Listener Jeffrey wrote:
You could take a lesson from WFAE! I just moved here from Charlotte and was seriously disappointed with your station. I listen to NPR for news and stories, not classical music. There are other stations for that. I will not contribute to your station.
Thank%20you%20so%20much%20for%20presenting%20%5BCinematique%5D%20films%20that%20you%20can%27t%20find%20at%20the%20regular%20movie%20theaters.%20--%20Christina
The rest of today’s Feedback is a little different, focusing on just two topics. Recently we’ve done a couple of on-line surveys of listeners. The first one asked users to give their reactions to the summer pledge drive in July, with special reference to why they thought the drive fell short of its goal. Here’s a sample:
Anonymous wrote:
The on-air staff seemed a little more desperate and sometimes artificially hyped. In a couple of cases I wondered if they were under the influence of a controlled substance. Try a more "soft sell" approach, even if you have to add on a day or two to the drive.
Donald wrote:
A bit too aggressive which offends one's sensibilities.
Roy and Penny voiced a sentiment which several people shared:
Bring in guests and volunteers from the outlying communities, extend more ties to our neighbors, esp now w Myrtle Beach. ... When I hear my neighbor's have pledged, or you interview a local business person, or cultural event … I say "Gosh, thanks, I did not know that." Or "Good for them!"
Paul and Rebecca wrote:
I applaud your full disclosure of not meeting pledge goals. For years we were in the dark.
Susan wrote:
A necessary evil.
R. and E. wrote:
[we] need more of your daytime voices asking for money, less of C. Callison's airtime interruptions.
John and Amy wrote:
I feel that the WHQR staff does an excellent job of staying positive, motivated, and excited about the drive, so I find it quite entertaining… The trees [with the Coastal Land Trust] were a great way to get people to pledge, so tying our pledge dollars to worthy causes that your listeners care a great deal about is a great idea to continue.
Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions and of course your support during our drives. Let's be candid here -- we know that most listeners don't care for the drives, even though they absolutely are necessary for the station’s fiscal health. We hope to use your feedback to make our drives, especially the spring and fall drives, do three things – 1) better serve your needs, 2) raise the money that we must have to operate the station in the black, and 3) end as soon as possible. We're proud of the fact that in just 2 years we have been able to go from 26 days of fundraising a year down to 18, thanks to your generosity. The real test is whether the 97.2% of hours we broadcast each year when we're not fundraising are valuable enough for listeners to decide to pledge. We will use your suggestions to help craft that critical fall drive, so thanks again.
We also had a great response to a recent giveaway of tickets to Cinematique, the film series we produce with Thalian Hall. Many contestants added comments. Here’s a sample:
Louise wrote:
Captions on non-foreign films would be appreciated by hearing-impaired persons.
Christina wrote:
We are new to the area and are so happy that we found the [Cinematique]. Thank you so much for presenting these indie films that you can't find at the regular movie theaters.
Kate wrote:
…what a gift to the community. Not only are we offered acclaimed movies … in a beautiful, historic setting, but we can sip wine while doing so! Thank you WHQR and Thalian Hall.
Thanks to all of you, and congratulations to our Cinematique ticket winners.
We’d love to hear from you on Friday Feedback, for your questions and comments, likes and dislikes about any aspect of the station. You can send us feedback by filling out a Comment below, by sending us an email message or by calling our Feedback line: 910-292-WHQR (9477). And thanks for your feedback.