Anti-War Sentiment Fuels Record Pacifica
Radio Fund Drives
March 4, 2003 Contact: danc@pacifica.org
Pacifica Radio Release
WASHINGTON, DC (Mar. 4) – Fueled by growing anti-war
sentiment nationwide, the five-station Pacifica Radio network
surged to its highest ever fund-drive totals, posting more
than four million dollars in listener contributions this winter,
Pacifica announced today.
Three Pacifica stations registered on-air fund-drives of
more than one million dollars each and, overall, the network
raised more than $4.1 million in listener pledges.
“Listeners are responding to Pacifica’s alternative
war coverage,” said Dan Coughlin, the Executive Director
of Pacifica Radio, which was
founded 54-years ago by pacifists. “The big media
giants have been cheerleaders for war and Pacifica, the only
national non-commercial broadcaster in the country, is providing
a real diversity of views which includes perspectives on peace.”
WBAI 99.5 FM in New York
City led the way with a record $1.2 million pledged. The network’s
original, flagship station KPFA
94.1FM in Berkeley, California, raised some $1.12 million.
And for the first time in its 44-year history, Pacifica station
KPFK 90.7 FM posted more
than a million dollars in a single fund-drive, registering
$1.02 million in pledges.
Pacifica station WPFW 89.3
FM registered $440,000 in pledges and KPFT
90.1FM in Houston blew by its fund-drive goal of $300,000,
posting $354,000 in on-air pledges. This marks the third straight
fund-drive that the Houston station has raised more than $300,000.
Listeners responded strongly to Pacifica’s news and
public affairs programming, including live coverage of the
historic coast-to-coast peace marches this fall and winter.
National programs like Democracy
Now!, Flashpoints,
Free Speech
Radio News, and Peacewatch
performed particularly well during the winter drive. Democracy
Now!, which is known for its hard-hitting political coverage,
raised more than $800,000 in listener pledges at the five
Pacifica stations.
Pacifica’s mission is to engage in any activity that
shall contribute to a lasting understanding between nations
and between the individuals of all nations, races, creeds
and colors; to gather and disseminate information on the causes
of conflict between any and all of such groups; and through
any and all means compatible with the purposes of this corporation
to promote the study of political and economic problems and
of the causes of religious, philosophical and racial antagonisms.
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