I joke around a lot during KMUW’s pledge drives with my little song parodies and twangy banjo riffs. As a cartoonist, I guess I’m used to making light of serious issues. That’s what cartoonists do, after all.
But don’t let my silliness obscure the significance of public radio’s economic plight. Recessionary pressures affect us all, including this radio station. What if they had to lay off Click and Clack? What if Sylvia Poggioli or Garrison Keillor found themselves in line at a soup kitchen somewhere?
Don’t laugh. Layoffs have already hit the broadcasting industry. Recently, and earnest, objective young man by the name of Glenn Beck was given his notice by a prominent national broadcasting company.
When I first hear that news, the tears flowed down my face as if I was John Boehner—or, for that matter, Glenn Beck. I asked myself what I could do to help Glenn at this time of need. That’s when I came up with the Bring Back Beck Fund. I am issuing this challenge to KMUW listeners: for every donation you call in to this, your public radio station, I will put in my two cents worth toward my personal Bring Back Beck Fund. Money from that fund will be used to lobby Fox News to reinstate his show.
Folks, I have seen Glenn Beck’s program. Believe me, we don’t want this guy walking the streets. We have got to keep him as busy with his chalkboard as possible. It’s a public safety issue. And who better to defend public safety than Public Radio?
The Sedgwick County turnout in our last election was a measly 12.7%. As low as that is, it still beats the turnout numbers for how many of KMUW’s listeners donate to this station. Here’s your chance to pull KMUW above election turnout numbers, and, at the same time, help keep Glenn Beck off the streets.
