It’s a wrap! Our 2018 funding drive is now over. Our goal of $25,000 met – and surpassed!
For the entire month of June, we created special programming – complete with on-air pitching to help convince our listeners to support KCR with their dollars – and the community stepped up. At last count, we had 299 new and/or renewing members who are each paying $60 or more per year to support the station. This is incredible, especially given the population of our region.
The station and our booths around town were a buzz of activity throughout the whole month as individuals dropped by, or called in to buy t-shirts, stickers, make donations, become members, or to “re-member” by renewing their old memberships. Not only does this give us the funding we need to maintain our relatively small operating budget, it’s also a huge shot in the arm for the more than 100 volunteers who make KCR happen.
Over the past few years, the West Kootenay has lost a number of co-op stations throughout the region, including Creston, Rossland, and Salmo. The reason stations close down is because staying on the air in the digital age is a huge challenge. It’s also why there are fewer and fewer independent radio stations around the world, and why the medium is now mostly the domain of corporate radio. But when this happens, communities suffer. Local culture becomes thinner, important stories are not told, and less news means a less engaged citizenry.
So when we see this kind of support come in over such a short period of time, it sends a very clear message. A lot of people don’t just like Kootenay Co-op Radio and make it part of their auditory diet, they love KCR enough to cough up some of their hard-earned cash to make it happen.
We want to thank all of the people who helped make this funding drive such a success. Our volunteers, our staff, and board of directors – and of course you, our members, both old and new. We are deeply honoured to serve this community and affirm our belief in the importance of community-powered radio, straight from the heart.
If you missed our drive and would still like to make a donation, you can do that right here. We are always happy to welcome new members and your additional support will be put to good use!
