Thanks to all our listeners and listener-members who weighed in with comments and observations following the midday programming changes we made early in September. 58 of you posted comments here and almost 1,000 wrote, e-mailed, called, and a few dropped in to talk.

Many people wanted to thank us for the new programs, but more than twice as many questioned the rationale for the decision.

We explained that news and information is public radio’s strongest format as measured by listening and giving. Our experience here at WPLN and national radio research confirms this.

We believe that adding news and information to the midday better serves the public radio audience. Serving that audience is our mission and passion.

Finally, we’re convinced this move strengthens our organization because it gives our audience more reasons to listen and more reasons to support the station.

Just as museums and performing arts organizations must attract significant numbers of patrons to succeed, public radios stations like WPLN need a healthy audience, especially since our business model requires us to raise over 80% of our operating revenues from the community.

Does the quest to serve significant numbers of listeners suggest that we put numbers and ratings before our mission? No, we are driven to deliver meaningful programming to the public radio audience, life-long learners who seek to better understand the world and connect to culture and the arts.

As we answered questions, we looked forward to our annual Fall Membership Campaign, scheduled six weeks after the schedule change. Fund drives have always been terrific opportunities for listeners to make themselves heard through their support.

By the time the dust had settled on October 16, we had received the highest pledge amount total in our history, with 4,656 pledges from listeners and matching funds from local businesses and current members bringing in a campaign total of $410,575. It was both humbling and gratifying. In addition to pledging, fund drives are a chance to talk to dozens of members and volunteers about the programming.

We learned that our listeners are very interested in HD Radio, once they know that it gives them all the programs on WPLN FM 90.3 plus a dedicated channel of high fidelity music 24 hours a day. We’ve become HD Radio evangelists, loaning radios, installing them in homes, promoting the technology on our web site. We’ve seen that people who try HD Radio invariably love it.

We also learned that the concept of HD Radio can be confusing and we need to do a better job of explaining just what HD Radio is, that it does not require a cable or a computer – it’s over the air “free” radio, that it gives you three completely separate WPLN stations.

We realize we have much to be thankful for, above all for our generous listeners and for this unique and vibrant community.

Happy Thanksgiving.