Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > October > 26 > Entry
KUT pledge drive ‘business as usual’
KUT’s current pledge drive is “ahead of schedule” to match previous fundraisers despite the controversy caused by the station’s cutting longtime DJs Larry Monroe and Paul Ray to one night a week. “We’re getting smaller gifts, but we’re getting more of them,” said KUT’s Erin Geisler, who describes the scene at KUT as “business as usual.”
As of 1 p.m. Monday, KUT had raised $589,853, according to the station’s Web site. The eight-day predge drive ends Wednesday. Here are previous totals raised:
$825,000 Spring 2009
$775,000 Fall 2008
$755,000 Spring 2008
$775,000 Fall 2008
$750,000 Spring 2007
$735,000 Fall 2007
$700,000 Spring 2006
$733,990 Fall 2006
Meanwhile, Geisler wanted to “clear up some misinformation” being put out by SaveKUTAustin. The dissident committee has inferred that KUT is continuing to pay former program director Jody Evans’ $80,000 a year salary even after she left her job in August and moved back to Vermont.
“She will perform some contract services for KUT in order to complete some open projects,” Geisler said of Evans’ role in an email. “Total payment for these services will likely be less than $10,000 over a six month period.” Evans was back in town for several days to help run the pledge drive and other tasks.
Comments
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By JR
October 26, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this
The year KUT announces they’re cutting back on John Ailey’s hours will be the first year I contribute.
By Texas Songbird
October 26, 2009 3:42 PM | Link to this
They already did. Pony up.
By zeropointzerozero
October 26, 2009 3:46 PM | Link to this
Not a dam penny until they do the right thing in regards to Paul Ray & Larry Monroe. And what a bunch of BS to continue to portray themselves as Austin’s station of choice; homegrown & all…
KUT: your new evening programs suck.
By John in Austin
October 26, 2009 3:58 PM | Link to this
Business as usual seems to include an awful lot of self-serving adverts. I love NPR, but KUT won’t get a nickel from me until Paul and Larry are restored.
By SC
October 26, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this
I believe the term used was “rumored” to be making $80,000, but thank you for clearing that up. As long as KUT is ready to clear up the misinformation being bandied about, how about answering the specific questions that ARE being asked by the saveKUTaustin steering committee of the station’s management? Copies of the list of questions were hand-delivered to the station, and to the Statesman as well. These questions can be found on the front page of the saveKUTaustin dot com web site. Just scroll down a little. Thanks!
By larry
October 26, 2009 4:33 PM | Link to this
I support KUT financially. I think it is a shame KUT cut back on Paul Ray and Larry Monroe. I find it somewhat irritating that two weeks prior to the fund drive people are urged to contribute prior to the fund drive to keep the drive “short”.
By LH
October 26, 2009 4:39 PM | Link to this
I am a member of KUT, despite the fact that Jennifer Staton’s voice KILLS ME. Why the screeching mid-sentence? I must be the only person in Austin who hears it, because everyone I talk to doesn’t seem to notice.
By Michael in Phoenix
October 26, 2009 5:37 PM | Link to this
I’m NOT an NPR guy - those long-form news reports from the ongoing civil war/famine/exploitation in the Nicaraguan/Honduran/Mozabican rain forest (or wherever) are wayyyy too borrinngggg - but there HAS to be an alternative to Sergeant Sam in the mornings. You guys sorely need an Air America affiliate again in Austin. Sounds like the one you have was poorly ran and had a hard time getting advertisers as a result. It would also be nice to get a Pacifica station in Austin as well that broadcasts Amy Goodman’s show.
Will you guys get this done, please, before I move to Austin and become yet another ugly Californian you guys say “go back to California” to?
By NativeSon
October 26, 2009 5:39 PM | Link to this
Paul Ray (& the Cobras) was an Austin blues band before most of you reading this moved here… (circa 70’s, maybe even born)… part of what made the scene that got y’alls attention in the first place. Who are these adolescent pukes making the decision to cut Paul & Larry? Did they just move here? Graduate? Hit puberty?
Awww… go play in thr ‘dillo dirt, kids…
By Mike
October 26, 2009 7:10 PM | Link to this
I love how KUT ends a fund-raising segment with a commercial break. When will people realize that it’s stupid to pay money to hear commercial radio? Why not just raise the ad rates and stop this silly fund-raising? Of course, it means that they would have to drop the “public” from the name.
By KUT Listener
October 26, 2009 7:10 PM | Link to this
I’m a contributor and I’m tickled pink about the evening shows. I’ve never liked KUT in the evening, but now I can listen all night. Thanks, KUT, for listening to the surveys you put out. As for SaveKUTAustin, why do you presume that you represent the majority?
By Phil
October 26, 2009 7:36 PM | Link to this
It’s great how KUT switches from a fund-raising segment to a commercial break, without a trace of irony. How can the station believe that people will keep on sending money to what is essentially commercial radio? Why not end the travesty by raising ad rates and ending the annoying fund-raising chatter?
By pd
October 26, 2009 8:26 PM | Link to this
LH, I am with you, KUT needs to rethink their morning announcer, it would be nice to be woken up to a more soothing voice.
By Todd
October 26, 2009 8:33 PM | Link to this
“The dissident committee has inferred that KUT is continuing to pay former program director Jody Evans’ $80,000 a year salary even after she left her job in August and moved back to Vermont.”
