Altrok Needs Your Help - Pledge Drive 'Til Friday
People of most of Earth,
The very existence of Altrok 90.5 HD2 is kind of a miracle. We're preserving the kind of radio that was done years ago; where new Modern Rock was played because it was fresh and challenging, and not because a consultant somewhere said "this is what you'll be playing, because it's what everyone else is playing."
At the same time, when we do play something new, we play it a lot. That's because we think it's worth knowing well. We think it's bad for worthy new music to disappear into a massive playlist. Even so, our new music collection is bigger than most commercial stations' entire libraries.
Then there's our collection of classics, frequently featured and presented without reservation. From the early days of garage rock and punk through the better parts of the dissolute nineties, our library isn't just large, it has an attitude. And we're passionate about it because, in many cases, we (okay, "I") played it on the radio when it first came out.
We present this without commercials, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and with minimal (and hopefully informative) intrusion by our weekday hosts: Tom Brennan in the morning, Margaret Cristell on mid-days, and Sean Carolan (that'd be me, they guy who's been pursuing this dream since 2001) during the afternoon.
Of course, there are costs. For a lot of Altrok's history, they were borne by me alone. Our partnership with Brookdale Public Radio opened the door to reliable operation, more listenership, more attention from (and subtle influence on) the music industry, and more exposure for the bands we play. The latter of which was always the point.
But now we stand at a crossroads: expand, or don't. We'd like to expand, but to do so, we need your help. Brookdale Public Radio is happy to maintain us at the level we're at, but there's a lot we can't do at this level:
- Staff the station at all times. Weekdays are nice, but we want more.
- Provide space where bands can come to perform for our listeners. A lot of bands want to, but we have to turn them away. We simply haven't got a place for them, nor do we have anyone available to handle them when they're here.
- Increase our HD signal. As more cars get HD Radios in them, they're more likely to tune in, and we want to be sure we're running enough power to actually serve them as well as good ol' FM does. The FCC has already approved a 1000% power increase for the digital portion of the 90.5 signal; we just need to do the engineering necessary to make it a reality. (This will help Brookdale Student Radio at 90.5 HD3, too.)
- Not to mention that, when we ask for donations and don't get them, the powers that be tend to look at us kinda funny. Passion's one thing, but it doesn't pay the bills by itself.
So we're asking all this week for your help. We're taking a different enough approach from public radio, from commercial radio, and even from other alternative stations, that we hope you'll agree that it's worth your contribution. We think it is, of course, but it's up to you.
If you agree, here's your opportunity to lend a hand:
https://www.formstack.com/forms/wbjb-altrok_pledge_form
Yes, it redirects to a different site. Don't panic - they can do the secure handling of your credit card that we can't. Yet. That might be another thing for us to spend money on.
Thanks in advance for using that link to donate at any level you wish, but even if you can't, keep listening to Altrok 90.5 HD2. That helps, too. (Just not enough to pay for anything.)
-Sean Carolan
Content Director, Altrok 90.5 HD2
The very existence of Altrok 90.5 HD2 is kind of a miracle. We're preserving the kind of radio that was done years ago; where new Modern Rock was played because it was fresh and challenging, and not because a consultant somewhere said "this is what you'll be playing, because it's what everyone else is playing."
At the same time, when we do play something new, we play it a lot. That's because we think it's worth knowing well. We think it's bad for worthy new music to disappear into a massive playlist. Even so, our new music collection is bigger than most commercial stations' entire libraries.
Then there's our collection of classics, frequently featured and presented without reservation. From the early days of garage rock and punk through the better parts of the dissolute nineties, our library isn't just large, it has an attitude. And we're passionate about it because, in many cases, we (okay, "I") played it on the radio when it first came out.
We present this without commercials, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and with minimal (and hopefully informative) intrusion by our weekday hosts: Tom Brennan in the morning, Margaret Cristell on mid-days, and Sean Carolan (that'd be me, they guy who's been pursuing this dream since 2001) during the afternoon.
Of course, there are costs. For a lot of Altrok's history, they were borne by me alone. Our partnership with Brookdale Public Radio opened the door to reliable operation, more listenership, more attention from (and subtle influence on) the music industry, and more exposure for the bands we play. The latter of which was always the point.
But now we stand at a crossroads: expand, or don't. We'd like to expand, but to do so, we need your help. Brookdale Public Radio is happy to maintain us at the level we're at, but there's a lot we can't do at this level:
- Staff the station at all times. Weekdays are nice, but we want more.
- Provide space where bands can come to perform for our listeners. A lot of bands want to, but we have to turn them away. We simply haven't got a place for them, nor do we have anyone available to handle them when they're here.
- Increase our HD signal. As more cars get HD Radios in them, they're more likely to tune in, and we want to be sure we're running enough power to actually serve them as well as good ol' FM does. The FCC has already approved a 1000% power increase for the digital portion of the 90.5 signal; we just need to do the engineering necessary to make it a reality. (This will help Brookdale Student Radio at 90.5 HD3, too.)
- Not to mention that, when we ask for donations and don't get them, the powers that be tend to look at us kinda funny. Passion's one thing, but it doesn't pay the bills by itself.
So we're asking all this week for your help. We're taking a different enough approach from public radio, from commercial radio, and even from other alternative stations, that we hope you'll agree that it's worth your contribution. We think it is, of course, but it's up to you.
If you agree, here's your opportunity to lend a hand:
https://www.formstack.com/forms/wbjb-altrok_pledge_form
Yes, it redirects to a different site. Don't panic - they can do the secure handling of your credit card that we can't. Yet. That might be another thing for us to spend money on.
Thanks in advance for using that link to donate at any level you wish, but even if you can't, keep listening to Altrok 90.5 HD2. That helps, too. (Just not enough to pay for anything.)
-Sean Carolan
Content Director, Altrok 90.5 HD2
posted 10/24/2013 11:14:00 AM
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