KUT wraps up successful fall pledge drive
AUSTIN, Texas-Oct. 28, 2009-Close to 7,000 listeners, local businesses and volunteers have helped KUT Radio raise more than $854,000 during its fall fund drive.
The drive, which began Oct. 20 and concluded at 9 a.m. today, following “Morning Edition,” was marked by a significant number of individual contributions. Many of those contributions resulted from cross promotion of challenges and special thank-you gift offers on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Listeners have demonstrated in many ways that they are passionate about KUT” said Stewart Vanderwilt, director and general manager of KUT Radio. “Given the uncertainty in the economy over the past year, we are particularly humbled by their generosity and this result.”
Two special KUT premiums were offered to donors this spring: a limited edition “KUT Live Volume 7” CD featuring live performances in KUT’s Studio 1A from artists including Neko Case, Steve Earle, Gomez, Sarah Jarosz, Dale Watson, Carolyn Wonderland and others; and tickets to February’s KUT Live Spoon performance in the Austin City Limits studios.
On Oct. 26, KUT hosted a dog-themed day where individuals making a pledge at any level received a dog leash. KUT matched each dog leash given to a listener with a leash donation to the Town Lake Animal Center. A total of 800 leashes will be donated.
As with each KUT fundraiser, this was a community event with more than 200 volunteers answering phones and nearly 40 local restaurants donating food and beverages to sustain the volunteers.Eighty-six percent of KUT’s annual operating budget comes from listeners and local businesses. One hundred percent of listener contributions are used for direct programming and broadcasting expenses.
“Raising the funds to operate KUT is a year-long process,” said Sylvia Carson, KUT’s director of marketing and development. “This is a terrific start to the fiscal year ahead.”
About KUT RadioFor 50 years, KUT Radio, 90.5, Austin’s listener-supported public radio, has striven to be the most trusted radio source for news and music in Central Texas. A founding member of NPR, KUT established a news department in 2002. Since then, KUT News has won more than 50 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence. KUT is nationally known for playing a unique blend of hand picked, homegrown and uniquely Austin music, while its signature music journalism program, Texas Music Matters, uses the highest standards of public radio journalism to report on Texas music.###Contact: Erin Geisler
(512) 475-8071
