Good news from WEMU in Michigan

Linda Yohn, Music Director for WEMU in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reports they have achieved their spring fundraising goal of $135,000.00 in pledges. She explained how they did it in a recent letter to latin jazz musicians:

As everyone knows, we are in challenging times and Michigan is the hardest hit with the nation's highest unemployment figures and the dicey situation for the automobile companies. But, despite the situation, WEMU listeners stepped up to keep us on the air pumping out great jazz, blues, Latin and roots music along with in-depth local news.

Perhaps the announcement that the Ann Arbor News will only deliver on Thursdays and Sundays starting in July had something to do with it. Perhaps the fact that the Detroit Free Press and News are down to three days a week of delivery influenced our listeners decision to give to support our excellent and inclusive local news.

We also think our message of uplifting, real, soulful, touching music to help people cope with tough times had something to do with the success. Perhaps our move to program our music more progressively and aggressively has something to do with it. The record reps know the sound we're working on, and I think it is the right direction for WEMU.

A final message we conveyed to listeners was that we are a real "community station". We reinforced that message by taking daytime music shows (me, Michael Jewett, Jeremy Baldwin and Dr. Arwulf along with a few morning news/talk shows) down to the lobby of the historic Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor for a 9 day remote broadcast. This was tons of work, but it was worth it. Rather than sit in our studios and wail "woe is me, the economy", we put our Sunday best on and went out in strength and unity. People ran in to the lobby and dropped pledges off. They came by for coffee and donuts with us. Local businesses volunteered to answer phones. It was totally chaotic with Michigan Theater events going on at the same time as our broadcast, but we got through it. We ARE "the little station that can".