WETS-FM began its annual fall fundraising drive on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The fundraising drive was to last until the station reached its goal of $200,000.
As stated in an ETSU news bureau report, the station did that and more, by raising $212,167. And this 106 percent fundraising effort was done in record time by raising this amount just seven days after beginning the drive. The fundraiser ended on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 22. All this was done without engaging in any fundraiser on Sunday, and only spending 49 hours of the entire week in on-air fundraising.
This fall’s fundraising goal was $25,000 more than the spring fundraiser for multiple reasons, mainly to cover the cost of an Aug. 2 lightning strike on the WETS station.
“Lighting is not very friendly to radio stations, especially to the computers that manage just about every system in the building,” said Director of WETS-FM Wayne Winkler.
WETS had to spend over $15,000 to replace damaged equipment, and to go along with that, they are still fixing new problems arising with the computer system.
The other reasons for the increase in the fundraising goal are to cover the costs of inflation and higher budget costs in these economic hard times.
Winkler noted a big misconception that all public radio or broadcasting is paid for solely by the federal government as he states, “That is our biggest problem – the idea that federal funding pays for public broadcasting.” Though the 1967 Congressional creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) allowed for the creation of WETS in 1974 with start-up money and continues to give a yearly Community Service Grant to WETS, the funding received only makes up about 8 percent of WETS’s annual budget. Winkler also said that, “Actually, the federal share of our funding comes out to only $1.53 per person per year – not enough to download two songs from iTunes!”
In total, WETS relies on listener support for 52 percent of its operating support.
The radio programming that one hears on WETS had to be purchased from their sources. National Public Radio (NPR) will be paid $120,000. So for those who enjoy programs such as All Things Considered and Democracy Now. The station pays membership and program fees to receive programming of approximately $85,000 from Public Radio International and American Public Media.
WETS is a public radio station operating as a partnership between ETSU and the station’s listeners. The station, which went on air in 1974, serves as a cultural outlet for the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia region, presenting news, music and information that is unavailable on other broadcast outlets. The station is available 24 hours a day at 89.5 FM in the region, and everywhere through its Internet broadcasts.
Among its special broadcasts are “WETS Concert Hall” program featuring local symphonies; also Americana, which is a blend of traditional American styles that incorporates country, folk, blues, jazz, Celtic, rock and others, can be heard on unique local programs like “Roots and Branches” and “Studio One;” and there are also unique programs such as the “Grateful Dead Hour” on Friday evenings at 10 or the popular “Mountain Stage.”
As for news, there are news from NPR and its nationally distributed programs “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” and “Democracy Now.” WETS also features local and regional news through a partnership with the Kingsport Times-News. As Winkler points out on the importance of public-funded radio news, “It is very important for Americans to have a non-corporate source of news and information, especially in these difficult times.”
According to a press release from ETSU’s News Bureau, unlike previous fundraisers which sometimes took as long as 10 days or more, there was no slow time during the campaign. “We started strong and stayed strong through the entire drive. Typically our slowest day for raising money is Saturday; this year it was the best day of the drive,” Winkler said in the press release.
Winkler credited an increased awareness on the part of the public radio audience for the success of the drive.
“There are fewer and fewer choices for diversity of information and entertainment available. Public radio is a great bargain; the listener gets to choose how much and how often to contribute,” he said in the release.
Money raised during this campaign and the fundraiser scheduled for next spring will determine the budget for WETS-FM in fiscal year 2009-2010, which begins next July 1.
“Even if you missed the on-air portion of the drive, you can support WETS anytime,” Winkler said. “You can always make a tax-deductible contribution online at www.wets.org.

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