We asked some of our newest members to share why they chose to support WBGO During this crucial time. You'll hear their stories all this month.
My name is Katie Maxim and I'm proud to be a WBGO member. I’ve been listening to WBGO since it first went on the air in 1979. Back then, Bob Porter’s Sunday morning show was part of my weekend ritual.
I live in Boston now, where the jazz programming on the local public radio station has dwindled to two evenings a week. But with streaming, I can listen to WGBO all day, every day. My morning begins with Daybreak; Favorite Things is on if I’m working at home; Drive Time is there while I cook dinner.
WBGO is about relationships and relationships require reciprocity to thrive. I admit, I haven’t always done my part. Sometimes I would make a yearly contribution, but most often my good intentions would slip away, assuming other listeners would take care of covering the costs. During the last fund drive, after listening to Alice Coltrane playing her gorgeous harp, I got to thinking—where else could I hear artists like her, Pharoah Sanders, Amina Claudine Myers, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk? Only on a radio station that was independent and self-sustaining and not beholden to advertisers or the listening demands of a mainstream public. I realized it was up to me, to all of us listening every day, to make sure WBGO doesn’t disappear as so many other stations have.
If you have not pitched in yet, please consider becoming an ongoing monthly contributor. It’s a small action you can take now that will help guarantee your jazz destination will always be there to welcome you home whenever you need it.
— Katie Maxim, Boston, MA
Please listen for special listener challenges all day today (Friday, Dec. 12)
- Call 1-800-499-9246, go to WBGO.org, or text WBGO to 243725 to make your gift.
- Become a sustaining member to help create financial stability for us. Choose one of our most popular levels of $10, $15 or $25 a month.
- Make a lump-sum gift of $60 or more.
- To donate by check, please mail your contributions directly to: Newark Public Radio, Inc., PO Box 71222, Philadelphia, PA, 19176-6222.
