Press Releases

Contact:
Deborah Proctor, General Manager
William Woltz, Media Liaison
phone:
(919) 556-5178
fax:
(919) 556-9273
e-mail:
will@wcpe.org

For Immediate Release:

WCPE pledge drive leaves much work to be done

Station must raise another $355,000

As the old saying goes, there was good news and bad news at the close of WCPE Radio's recent fall pledge drive.

The good news: Nearly 5,000 listeners responded WCPE's appeal for funds, pledging $430,000 toward operating expenses at the Raleigh, NC, classical radio station.

The not-so-good news: the station still needs to raise another $355,000 by Dec. 31, to reach its total year-end goal of $785,000.

WCPE serves listeners nationwide on satellite and through affiliated cable TV systems and radio stations that carry its programs. The Internet distributes the station's commercial-free Great Classical Music worldwide.

WCPE, a not-for-profit entity, has been entirely supported by listener donations since its inception 26 years ago. The station receives no state, federal or university funding.

Despite facing an uphill climb in the coming weeks, General Manager Deborah S. Proctor is optimistic that listeners will come through once again with support for the classical station.

"The glass is more than half full," Proctor said of the fund-raising effort. "It puts us in a good position to close out the year without debt. We hope to raise the remaining gifts through the mail before the year ends."

A short pledge drive after Christmas remains a possibility, Proctor said. Donors at that time are seeking tax deductions before the end of the year.

The station began its fund-raising effort with a mail-in campaign, called "silent" pledging, in September. The on-air portion of the drive, in which listeners were encouraged to telephone their pledge of support, ran for 10 days at the end of October. The station had hoped to raise $615,000 by the end of the drive Oct. 31.

WCPE faces substantial debts and obligations incurred for recent capital improvements. They include the removal of an antenna shield, formerly mandated by the FCC, that had reduced the station's broadcast power to the west. There are also construction and installation costs associated with a second diesel generator to provide a back-up in the event of a power failure from the public utility.

WCPE also faces increasing costs for providing its commercial-free classical music programming on the Internet and over remote transmitters around North Carolina. Internet costs total roughly $200,000 a year for bandwidth, satellite transmission and rights and royalties, while operating the remote transmitters adds another $150,000.

The Internet is a vital means of reaching listeners everywhere with Great Classical Music, which is WCPE's mission. But as WCPE's Internet service grows in popularity, so do the costs involved. Every additional listener online uses bandwidth, for which WCPE must pay.

Yet the growing listenership also means growing support for the music from online listeners and from communities served by remote transmitters. Today, nearly one in four pledges comes from a listener living outside the area covered by WCPE's primary signal on 89.7 FM. For many of these listeners, WCPE is their only access to commercial-free classical music 24 hours a day.

Listeners are encouraged to learn more, and to make a tax-deductible donation, by visiting the station's website. They may also telephone 1-800-556-5178, or mail in their gifts to this address:

The Classical Station, WCPE
PO Box 897
Wake Forest, NC 27588

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