The local NPR affiliate's fund drive: routing around damage may cause further damage

[elfs]

The local NPR affiliate has been hosting its annual fund drive this year. Omaha and I are regular contributors to KUOW, usually in the Spring, so we both find the Fall fund drive annoying. I've been "routing around" the problem by listening to the NPR feed directly through the website; I have enough bandwidth these days.

Affiliates don't all hold their fund drives in the same week. And different affiliates skew their schedules to their audiences. By searching around the Internet, I can find affiliate streaming whatever I want and enjoy it without having to worry too much about the local affiliate's progress.

This worries me. Sure, I give to KUOW, but that's because I know I can't always get it over the WiFi. Someday, though, I will be; what will happen then to the vast majority of affiliates out there? Will they have to scale back to minor reporter's positions, with no actual broadcast facilities, and little real attachment to their communities?

Comments

[shaterri.livejournal.com]

I think you underestimate (a) how far ahead of the curve you are in your Internet listening, still; and (b) how much radio listening is done in cars, where the technology to listen wi-fi is barely there and (Sirius aside) the interface to listen to radio stations with a national reach is still quite a ways away. I wouldn't be surprised if local TV stations are to some extent doomed, but I actually think the local radio station is likely to be a healthy concept for some time to come.