith.

Over the 9-day drive, community volunteers spent over 125 hours answering phones and taking pledges from their friends and neighbors from Long Island, Connecticut and Manhattan. Some of the more dedicated volunteers, like Ray Butler and Mary Lou Benjamin, both of Southampton Village, racked up over 20 hours each during the 9-day period.

Calls from Connecticut listeners, who hear WLIU from New London to New Haven, matched calls from Long Island two to one. Business organizations in Connecticut showed their support as well, with field trips donated from The Audubon Shop in Madison, CT, and gift certificates for dinner at Anne's Bistro in Old Lyme.

East End businesses did their share also, by providing thank-you gifts for donors, and by keeping the staff and volunteers fueled with food. Fred Winters from Job's Lane Delicatessen provided lunch on three separate days, as did Café Amici in Southampton. Healthful snacks donated by Riverhead's Produce Warehouse, bagels by Hampton Bagels, and pizza from Uncle Joe's Pizzaria in Hampton Bays were some of the services provided by community businesses. Iffi Irsan, assistant manager of Southampton's 7-11 convenience store, did his part by broadcasting the fund drive on his store's radio. "Every weekend, we listen to the jazz on WLIU. We want to keep the jazz going, so now we listen to the fund raising," explained Irsan.

East end writer Steven Gaines donated autographed copies of the anniversary edition of his book on the Beatles, The Love We Make, as did Amagansett author Carl Safina, with his newest best-seller Eye of the Albatross. Both of these thank-you gifts were wildly popular with WLIU listeners, as were other jazz and music-related premiums collected for this purpose, including the station's own compilation CD, "The Best of the Eclectic Café Too," produced by WLIU's program host and music director, Bonnie Grice.

Southampton College students joined the volunteers in answering telephone pledges with four students providing an additional 45 hours of support. Amanda Halsey of Westhampton, Chris Dodge of Old Lyme, CT; Nick Belvedere of Hampton Bays, and Frank Bitonti of East Moriches participated side-by-side with the community volunteers, answering phones and taking pledges.

"WLIU has pledged to serve the communities of Long Island and Connecticut with high-quality public radio programming that speaks to the diversity, intelligence and rich social context of its audience. Unless our listeners are convinced that the product we provide is a good investment, suspending our regular programming for on-air fund raising is fruitless. As evidenced by the success of this fund drive, our listeners and the community have responded with their support of our work with pledges and donations." "This," said Dr. Smith, "is the essence of listener-supported radio."