WFMU fundraising marathon 2012

Starts Feb 20! Jeez, check out that Global Domination bag.

https://www.wfmu.org/marathon/tch.shtml

https://www.wfmu.org/marathon/pledge.php

I just helped my friend Duane put together the Premium Cd for his show. It's all exclusive and unreleased tracks donated by folks like Dam Funk, Phenom. Handclap Band, Ex-Cops, MNDR... Very fun.

Duane is cool!

I've been able to bump the amt of my pledge a few dollars each year that I've given, but this year it'll have to be the same, possibly a little less. Sorry WFMU! But you'll get something, it won't be the big goose egg.

During Miss. Public Broadcasting's last fund drive, I was shocked when I realized their goal from listeners for a 2-week appeal was $150,000, and they still didn't reach it. But they some corporate underwriters, compared to none for WFMU.

I labelled the pre-marathon mailings for at least one ilxor last week.

I think the Ken & Andy 7SD Sex Tape is perhaps the scariest premium ever. (even w/ them just doing commentary)

my pledge is taken care of, yours?

Starts today!

Gonna give til it hurts.

In a world where a Kickstarter project with a goal of $58K can hit a million bucks, these guys should hitting their goal in Week One. Give give give!

this looks cool - http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/02/the-yo-la-tengo-cover-of-todd-rundgren-youve-been-waiting-for.html

1. The Dahlmanns—Ring Ring (originally by ABBA)
2. The Ray Mason Band—Come and Get Your Love (originally by Syreeta)
3. Frank Lee Sprague—Can’t Get Enough of Your Love (originally by Barry White)
4. Bambi Kino—You’re 16 (originally by Ringo Starr)
5. Stevie Jackson, of Belle & Sebastian—Rock Your Baby (originally by George McCrae)
6. The Bo-Keys featuring Percy Wiggins—Stuck In The Middle With You (originally by Stealers Wheel)
7. Joe Pernice—Different For Girls (originally by Joe Jackson)
8. Yo La Tengo—I Saw The Light (originally by Todd Rundgren)
9. Dennis Diken with Bell Sound—Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (originally by Edison Lighthouse)
10. Paul Collins—Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling (originally by The Fortunes)
11. Shibboleth—Rockford Files (originally by Mike Post)
12. Splitsville—How Deep Is Your Love? (originally by the Bee Gees)
13. Mike Viola—Lonely Boy (originally by Andrew Gold)
14. The Explorers Club—Don’t Pull Your Love (originally by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds)
15. Jay Sherman-Godfrey—Couldn’t Get It Right (originally by Climax Blues Band)
16. The Minus 5—Arms Of Mary (originally by Sutherland Brothers and Quiver)
17. Mike Doughty—Take Me Home, Country Roads (originally by John Denver)
18. Bucky—Band Of Gold (originally by Freda Payne)
19. Eugene Edwards—I Hear You Knocking (originally by Dave Edmunds)
20. Frank Bango—You Wear It Well (originally by Rod Stewart)
21. Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby—Guitar Man (originally by Bread)
22. The Chandler Travis Philharmonic—Right Back Where We Started From (originally by Maxine Nightingale)

these dj premiums, i tell ya. what to choose? most fundraising drives kind of turn me off or overwhelm me, i dunno. the wfmu drive, almost uniquely, just makes me all excited.

Can't wait for #tomthon

I was one phone away from taking tokyo rosemary's pledge today.

101 G by Schapling cult :o

I had the livestream running at work during #tomthon today, putting headphones on when I could. It was so great once the cameraperson caught on to frame in tight on Gary The Squirrel whenever Scharpling was operating him.

what was that trembling-voiced character TS was doing? I'm not sure I've heard the name "Gilson Lavis" spoken aloud in 30 years, or ever.

That's Gary the squirrel, who is a self-proclaimed film buff, has a terrifyingly encyclopedic knowledge of box office stats, and hates AP Mike.

http://i.imgur.com/5zI1D.gif

and is a big Squeeze fan obv

Yay, pledged, "Amory" mispronounced as always.

I've always thought Monica and Pseu should be on during the Oscars, so last night may be as close as we get.

so i don't listen to 7 second delay for a couple of years, and now they have a sex tape?

Hodgman holding a pint of coffee in the background of the phone room on the video stream. #tomthon

Dave the Spazz and Rex are a hoot together.

"The goal is more than I've ever paid for an automobile."

