>Now there's an intriguing thought, that a station can make the fund drives not only bearable but enjoyable. More of them should try it!
>
>Would you like to sign up for my free monthly direct deposit service? Again, there is absolutely no service charge. Just tell me how much you want to deposit in my account every month and I will handle all the details.

Sounds interesting. Don't call me, I'll call you.

>
>>I'm a perpetual supporter of Jazz.fm here in Toronto (they take x dollars from my credit card monthly until I tell them to stop). Obviously, it's also a public station, and survives 50% on listener support and 50% on 4 minutes of advertising per hour (usually all lumped together at the beginning of the hour). They used to have campaigns every so often, but due to complaints, they now only have 2 per year - spring and fall. They run for 2 weeks, and most of the DJs take requests with donations. I have to admit to the perversion of actually enjoying the fund-raising periods. Most of the DJs are inventive and fun to listen to. I especially like when Heather Bambrick puts on a very heavy Newfoundland accent and, pretending to be her own mother, exhorts people to send money. She's hilarious.
>>
>>>The NPR fundraising campaigns bug me even more, since I spend more time listening to NPR than watching PBS. I have contributed to them but it's gotten to the point that as soon as I hear one of their fundraising spiels I change the station.
>>>
>>>>If it's not advertising, then it's those pesky fund raising specials that PBS has every so often instead. I donate to PBS because I really do enjoy the shows they choose (even if they are old) and I enjoy watching them without commercials. However, it seems like the fund raising is on about every 2 months these days and that interrupts the schedule I do enjoy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Since advertising pays for the shows' (and in some cases the channel's) existence, it would all go away... A few stations have gone off the air shortly after they first broadcast.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Which sucks - there is no other viable model to publish anything or have a service (on either web, or TV or paper) and make money on it, but via advertising.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Have you ever *heard* of HBO ? <g>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>As the means of distribution is more efficient viewers will be able to be more selective and buy what they want. No ads, just pay for content. The trick is to be able to make the content available to a wide enough market that highly specialized tastes can be served.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sounds more like the internet than any kind of broadcast TV, including HBO. HBO has a much smaller audience than the "big 4" networks but it still numbers in the tens of millions. No question the whole television model is in a period of transition.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As an aside, I am letting my HBO subscription go as soon as "The Wire" ends in a few weeks. All the series I liked will be gone.
>>>>>
>>>>>You're just bitter because they cancelled 'John from Cincinatti' <g>
>>>>>
>>>>>I imagine there will always be some kind of advertizing funded 'broadcast' TV. But the share will continue to dwindle.