The KPCW 2020 Winter Pledge Drive starts Monday, March 2nd at 7am. The public radio station and NPR affiliate headquartered in Old Town Park City hopes to raise $200,000 in four days.
KPCW General Manager, Renai Bodley Miller, noted that the station has only raised that much money only once before in its recent 40-year history. "Last winter we raised $200,000. The community really rallied on our behalf. We hope we can do it again."
KPCW provides NPR news at the top of every hour, BBC news overnight, and local news in the morning during Morning Edition, The Local News Hour with Leslie Thatcher, the Noon Report, and during The Local View with Randy Barton. KPCW also produces several public affairs shows that air between 9am - 10am during the week: Mountain Money, This Green Earth, The Mountain Life and Cool Science Radio, as well as the Spanish language show Cada Domingo on Sundays from 7pm - 10pm. The station broadcasts music, the "The Mountain Town Sound," which is a mix of current and classic hits, in the mid-morning, afternoons and evenings when it does not carry news or public affairs.
Miller credits KPCW's digital efforts as part of its fundraising success. "We started focusing on digital content in 2018, and the results have been extraordinary. Our website, kpcw.org had 433,000 users in 2019 compared to 251,000 the year before. And so far this year, we've almost doubled our web traffic compared to the same time period in 2019. It's clear that KPCW's news team is providing a much-needed service by putting their news reports online as well as on the air." Smart speakers and the KPCW mobile app have also increased KPCW's reach. "Many area residents also have homes outside Utah," said Miller. "When they leave the Park City area, they can still listen like a local by telling their smart speaker to play KPCW, or by listening over the mobile app."
KPCW hosts two pledge drives every year. The Winter Pledge Drive is the first week in March, and the Summer Pledge Drive is the third week in August. Each hour of the pledge drives is hosted by a different area nonprofit. The nonprofits that bring in the most money and the most unique donors win free underwriting on KPCW. "Part of KPCW's mission is to support area nonprofits by giving them the benefit of our broadcast platform," said John Boyack, KPCW's Development Manager. "We bring them on our shows to discuss their mission, their fundraisers and how they help the community. Many of them have regular appearances on our air. So twice a year we ask them to help us raise money."
The station is currently undergoing an expansion and a remodel at its Swede Alley location in Old Town Park City which is being funded by a separate capital campaign.
To see the KPCW Winter Pledge Drive schedule, click here. And to see the KPCW Winter Pledge Drive auction, click here.
Dozens of local businesses donate items to KPCW for the pledge drive. "We use those donations to give to the people who call in and pledge. It's a great way for those businesses to show their support of KPCW and the community," said Jennifer Bailey, KPCW's Director of Marketing and Events. Also, about 50 volunteers help support the station by answering phones, encouraging callers, and helping with the administrative end of the station's pledge drive. "It's a real community effort, and despite the inevitable chaos when you have a lot of people in a small space, at the end of the day the KPCW pledge drives are also a lot of fun," said Miller.
The KPCW Winter 2020 Pledge Drive ends Thursday, March 5th at 6pm. You can donate by calling 435-649-9004 starting 7am Monday, March 2nd. Or donate online at kpcw.org any time by clicking on the donate button at the top right of the home screen. The KPCW Winter Pledge Drive auction will close at 6pm Friday, March 6.