The public radio KUNV 91.5 FM radio station is holding a membership drive from now until Oct. 30 in an effort to raise $50,000 in funding.
Monickie Scott is the KUNV 91.5 FM membership manager as of July. She explains that as a public radio station, KUNV is not able to get commercial advertising. Funding can come from a few sources like underwriting, where businesses can give a donation, and in return, the radio station can talk about the services the business provides.
The radio station will also receive funding from grants and memberships that range from $52 to $1,800. All the donations will go to all three channels, including the HD2 channel that is student run.
Twice a year, KUNV 91.5 FM holds a membership drive in October and April to raise funds to support the radio station. This funding goes right to staffing, equipment, licensing, training and everything that keeps the radio station going, Scott explained.
“Throughout the year we also ask for a donation, we’ll go on there and say, ‘Hey, we could really use your support,’” Scott said. “Remember, this is a listener-funded radio station.”
For this October fundraiser, to become a member the smallest contribution is $52, but listeners can donate any smaller amount. Listeners can also set their donations to a monthly contribution.
The membership started on Oct. 10 to Oct. 30, a 20-day fundraiser. Corporations and companies have helped and jumped in to support and even match listeners’ contributions in a span of time.
UNLV provides 91.5 FM with some resources, including the studio space and the office spaces.
“I have a friend and I told her I was doing a drive,” Scott said. “She lives in Minnesota and she was like, ‘Oh, I’ll support it!’ just because she’s my friend.”
Ashton Ridley, KUNV 91.5 general manager, commented that there was a point where the radio station was only playing jazz music and there were a little over 40,000 listeners. Now that the radio station moved to “jazz and more,” where it includes a larger variety of music, there are now just over 100,000 listeners.
“We have different fan bases,” Scott said. “ We have a blues fan base, a reggae fan base. We play Hawaiian music and jazz is the ultimate fan base.”
Students are really involved in the radio station, not like many other stations across the nation, according to Scott.
“A lot of places you go to, like I’m from the Southern California area and I had internships out in the Hollywood area, they don’t let you do a lot,” Scott said. “When they say, ‘Give us some coffee,’ that’s what some of the interns really did.”
Scott gets to take some of these donors’ calls and they are indebted to the students and grateful for their personalities and the music, Scott said.
Having a membership with 91.5 FM allows listeners access to exclusive events and giveaways.
Tune into KUNV 91.5 to donate today and support public radio!
