KUCB's annual One Day Radio Pledge Drive took place on Friday, Oct. 14, and it was a huge success. This year, our goal was $20,000, and we beat that number by a big margin. At the close of our drive, we raised a total of $26,000 — more money than any fundraiser in KUCB history.
Our listeners contributed in a big way when we needed them the most. This year marked the second round of cuts from the State of Alaska, dropping our radio operations grant from $132,000 to $76,000. We also spent more than $5,000 over the summer when our KSKA transmitter failed and had to be replaced with cash reserves.
There are a few organizations that really stepped up and made our event a
success. The Grand Aleutian Hotel and the Norwegian Rat Saloon welcomed staff for mobile bidding stations. Unisea Hospitality matched the pledges of every Unisea employee who donated for a total of $1,056. Alaska Airlines provided a plane ticket for our membership drawing. Several corporations also gave significant cash contributions: Unisea Hospitality, OptimERA WiFi, Arctic Chiropractic, Offshore Systems, Inc., Harris Electric, and Mac Enterprises. A listener challenge to members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) made a big difference in our fundraising effort this year. ILWU members contributed 25 memberships totaling more than $3,000.
Thank you to our Board of Directors, our volunteers, and all of you who pledged to support community radio in Unalaska. We couldn't provide our programs and services without you!
Our membership drawing for the round trip Alaska Airlines plane ticket will take place on Wednesday, November 2, at 8 PM on Channel 8 Television.