91.3 KVLU, Lamar University’s NPR-affiliate radio station, will host its spring fundraiser, April 20-27. The campaign’s theme is “Growing Stronger Together.”
“We primarily raise funds by going on the air two to three times a year to ask for listener support,” Shannon Harris, KVLU development director, said. “We’ll be joined by friends from the community and the Lamar University campus to make the case for public radio and garner support.”
Harris said that while fundraising is always important, it is even more so now as the station continues to feel the effects of federal funding cuts.
“(The campaign is) just a reminder,” Harris said. “We’re fundraising 365 days a year, and listeners can become members of KVLU. They can give to KVLU any day or time that they want to just by going to our website and so that’s an all-year-round thing, but when we go live on the air, it’s really a push to remind people that we need that sustained giving, and it’s a great way to also garner new members as well.”
While KVLU receives funding from the university, the funds raised during these campaigns go directly into program fees to keep the station free for listeners.
“There’s not a paywall, you don’t have to pay to download or anything like that,” station manager Jason Miller said. “We’re accessible by different means. You can stream us. You can listen on air. We’re not a charity, but we’re a nonprofit.
“As a nonprofit, your money goes into the programming that you listen to. It pays for bringing NPR here, and other programs that have a cost, and it stays local. We are a local station, maybe one of the last ones left that’s not owned by a larger corporation.”
With the advancement of technology, Miller said radio’s versatility is important, as it is both pver the air and also streamed.
“I just think it is a good medium because it’s really portable,” Miller said. “You can take it on the go easy. People still listen in their car. With the advent of smart speakers, people can have it in the background in their house.
“It not only provides information but it provides entertainment. It is that cozy, conversational type format that people talk about when they describe a podcast. It’s the original podcast, just not on demand.”
The fundraising campaign allows donors to pitch in and help KVLU to continue providing information and entertainment to the community.
“Any amount helps,” Victor Albaine, production director, said. “I know some people are sustainers, but (especially) for students, any amount helps.”
Donors can choose how much they would like to give and whether or not they would like to be a sustaining donor. To pledge, visit kvlu.org. To volunteer to answer the phone during the campaign, call the KVLU business line at 409-880-8164.