Staff Meeting 12/7/14

Welcome to our final meeting of the semester/fall season!

Google Group (BS) Due to continued problems without staff list serve, we are going to migrate to a google group. This will be more reliable and keep an archive of all of our emails that you can check to see if you missed any.  Be on the lookout for an email request to join this group in the coming week.  (email address for the group for now: wesu_staff@googlegroups.com

– Fall program end date and transition to winter programming signups

     -sign-up sheet will be up at the station. first-come, first-serve basis.

     -respond to Ethan’s email if you want to have a weekly show in the winter.

– Spring programming:

     -form will be sent out soon for applying, fill out by January 1.

     -spring program to start in February.

Service hours (BG)
– Students should have their hours done by the time they leave for break.

– Community volunteers should have them completed by the end of 2014

-December zine is almost out! Thanks to the art mafia (esp. Joe and Pete for doing the layout) and everyone who submitted.

-email LW with the content of your public affairs shows at least 24 hours in advance, so she can share them.

-will start doing this more in the spring

-thanks to everyone who recorded promos this season!

-will be sending down a batch of promos to WSHU.

-Guide to Studio B, C, Audition, & a Happy Life: available for everyone

Thanks to the Board and staff who helped with special events and programming

While we didn’t have the resources we need to pull many off, we accomplished a lot and I really appreciate all who contributed, especially the following:

– BS for all his work on 75 years of as well as the rest of the DJs who contributed.
– LJ for assistance with the archives and for creating such a wonderful display at Olin library,

– DB for making sure the state and city didn’t let this landmark anniversary go by without notice and for using his Television show to help us spread the word.

– DW for organizing and producing our events. (and thanks for all the volunteers who pitched in, Sandbox for helping with decorations, and Lord Lewis for an awesome opening set.)

– IM – our work-study student, who helped in many ways behind the scenes.’
– Also VT and NM for their great design work on programs and logos, etc.

– AS for producing the short film of WESU history.

HE and MJ for their enthusiasm and encouragement and their willingness to lend a hand, no matter what the task, to help me stay on track. Thanks also to DP and BS the many other board and staff members who lent a hand in the success of our 75th anniversary program in one way or another.

The film!! If you haven’t seen it yet…. You should.  Let’s show it at the end of the meeting.  It’s also online, on our website.

Pledge Drive: current tally = still got $15K left to go.

$20k collective goal.

– if met, will help us stay on track for annual operations budget and get us a new mixing board to compliment some other upgrades coming our way. More on that later.

-$4K matching grant from the University provost, will go towards a new mixing board. good step towards raising our profile within the University.

-Maria: don’t be afraid to ask people for money! People want to be asked.

– If you listen to any of the public radio or TV drives – they fixate on goals for a reason.  We are not as sophisticated but the more we remind the audience of how they are helping us, with a concrete goal, the more likely they are to help.

– Tell the audience we are trying to replace our 20 year old mixing board and that will cost roughly $10K on its own!!

Packets are for you guys to reach out to new donors off air – this is easiest way to reach your goal.

Make a short list of potential donors, people who really like you and appreciate your radio show.  Perhaps family and friends or perhaps guests from your past shows.

Personal Goals – www.wesufm.org/goal

-Will send out an email with list of everyone who donate from last drive – take a look at how much money you brought in last season.

-Reasonable to shoot for anywhere between 100 and 1000 dollars. Will you lose your show if you don’t make your goal? No, of course not.

-Will that result from playing a few promos on air during your show? No, you have to work at it off air.

-Share your goal and with the people you pitch to and explain why it’s important that you make your goal: keep the station operating and replace our 20 plus year old mixing console that operates 24 hrs per day.

On air promotions: I said 6 per hour – shouldn’t be that big of a deal for most show, but just do your best. This helps ensure all our listeners know about the drive.  Some great ones in there including the local and recently reunited rock group “The Bus” doing their own version of Cream’s “Sunshine of your love.”  KS also wrote a song, which we will get in the studio as well as the brand new promos produced by this year’s Board.

Also worth noting:

– New this year! Kid shirts – small Children’s/toddler size (new classic size)

-Matching gifts? Many corporations like, Cigna, Philips, Pfizer, match their employees’ giving.

Upgrades: As mentioned earlier – there are several upgrades in the works:

     -Wireless audio: As of last week, WSHU engineers completed a big project and we are now receiving NPR/WSHU audio wirelessly from a satellite in Milford that sends it to our tower here in Middletown which also sends it wirelessly to our studios – thanks to WSHU engineers.

     -New security system, new scheduling system, 4 new PCs, new studio monitors,and real Comcast cable internet coming soon – should drastically improve our online access.

     -Backup power update: While we didn’t have the resources to make this happen this year, we have succeeded in raising awareness of the issue with the University and Local emergency management dept, who both are trying to help us out with this. We are now working with the university at the highest level in operations and with the grants dept. to seek out funding for this large project.

     -replacing whiteboard with a LED screen, attached to a Google calendar.

-Where are the pledge promos? – in a folder called “Pledge Drive Promos” on the air studio desktop.

-Pop-up window soliciting donations? – we’ll see if we can implement this.