WUTC’s Fall 2015 Membership Drive was a bit of an experiment—that apparently worked BIG!
The station raised $165,000 in just nine days—breaking the station’s highest pledge drive goal in the shortest time.
“We are so thankful to our listeners,” said Chuck Cantrell, UTC associate vice chancellor for communication and marketing and WUTC acting station manager. “We have the greatest audience in the world and they have come through for their station in a very significant way.”
Listeners had asked for a shorter pledge drive with fewer breaks during the hour, and WUTC obliged. The fall pledge drive was scheduled to last only 10 days, and the goal for this pledge drive was $165,000 to pay for NPR programing and cover everyday expenses. The station also had to replace a significant amount of equipment after a recent lightning strike affected the station.
WUTC is Chattanooga’s National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, the local source of some of the most popular radio news programing in the country, “Morning Edition,” “Fresh Air,” and “All Things Considered.” It also broadcasts local programing such as “Around and About Chattanooga.” Besides the informational offerings of NPR, WUTC also plays a unique mix of music that is selected from singer-songwriters, jazz, blues, and adult alternative musical formats.
WUTC’s studios are located on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus in Cadek Hall. The station reaches listeners in middle and east Tennessee, north Georgia and Alabama and western North Carolina. It is a service of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be heard in analog and digital broadcast formats at FM 88.1 and streamed online at wutc.org.
Over 60% of WUTC’s revenue comes from the generous gifts of listeners. You can support WUTC with a one-time gift or a sustaining membershop (recurring monthly by check or credit card). Donate at https://donate.nprstations.org/wutc/ or call 423-425-4756.