"So, $200...?"

Yo La Tengo in 20 mins

Pseu & Gaylord on da cam

89%. Big Push.

awesome, i hope they hit it - the premiums and marathon programming were both great this year, and i was very happy to be able to afford a mouse pledge finally

i'd pay good money (again!) to be a fly on the wall during the 7sd sex tape commentary recording session

i'd rather have been at last week's show when Ken stuck his finger in Andy's nose.

Yeah, I actually checked some of the swag boxes this year after getting nothing last year.

just donated a tiny amount, but hey every little bit counts, right?

tylerw, of course!

Looking forward to Maxwell's & the Hoof and Mouth tonight.

95%!!

I did my part to push it to 92% this morning - Destination:OUT promo CD pour moi

donated! usually pledge to john allen's show, was still tempted by jeffrey davison's private press folk comp. he's a cool guy.

just got back from finale.... so apparently $8,000 short?

Never thought I'd get to hear Ira Kaplan play the sax solo from "Careless Whisper."

now less than 3G away!

MADE THE GOAL, 16 hours after the end.

I haven't jumped into the October stealth'raiser yet, spose I should just for the War on Christmas comp:

https://www.wfmu.org/marathon/tch.shtml#pr50

only 51% of month's goal raised... shake some action, ppl

Post-Spotify, my WFMU listening is way down this year, but I done my duty anyway.

I mailed a check today. The archives have been a welcome respite from recent woes, particularly.

91.1 signal off the air

both signals still down

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/47993

http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/hoboken-wakes-up-to-flooding-destruction-and-power-outages-after-sandy-ravages-through-town#photo-11954095

"A biker". Go Ken!

He hadda turn back

record fair has been cancelled :(

just came here to post that.

dang, can't say i'm surprised though.

boo (tho I would likely not have made it)

The fair supplies a crucial slice of revenue, I'm kinda worried about the short-term health of the station (even more). I'd recommend upping yr donation if at all possible.

/rupture broadcast from his living room last night.

Apparently the power's back on at the studio -- Scott W in comments says that's where he's broadcasting from.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdalton/8142819122/

from the comments this afternoon...

@12:21 Ken:

Hello all, I just raised Trouble's goal I am sorry to say but we are finding so much damage to our equipment today its not even funny and I am scared shitless for the station financially speaking, between the damage and the huge loss of money from the cancelled record fair. So I will be raising goals all over the place. Shit has gotten real.

Thanks to all who have given, and if you haven't yet, please please please, as the Godfather off would say.

The Ichiban Rock & Soul server is dead. Ouch. GIVE.

yeah, Silent Fundraiser gettin' extended and less silent out of necessity.

damn, i noticed they weren't on the air, but didn't know it was this bad. i'm going to throw them some bux after i get my next paycheck.

Yeah, power surge damage did a number on them. No phones and a bunch of dead servers. But they are broadcasting online, and it's been fantastic radio.

Record Fair is Cancelled and it's all Sandy's Fault
Due to the havoc, chaos, lack of electricity in NYC and general sludge based misery (who knew there was so much sludge in the world?) following Hurricane Sandy, we've had no choice but to call off the Record Fair. All dealers will be refunded their payments, and the Fair will return in the Fall of 2013. And this new 'Future Fair' will be even better, with flowing white robes, a teleportation booth and floating symetrical rings adorning everything. And a bonus performance from the recently cloned John Denver! We're very sorry about this, but the Metropolitan Pavilion has no power, mass transit in NYC is still not working and there are no estimates as to when electric or transit will return to normal and we don't want a whole Mad Max thing on our hands. We know you guys, give you half a chance and you'll go completely Road Warrior on us. Our apologies to anybody who is inconvenienced by this. You could replicate that Record Fair vibe at home by getting a stranger in a t-shirt that's too small for him to sit behind a table in your rumpus room and ignore you as you rifle through his Night Ranger out-takes. Try it, it's fun! All kidding aside, the cancellation of the record fair is a financial disaster for us: it turns an event that wouldve raised $70,000 into an event that loses almost that much. We've extended our silent fundraiser until November 17th in a valiant effort to remain solvent. Please make a disaster recovery pledge, the station has NEVER been in such a cash-poor state as it is now, due to the electrical damage we suffered from Sandy and the huge loss from the record fair: Pledge Here NOW. Please. Thank you.

