Nashville Public Radio has met — and surpassed — an emergency fundraising goal. WPLN and WNXP raised more than $500,000 this week in response to a congressional clawback of federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The locally-operated media nonprofit went public about its loss of federal dollars and sought community contributions through a mix of digital messaging and on-air fundraising.
In three days, listeners made more than 2,000 donations — including at least 500 from first-time contributors — in an unprecedented surge. Contributions ranged from $5 to more than 100 gifts of at least $1,000.
In the audio story above you can hear the moment when staff members — live on the air — learned that the shortfall had been erased.
“Every day we walk into an empty room and an open microphone and hope that other people are listening on the end,” music reporter Justin Barney said during the broadcast, before getting choked up. “And, y’all are. So thank you.”
The emergency fundraising fills a gap for the current fiscal year. Still unknown: how other broadcast costs will increase as funding cuts ripple across the public media ecosystem, and how public media outlets will go without federal funds in future years.
Nashville Public Radio created new tote bags as thank-you gifts for the flash campaign and will soon send out more than 600 to supporters. Those read: “Power to the public. Radio for the people.”
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