KISU radio completes first fundraising drive

Short, sweet, and lucrative: Those adjectives describe the first-ever on-air fundraising pledge drive just completed by KISU-FM 91.1, which is broadcast from Idaho State University in Pocatello.

The radio station’s pledge drive ran from Oct. 25 through Oct. 31, and raised more than $6,600. More importantly, however, is the precedent it set and the potential future fundraisers hold.

“I’m just thrilled with the pledge drive and that we were actually able to do this, and by the generosity of our listeners,” said Jerry Miller, KISU station manager. “I know $6,600 may not seem like much, but this sets the stage for holding a lot more drives down the road. This is an explosive opportunity for us.”

KISU has been operating for more than seven years and, until this fall, was supported almost entirely by students’ fees. The station now plans to hold two on-air pledge drives each fiscal year.

Although most pledge-drive donors came from the immediate Pocatello community there were also a lot from Power and Bingham counties.

“I was also surprise by the number of donors we had from Bonneville County, considering our signal still isn’t as strong up there as we’d like,” Miller said.

In addition to dollars, the radio station also received important feedback from its listeners.

“I’m humbled by how many people responded and by the compliments those people paid to KISU,” Miller said. “We had natives of southeast Idaho and people who have moved in from out of state who said they were so glad they found KISU. I was also surprised by the number who said they preferred listening to KISU over other public radio stations in the market.”

About half the people who donated to KISU did so through an online form at the station’s Web site at www.kisu.org.

The station features an array of musical and informational programs, including nearly 30 hours per week of local programming. It also broadcasts ISU women’s sporting events.

For more information about the station’s programming, visit its Web site or call (208) 282-2688.