WBAA begins fall member drive with $10,000 'Power Hour' matching gift to encourage membership

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - WBAA, Public Radio from Purdue University, will begin its fall member drive with a 60-minute "Power Hour" during which all memberships and donations will be matched up to $10,000.

The Power Hour will be 7-8 a.m. Friday (Oct. 11) and will begin a weeklong push for station membership, a funding source that pays for 100 percent of programming costs. The matching gift was made possible through donations from more than 75 current WBAA listener-supporters who gave additional gifts to the station.

"The fall member drive is one of the most exciting times of the year for WBAA," said Greg Kostraba, WBAA program director and interim station manager. "We are thankful to our members whose donations enable us to continue doing what we do best – bring respected and reliable news, world-class music and enjoyable entertainment programming to the Greater Lafayette area. The loyalty of our listeners and the additional financial support we have received speaks to the value the community sees in public radio."

In 2012 WBAA raised more than $13,000 on the first day of its member drive; this year the station hopes to increase that total through new and renewal memberships.

"We have an ambitious goal to bring in $15,000 on the first day of this year's member drive. In preparation for our Power Hour, we have already raised $10,000 in additional support from our current members to help motivate all WBAA listeners to make a contribution. With these matching funds, if just 75 new and renewing members supported WBAA with $100 contributions we would meet our goal for the day, propelling us toward a successful fall member drive," said Chrissie Ankerberg, WBAA's director of development.

The WBAA fall member drive will continue through Thursday (Oct. 17). Contributions can be made by phone at 496-1999 or online at any time. Additional information on member benefits can be found on the member benefits page. As a non-profit, listener-supported radio station, the contributions of WBAA's listener-supporters are necessary to support the station's programming costs.

About WBAA

WBAA-AM, licensed in 1922, is Indiana's longest continuously operating radio station, and provides NPR news plus jazz, folk, bluegrass and adult alternative music. 101.3 FM primarily airs classical music and the NPR newsmagazines "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." Both stations feature entertainment programming on the weekend, such as "Car Talk" and "A Prairie Home Companion." The station also airs a second FM stream, 101.3-2, which features an alternative mix of music. All three broadcast streams are available on HD radio receivers and online at WBAA.org.