Three times a year, Troy Public Radio (TPR), a non-profit, on-campus radio station, has a fund drive to encourage listeners to donate. This year, TPR met their goal of raising $40,000.
“We go to our listeners and remind them that public radio is brought to them by them,” said Director of Radio Kyle Gassiott. “We are a public radio station, and that means that the majority of the resources that come in to pay for programming comes from listeners.
The fund drive consists of multiple live guests and interviews, highlighting all the content and student opportunities the station offers.
“A lot of effort goes into putting on the fund drive multiple times a year,” said Joey Hudson, a TPR digital media producer and radio host.
“It takes a lot of work, flexibility and cooperation between all of us at TroyPublic Radio, but getting to see how much the station means to our listeners is priceless.
“I personally love hearing listener feedback.”
TPR accepts all donations, small or large.
The fund drive is a time that requires all hands-on-deck at TPR.
“During the fund drive, I get to improvise a lot more over the air,” Hudson said. “This can be stressful at times, but it's always a lot of fun too thanks to the friendly staff I work with.
“We all take phone calls from donors and bring in snacks for each other. It’s a good opportunity to get students on the air with us as well. We celebrated our interns' efforts over the semester today with a live program called, "Making Waves.’"
“Making Waves” is a student-led podcast spotlighting impressive stories by student journalists at Troy University and is just one of the numerous podcasts supported by the station.
According to Gassiott, donations help TPR pay for its programming.
“All the money that we receive goes right to back into the programming that we pay for from NPR, and that we also produce locally, so there really are a lot of ways that the listeners can support us,” Gassiott said. “It’s really important that listeners know that everything that we do here is set up for them.”
Troy Public Radio’s goal for the Spring Fund Drive was $40,000.
Although the fund drive is over, listeners are still encouraged to donate to TPR. They can do so at https://www.troy.edu/student-life-resources/campus-media/troy-public-radio/. Listeners can also tune in to TPR via 89.9 WTSU, 88.7 WRWA, and 91.7 WTJB.
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