Actually the only times Jody Evans’ name appears in the SaveKUTAustin.com site, apart from a couple reader comments clearly marked as opinion, are in the form of questions:
10 in the questions for KUT: “What is the role now of former Program Director Jody Evans, who recently resigned, moved back to Vermont, and has apparently been hired by KUT as a consultant. How much is she paid?”and in a research piece called “Where’s The Money?” the author posits: “Jody Evans has left but is still ‘advising’ KUT. Is she being paid the rumored $80,000 a year for her long-distance efforts?”
Those are called questions, not inferences.
Of course it’s a lot easier to simply make unsubstantiated claims than to have an honest and productive dialog, right?
By buddy
October 26, 2009 9:00 PM | Link to this
Um, Mr. Corcoran’s post makes it sound like pledges are smaller than usual BECAUSE of the “controversy”.
I doubt that is the case.
Public radio stations all over the country are seeing the same thing in their most recent pledge drives. Might have something to do with economy. Just sayin’.
By Chuck Roast
October 26, 2009 9:05 PM | Link to this
No more of my money to KUT until they cut out the monkey business. Why should I.
By Simone
October 26, 2009 9:06 PM | Link to this
I am a continuing member of KUT, but did not donate the extra I normally do on the fund drives because of the fact that they cut Paul & Larry’s programs. I HATE the new nighttime programing and no longer listen at night because of it.
By Jim Shorts
October 26, 2009 9:08 PM | Link to this
nomomoney from this dude.
By Jackson
October 26, 2009 11:58 PM | Link to this
I got turned off when the station brought in that guy a few years ago to run the programming department…the guy who sounds like Casey Kasem on quaaludes.
His name is “Buzzard” something, I think.
By SaveKUTAustin.com
October 27, 2009 9:14 AM | Link to this
Thank you to KUT’s Erin Geisler for clearing up, sorta-kinda, Question # 10, out of the 14 Questions asked of KUT.
That’s one honest answer. We patiently await KUT’s answers to the 13 important questions that remain.
And thank you, Michael, for pointing out that all 14 Questions are posted on the SaveKUTAustin.com website, for further Discussion.
By McCalifornia
October 27, 2009 2:24 PM | Link to this
I too am tickled pink at KUT’s new evening lineup. KUT was playing too much Austin music here in Austin, so I’m glad they replaced overnight DJs with a taped program from California. I didn’t move to Austin to hear Austin music, so I love KUT canceling local programming and replacing it with taped California programming. It’s great that local bands won’t be heard on KUT overnights anymore. I support community radio that doesn’t support their community and supports California instead. Sarcasm off.
By Public Relations
October 27, 2009 2:30 PM | Link to this
Why is community radio KUT not open with it’s community? For the public to get an answer on how public money is spent, they had to self organize and form a committee to get their question noticed, then management gave a statement to a public relations agent, who in turn gave it to a news writer, who in turn finally posted it on a blog. Why so many steps to get an answer?
By ldinaustin
October 27, 2009 3:49 PM | Link to this
I support the changes that KUT has made. The familiarity of Paul Ray and Larry Monroe’s voices over the years has been comforting, but other than Blue Monday, the music they usually played didn’t appeal to me past a few songs. I appreciate the newer variety of music and the local news coverage that KUT provides.
By Theresa
October 27, 2009 4:52 PM | Link to this
ldinaustin you don’t mention undercurrents. you don’t really listen to that undercurrents junk do you? KUT has not added any local news coverage so not sure why you bring that up.
By Michael
October 28, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this
KUT does local news coverage? I hear lots of national and world news on KUT but have never heard a local news show. What time does it air?
By beth
October 28, 2009 9:38 AM | Link to this
why does savekutaustin think they represent the majority? clearly we do not anymore, since the boom in growth. but we do represent the majority of the music community, and last i heard, this was not an all talk radio station yet. so in a community that takes pride and makes reveunue off of the reputation of the live music capitol of the world, supporting the live music should continue to be a priority.
how do we get a pacifica station in town, since we have clearly lost our NPR station?
By John
October 28, 2009 10:55 AM | Link to this
Let’s see…I hear a combination of NPR and local news reporting throughout the day while listening from 7am to my drive home in the early evening (they do indeed have local news reports, try the top of the noon hour for example), and a very wide mix of music from 9am to 3pm plus the evening hours. The evening shows that are generated locally are great, with a greater emphasis towards music that I personally enjoy now instead of the same stale blues/jazz standards. I could care less about “Undercurrents” but I suspect the majority of people whining here about it are in the same boat as me and aren’t listening to the radio that late at night anyway. Be realistic.
By Erik
October 28, 2009 10:25 PM | Link to this
I’m using internet radio at home, listening to the news programs on KCRW and WGBH and listening to the music on KCRW (Morning Becomes Eclectic kicks Eklektikos’ butt any day, except when John Erler is subbing). And I gave my money directly to This American life this time. Trying not to be a hypocrite… I’m furious with KUT and will find my NPR elsewhere.
By Jenni
October 29, 2009 7:45 AM | Link to this
For what it’s worth, the total at the end of the pledge drive was $854,000, up about 3.5% from the previous one.
By NB
October 29, 2009 4:09 PM | Link to this
Up 3.5%? Great! That means they can give the boys back their health benefits, maybe kick them a few more hours — just like the dean said they would. Right? I mean, even you listeners under the average listener age of 54 don’t believe in just dumping people who’ve worked there for life… Do you?
By SC
October 29, 2009 4:57 PM | Link to this
Yes, for what it’s worth, we were told they clipped Messers. Ray and Monroe because of dire finances. So I think it’s time they ponied up! AND hire back the local guys for the over night. The late night shift would like to have somebody to call at the station….