KGOU General Manager - Karen Holp

This is the Manager’s Desk.

Last week, I reported KGOU needs $557,000 in private donations for operational costs in FY-09.

It is a lot of money – but I have an idea.

Here is an important number: 60,000 people listen to KGOU every week. Let me repeat – sixty thousand people listen every week.

If every single listener gave $10, we’d have more than our goal.

Just wonder if half of those listeners made a donation of $20 – we’d reach our goal.

I could continue with the math, but you get the point. If everyone gave a little, we would make our goal. Last year, 2500 wonderful donors donated and we hope they will continue.

This year, we need more people to step forward and support this year’s programming.

Check out all the numbers from the last few weeks below. Then go to the online pledge form and make your gift.

Thank you.

From the Manager’s Desk, I’m Karen Holp.

From August 24 - 30

For the last two weeks, I’ve outlined the major expense areas for KGOU in FY-09 that total to about $930,000 (see below). The topic this week is how the KGOU staff will raise the money needed to operate KGOU.

The University of Oklahoma puts in about 26 percent of our direct cash needs, and then a lot more through non-cash support that is not reflected here. The University’s support has always been constant.

Another 14 percent of our cash income is from our annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This amount, too, is fairly steady.

That leaves 60 percent for KGOU staff to raise in private gifts from members and underwriters.

In plain numbers, this means in FY-09, KGOU must raise $557,000.

It sounds like a lot, but I have an idea. More on how we do that next week.

From August 17 - 23

Last week, I outlined the major expense areas for KGOU in FY-09 (see below). This week, a closer look at two major categories.

Outside programming costs are one-third of our expenses. Of those, NPR costs about $200,000 and Public Radio International is $72,000. The Associated Press is about $18,000, and then $17,000 for the rest – Jazz with Bob Parlocha, Native America Calling, and The Splendid Table, among others.

The largest category of expenses is salaries, wages and fringe benefits – about 50 percent of expenses. KGOU has nine full time staff – four and a half work in programming, one in engineering, two in marketing and fundraising and two and a half in administration. KGOU also has five part-time paid staff – four in programming and one in marketing and fundraising.

From August 10 - 16

We are nearly done preparing the new fiscal year budget and so I’d like to spend the next weeks talking about FY09.

KGOU is a $930,000 cash operation.

The expenses by department are:

Fifty-eight percent of KGOU’s direct cash expenses will be spent on buying and creating programming and another 10 percent on the engineering costs to deliver that programming to you. Then 17 percent is for marketing and fundraising, and 15 percent for administrative costs.

Another way to look at the expenses is by function:

About half of our direct cash expenses will be for salaries and fringe benefits for the full time and part-time staff. Thirty-three percent will be spent on buying programming from NPR, PRI and others. And just 17 percent will be spent on everything else.