Hurricane Sandy Kicks WFMU's Ass!

The aftermath of Frankenstorm (actually Frankenstorm was the name of the doctor, it really should be called Frankenstorm's Monster) left WFMU with no electricity in our Jersey City studios, and at BOTH of our FM transmitters (91.1 FM and 90.1 FM). We tried rubbing many balloons on our heads and holding it near the equipment, but no dice. For two days, we streamed WFMU in Exile from various DJs' homes, or the shanties and mini-vans that they call their 'homes'. Despite that shanty crack in the previous sentence, our DJ's are just the best and we perpetually salute their dedication. On Thursday morning, we resumed (semi-)normal programming after electricity was restored to our studios. And then reality started settling in, as we discovered tons of critical equipment that was fried by the electrical chaos that Sandy hurled our way. And both of our FM transmitters are still down.

Fortunately, everybody from the WFMU staff is safe, and miraculously WFMU's basement did not flood, despit the Hudson River coming within 50 feet of our front door. We credit our lack of flooding to our slavish worship of Ahpuch and Thamuz, plus that carp we sacrificed (delicious). The photo above is Station Manager Ken attempting to get to WFMU via his bike during the end of the storm. Not seen in picture: tears. Meanwhile, the misery and desperation in our community is mind boggling. The environment around Hudson County, Staten Island, Rockaway, lower Manhattan and Brooklyn is akin to the film The Road. Or The Walking Dead. No, it's Road Warrior.. Wait, it's actually a bit more like The Road. Nah, it really feels kind of like The Day After Tomorrow, but with the soundtrack to The Road. With the flashback sequences of Terminator 2. But with a fat governor instead of a killer liquid robot. But with your help, we will make it feel like Herbie Goes Bananas real soon. Please help!

Silent Fundraiser Extended
With all the damaged gear we're discovering, and with the cancellation of the Record Fair, WFMU desperately needs your support. Our silent fundraiser will be extended a few extra weeks, giving us more time to raise the funds we need to get through the next few months and to hopefully make up for lost income due to the Record Fair going kaput. Pledge now to help us get through this very difficult time. Money can't buy you love, but it can buy transmitter codecs, computer servers, and all the other stuff a radio station needs to regain (ab)normalcy.

do you have a link for that TWU?

http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a2fea4b1d026124fe8c3d151b&id=394df87706&e=884d75281f

ah, that's odd, I didn't get the Blast email yet.

Gave last week's amt again this week. If these guys go under, I'll never forgive somebody (probably Morbs).

I wonder if anybody's ever nominated Ken F. for a Macarthur.

Doesn't Scharpling have some heavy-hitter friends at this point. Would they let WFMU go under?

I just gave a c-note. Thanks for the nudge!

Doesn't Scharpling have some heavy-hitter friends at this point. Would they let WFMU go under?

The Ettes should have a spare mill to drop on it, yeah

i'm urging my record friends to give what they would have spent at the Record Fair.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2012/11/jersey_city_radio_station_wfmu.html

everyone go channel some of your post election euphoria into an important cause! Best radio station ever.

will listen to Ken's State of the Station later... He has said the station is in no imminent danger of going under, as long as they can raise the cash.

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/48087

duane doing 2+ hours of prince rarities earlier today was a real highlight

Sending good FMU thoughts their way

i gave a little bit. it all helps, right? not even the heaviest of listeners, but it's still the best thing in the world.

Listened to the State of the Station earlier -- losses (some hopefully recoverable) amt to a quarter million.

that's the same figure they've been saying all week, btwn record fair and equipment damages

(ie is there any change in the breakdown now?)

90.1 still off the air.

I'm sad and worried about the whole thing.

WNET and WNYC getting damage $$$ from the CPB just makes me spit

(don't really begrudge NYC so much but damn FMU deserves some of that aid)

is the post-Sandy 91.1 signal weaker than usual? I'm not picking it up.

Hell & High Water goal met!

I was tickled to see that news this morning. Ken's State of the Station update sounded very hopeful; if they can pry out some insurance money and get their venue fee back for the record fair, seems like they could actually be in a stronger position than before the storm. Moving the record fair to September next year seems like a good move too, though from now on there's not going to be any such thing as a time of year when the weather can't fuck up event planning.

ok, I haven't heard that one

His show today, at the 2.5 hr mark

hey The War on Christmas premium comp is here! just in time to drown out Andy Williams in the waiting room.