The exact opposite of a paid spokesperson

People are always saying highly enthusiastic and complimentary things about various organizations and companies and products in the media. And my immediate reaction is, “I wonder how much they were paid to say that.”

We live in a world of paid speech–top shelf lobbyists, compensated spokespersons, reputation managers, advertorial content writers, talking heads in the tank for a particular point of view. Sincerity has become a rare commodity, and all praise has become a little suspect.

That’s one reason it is so refreshing to be behind the scenes of a public radio fundraiser. People are remarkably generous in their comments–and far from being paid to say these things–they are writing them on comment forms accompanying their donations to the outfit they are praising. Sort of the exact opposite of a paid spokesperson.

Here are some excerpts from “love letters” NCPR has received in the course of our spring drive so far.

“The piece on homeless high school students was even better, in that the face portrayed was so multifaceted that she could never be considered JUST a victim, but a whole person to whom an unfortunate experience occurred and whose response was real, positive and inspirational without being Cinderalla-ish.”

“My kids used to change the radio station to their music and my daughter even wrote about me listening to NCPR in one of her college entrance essays….. then the other day our son who is 16 and drives our old (beat up, rusting) car to school came into the house telling me about something that he heard on NCPR that interested him.”

“We live in Northern Virginia and are obviously now out of your broadcast area (though I do still stream some of your original programming!), but you helped to keep me sane while I was a young Mom with a newborn and a 3-year-old at Fort Drum.”

“You get me up in the morning, give me all the national and global news I want and amazing insights into what’s going on in the North Country, and you keep my smart dog company all day. (Why is he so smart? He listens to NCPR all day!)”

“When I moved to the North Country this winter, I immediately looked for the local NPR station…. the local reporting has allowed me to begin to get to know the North Country in ways that would never happen via other media sources.”

“Just couldn’t go out on my last snowshoe of the season without donating to North Country [Public] Radio. The station is my lifeline all year.”

“Thanks for the reporting of the plight of homeless children in the North Country. It is a prime example of ‘digging deeper'”

“All our radios are tuned to NCPR, and we have a shortcut on our traveling laptop to link online to NCPR. Wherever we go (and sometimes that is very far!) you go with us.”

“A short time ago, I was sharing with my students something that I had heard on the radio. One of my students asked, ‘You are always telling us about stuff you hear on the radio.  What station do you listen to?’ I told him that everyone knows if you want to be smart, you listen to NCPR!”

“I really appreciate the way they [NCPR news] dignify all the people of the North Country by their respectful attitude to everyone and every subject.”

“Our home would not be the same without NCPR in the kitchen… especially Martha and Todd, whose voices have become part of the fabric of my morning. My grown children all now listen online from afar!”

“You would be surprised how frequently I use something I’ve heard on NCPR in class. My students probably think all I ever do is listen to the radio!”

“This is my first time donating to NCPR! I started a new job in December which requires me to be on the road for 6-8 hrs/day and the ONLY thing I listen to is NCPR.”

“I love the NCPR family – I feel I know you all.  Your programming is not pretentious but it is intelligent; fun, but not silly.  I appreciate that.”

Thanks to the generosity of spirit shown in these comments, and the generous contributions that they accompanied, we are well on the way to meeting our Saturday goal. But as of this writing, we still have more than $50,000 to go.

If you could have written any of these comments, if you feel this kind of connection to what North Country Public Radio does in your home, or car or community, now is the time to show your support. Thanks to everyone who has taken us this far. Now it’s up to others (you, perhaps) to finish the job.

Make a gift to North Country Public Radio right now.

 

Tags: listeningpost