Make the begging stop - Seattle NPR

April 7, 2008 8:33 AM

What radio stations do you turn to while the NPR stations' pledge drives go on and on an on? I'm a KUOW listening with KPLU as a backup and this week both are begging. I need suggestions for listening between 6 and 9 am.
posted by susandennis to media & arts (16 comments total)

If you can incorporate streaming audio into your morning in lieu of OTA radio, you could try Oregon Public Broadcasting's stream, among many other net radio stations. Maybe not so much in the shower / car, though.
posted by mumkin at 8:43 AM on April 7

I don't live in Seattle, but KEXP sounds kinda neat.
posted by box at 8:47 AM on April 7

Or, if you can incorporate streaming audio, check out my home city's community radio station: KABF.
posted by box at 8:50 AM on April 7

Luckily, the two NPR stations I can get OTA in my area (WFYI-Indy, WBST-Muncie) run their pledge drives on different weeks. One usually winds-up just as the other one is starting. I also stream them throughout my work day (note to WBST...please ditch the RealAudio stream and join the mp3 world.)

The downside is that WFI carries a full NPR schedule throughout the day while WBST defaults to endless classical music between 9am and 2pm. So, when FYI does their pledge thing, I need to search for a streaming alternative.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:52 AM on April 7

Sorry if this seems like an obvious solution, but y'know there are a TON of podcasts from NPR / PRI / APM / The Beeb available. Everything from greatness like This American Life and Wait Wait to the horrible dreck like The Splendid Table. It's all there.

Every year I just burn a couple CDs of everything I missed and listen for a week. The pledge drives drive ME crazy.
posted by ImJustRick at 9:07 AM on April 7

hey, that OPB link is failing. Go here instead.
posted by mumkin at 9:27 AM on April 7

Well, I have NPR, Minnesota Radio, WBUR, WGBH and KCRW all bookmarked in iTunes. They run roughly the same stuff (though it's often staggered enough that if I miss CarTalk on one, I can still catch it an hour or two later). It's rare when they ALL run a pledge drive simultaneously.
posted by RavinDave at 10:08 AM on April 7

If you have access to the internet BBC Radio has many fine stations. Probably you want Radio 4 or World Service.
posted by Artw at 11:21 AM on April 7 [1 favorite]

I'm assuming you are not in a car driving between 6am and 9am? If so I recommend KCRW. We have two NPR stations here, and thank god their pledge drives have never overlapped yet. The other NPR here tends towards local news during the times you specified, so KCRW would be a better bet.

Someone needs to figure out a way to have two simultaneous streams for all NPR stations during pledge drive. The moment you pledge, you get access to the normal, no-begging stream. That would guarantee them my cash the moment pledge drive week began! I do love and support my NPR but I do hate the begging weeks, although of course I fully understand why they need to do it.
posted by Joh at 11:28 AM on April 7 [1 favorite]

Bellingham
KGMI
790

Centralia
KELA
1470

Ellensburg
KXLE
1240

Moses Lake
KBSN
1470

Omak
KOMW
680

Pasco
KFLD
870

Port Angeles
KONP
1450

Pullman
KQQQ
1150

Seattle
KTTH
770

Spokane
KQNT
590

Walla Walla
KUJ
1420

Wenatchee
KPQ
560

Yakima
KIT
1280
posted by kjl291 at 11:34 AM on April 7

Oh man, in Seattle we are lucky. I thank god every spring and summer that KEXP and KUOW don't do their pledge drives during the same week. I'd rather have news in the morning and music in the afternoon but I don't mind switching it up to avoid the pledge drive.

But seriously, give money to both of these stations, they each do an incredible job. Just think if we lived in a city where our only options were corporate commercial radio. Ick.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:49 AM on April 7

Another vote for the podcast option. NPR has a million of them on their website. Personally, I've found that nothing passes the time better on a hellish Seattle commute than an episode of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

Or, if you have Satellite radio, there's a station on XM (and probably on Sirius as well) that plays a lot of PRI content (Marketplace, This American Life, Bob Edwards, etc)... it's worth checking out. I often prefer it to KUOW, but then again, I can't stand listening to Steve Scher.
posted by stilly at 11:59 AM on April 7

Oh man I feel your pain, and I used to completely turn the radio off for weeks until I discovered that there are three NPR stations in the SF Bay area.
posted by rhizome at 11:59 AM on April 7

box is correct: KABF is full of win. Good stuff, and they do it for love of the game.
posted by middleclasstool at 1:00 PM on April 7

they podcast alot of their content just dl it the night before or while your showreing that morning
posted by swbarrett at 4:28 PM on April 7

I don't think KXOT is running the pledge drive this week, so if you're south of the Ship Canal there's that.

However, they run Diane Rehm from 7-9am. She makes Steve Scher sound good.
posted by dw at 6:36 AM on April 10