On behalf of the Crazy Smart Radio players, I want to humbly thank you for choosing to listen to KOSU and for choosing to support this public radio station during our eight day membership drive that ended October 16.
Our goal was to encourage at least 1,500 of you to invest in your listening future during the drive and we finished with 1,530 pledges and $238,000 dollars raised! We are very grateful to each of you for choosing to become a member of KOSU and for making a financial commitment to a public radio service that brings you Oklahoma and the world story by story and song by song.
You can donate to KOSU here!
I also want to recognize my team for going the extra mile as they always do to create and curate our content. Thank you Paula Brown, Ken Boyd, Bob Buford, Michael Cross, Jenny Mae Harms, Jenny Heinrichs, Rachel Hubbard, Ryan LaCroix, Ferris O’Brien, Joanna Self, Julie Porter Scott, Dan Schroeder, Chris White for all you do for KOSU. And behind every Crazy Smart staff person is at least one student who catches us when we fall and can’t get up. Thanks to Kyle Cunningham, Kyla Williamson, Ryan Bower, Billy Muschinske, Trinity Statum, Crystal Huffman, Danniel Parker, Justin Bennett, Kate Strum, Savannah Titus and Diana Martinez for all you do.
A big thanks goes out also to our local music show hosts (from The Spy and otherwise) that bring you music throughout the day and night: Clayton Bahr, Kenworth, Beau & Kellen, Jon Mooneyham, Grace Gordon, Juke Joint Jenni, Katie Wicks, E-Roy, Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb, Greg Johnson, Brad Piccolo, John Cooper, Ryan Drake, Gray Thomas, Baylor Thomas and Dan Sewell.
I also need to thank those that take time out of their day to give us weekly and monthly content: Marie Price, Matt Carney, Ryan Kiesel, Neva Hill, John and Elizabeth Tankard, Jennifer James McCollum, Jennifer Martin, Jennifer Dennis-Smith, Jennifer Lindsey McClintock and Gerry Bonds.
I also want to thank the more than four dozen Crazy Smart volunteers who woke up early and hung out late to help you connect with us during the drive. And our bellies and spirits thank the local businesses that donated food and beverages during our membership drive: Elemental Coffee, t, an urban teahouse, Kitchen No.324, Prairie Gypsies and Pie Junkie.
I also want to recognize the leadership of Oklahoma State University, including Gary Shutt, Gary Clark, Kathy Elliot, Joe Weaver and Burns and Ann Hargis. KOSU has been most fortunate to work with these people, who recognize the value that KOSU brings to the land grant mission of outreach and education. Thanks to OSU, this station has been able to secure its presence in all of the communities it serves.
As we look ahead, I am excited to report that KOSU will soon re-establish a strong broadcast signal in Ponca City. Since our signal expansion into Oklahoma City nine years ago, listeners in Ponca City have had a difficult time hearing us at 91.7 FM. But by the end of March 2015, we will sign on a brand new translator station at 94.9 FM that will simulcast all of KOSU’s programming, providing a broadcast signal that will be 100 times stronger than our current coverage in the city. We have reached an agreement with the City of Ponca City to locate the translator station on one of its water towers and are now visiting with major supporters and listeners in the area to share with them the good news.
I am also very excited to announce two significant and specific gifts to KOSU. My deepest thanks go to the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation for a $120,000 gift earmarked to outfit our large performance studio in downtown Oklahoma City for live broadcast and Internet streaming. We have already seen a tremendous response to our listening room – some 5,000 people have experienced music and conversations at KOSU on Film Row since the studio opened in September 2013. More people have come through our doors in one year than in the previous 58 years combined. KOSU hopes to launch live broadcasting and streaming from the performance studio in Oklahoma City by next summer.
Another amazing gift comes to this station from longtime supporters Tom and Evelyn Gosnell in memory of their daughter Casey. This $120,000 gift will support the establishment of an endowed student reporter internship to be named after Casey. Her willingness to give was an inspiration to all of us at KOSU and we intend to honor her memory by extending the spirit of her generosity to future students who are interested in learning the art of public radio storytelling. To that end, we are forming a committee that will work with KOSU and the Gosnells to establish the criteria for the Casey Gosnell Internship and will be selecting our first student by next summer.
From the six figure gifts that empower us to train future radio journalists and build community through local content, to the $5 pledge in support of our electric bill, KOSU has a lot of friends. Some of you we know very well. Many of you we have never met in person. But to everyone, we say thank you. Our collective journey in this world continues and we look forward to sharing the ride with you.
