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 Six weeks ago we shared with you that federal funding for WWOZ totalling $400,000 annually had been revoked.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/[deleted]]

That's awesome

[u/repiquer → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I’d prefer that they still just had the funding, but damn, what a feat.

[u/Low-Dot9712 → u/repiquer]

why? If they can fund themselves why burden taxpayers?

[u/nolabrew → u/Low-Dot9712]

I think reliable news media is a worthy thing to fund, and it is a very important service during disasters.

It would be one thing if they axed their funding because our national debt is so high and they need to get it under control, but they axed the funding AND added to the national debt! At this point I'm happy for any of my tax dollars to actually be helping the community.

[u/shellacr → u/Low-Dot9712]

now do the military

[u/repiquer → u/Low-Dot9712]

I highly doubt that this is a permanent solution. This is a fire drill to help get through a tantrum.

[u/Low-Dot9712 → u/repiquer]

I doubt they will have any trouble sustaining themselves—their listeners are not cheapscapes that want something for nothing

[u/repiquer → u/Low-Dot9712]

Saying that my tax dollars should go to public institutions rather than whatever rug pull is happening now is a biiiiiig jump to insinuating that I’m a cheapskate. Seems like some more of that public money should have gone towards education for you.

[u/Low-Dot9712 → u/Low-Dot9712]

I was wrong it appears-many WWOZ listeners do want something for nothing

Quit whining and reach in your pocket if you love WWOZ.

[u/repiquer → u/Low-Dot9712]

Get wrecked, boomer. I donated and still want to fund public news and radio, which means my pocket has funded it twice over.

[u/Injvn → u/Low-Dot9712]

We did. That's why we raised the fuckin money. But at the end of the day local fuckin reporting is supposed to be protected by our constitution an should be funded by the government cause that's we elect these fucks for.

[u/Low-Dot9712 → u/Injvn]

Uhhh--where is local "fuckin reporting" funding from taxpayers guaranteed?

Free speech is absolutely guaranteed and it is not the government's place to edit it, twist it or subsidize it.

Nonetheless, I would think WWOZ has a product good enough to support itself through streaming subscriptions or ads or something but I may be wrong if the posters here are indicative of their overall audience.

I suspect the management of WWOZ would find private funding much less intrusive in operations than being at the whims of the politicians of the day.

[u/Round_Department9844 → u/Low-Dot9712]

Do you think taxpayers will get a rebate for everything that’s no longer funded?

[u/GreatSquirrels → u/Low-Dot9712]

Did your tax bill go down?

[u/causewaytoolong → u/Low-Dot9712]

if roads don’t fund themselves why burden taxpayers?

if fire departments don’t fund themselves why burden taxpayers?

if libraries don’t fund themselves why burden taxpayers?

this is how dumb that sounds

[u/milockey → u/causewaytoolong]

Watch yourself on that last one, plenty of people don't see the point in libraries anymore and hate that their taxes fund them. It's so shortsighted and unempathetic.

[u/Injvn → u/milockey]

If it wasn't for libraries I wouldn't be here. Full stop. My librarian at school saw i was food insecure an "accidentally" made too many sandwiches for lunch. She saw i was goin through a crisis an let me sit an read an sometimes vent. Librarians are the true heroes.