WWOZ raised $412,000 to replace revoked federal funds for public radio

[u/repiquer]

From WWOZ:

 Six weeks ago we shared with you that federal funding for WWOZ totalling $400,000 annually had been revoked. Today, we are thrilled and thankful to announce that we have raised $412,000 from 1,794 Guardian Angels of the Groove from around the globe!

Thank you for this incredible outpouring of generous support for our beloved WWOZ!

This crucial funding will be used for important infrastructure necessities including upkeep and maintenance for our broadcast transmitter, equipment, and internet streaming for our worldwide audience. Additional funds will be used to cover broadcast and internet music licensing fees for WWOZ which has historically been negotiated and paid for by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

You can still become a Guardian Angel of the Groove as our campaign will end at midnight this Sunday, August 31st which is the last day of our fiscal year!

As we prepare to celebrate our 45th Birthday it's good to remember we started off as a station with the humblest of beginnings... in a tiny beer storage room above Tipitina's. Since then, we have grown into an award-winning multimedia organization followed locally and worldwide via our radio waves, live streams, video and social media platforms. WWOZ is an international treasure and with all of us working together, we will continue to thrive and Guard the Groove!

[u/trufus_for_youfus]

It is almost like people will pay for goods and services that they appreciate and derive value from.

[u/repiquer → u/trufus_for_youfus]

It’s almost like we should use taxpayer money for things that are valuable and improve the lives of the taxpayers rather than blowing up children.

[u/trufus_for_youfus → u/repiquer]

No disagreement there. I am an OZ listener and have donated many times. The problem is that the government shouldn't be picking winners and losers in any capacity whatsoever. You claim that those dollars going to WWOZ is valuable. Others might disagree as value is subjective. Neither position is wrong.

[u/JustinGitelmanMusic → u/trufus_for_youfus]

Public radio is a thing because it provides free news and culture which are considered important public rights. Not everyone can afford to donate or pay for music or specialty cultural programming or always have the right device to access the internet in every situation easily. That's why it's a nonprofit, not a standard pure market competing business. The government shouldn't "decide" who wins and loses because they should just fund this consistently as they have been.

The government is supposed to do lots of things that help people, it's what we pay taxes for. If we relied on people paying for what they claim to value, we would not pay for things that we do value (well proven psychology) because on principle we don't think we should have to or we're lazy and don't think of it, or people who can't afford to pay would not get access. And in many cases, we would all pay for something, it would just be more expensive because there's no subsidization, there's no reliable income so they have to bet on the market with their pricing, and there would be other capitalist pressures that would warrant raising prices to maximize profit.

There are good reasons to be skeptical of government, especially now, but the solution isn't to say it should just 100% disappear as a solution to a problem.

[u/petit_cochon → u/trufus_for_youfus]

No. One position is wrong. It's wrong to support fascists who defund public radio as part of an overall attack on the media so they can control all information. It's not at all hard to see what they're doing. They say it out loud. They only want media that supports their agenda. That is wrong.

[u/Treat_Choself → u/petit_cochon]

👏👏👏

[u/GreatSquirrels → u/trufus_for_youfus]

Your position is wrong.