I’m a fan of public radio, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to their on-air pledge drives. It’s exhausting to listen to those earnest requests that explain, in 150 slightly different ways, that high-quality journalism requires funding. It’s kind of like reading a student essay that spreads two pages’ worth of research over the ten pages required by the assignment.
Those requests must be exhausting to deliver, too. I’m sympathetic to the employees who, hour after hour, day after day, must somehow put yet another fresh spin on the same old request.
In a KUOW fundraising segment this afternoon, local host Kim Malcolm apparently decided that it was time to rally the station’s Amy Radil fan base (Radil being a seasoned reporter there).
“Wouldn’t you like to take Amy Radil to lunch?” she asked. “I highly recommend it!”
Wait — what? I didn’t realize that was on the table, but…OK. Amy’s great!
“Wouldn’t you like to buy Amy Radil a sandwich?”
I suppose if that’s what she wants to order, then…yeah, sure.
“Wouldn’t you spend $20 on a sandwich for Amy Radil?”
Sounds a bit pricey, but…OK….
And then came the hard pivot: Kim clarified that we Amy Radil fans were not actually supposed to buy her a sandwich, but instead — I think — we should take the $20 that we would have spent on the sandwich and put it directly into the station’s coffers — so that Amy can keep her job and keep buying her own sandwiches, I suppose.
It was a confusing pitch, but it worked on me. In the end, I donated some bread.
My Track Record 
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