Classical music station KUSC-FM passes 10,000-member milestone
They may not show up in the Arbitron ratings, but KUSC's Internet listeners made themselves heard where it counts: at the bank.
KUSC-FM (91.5), the L.A. area's only full time classical music station, reported Thursday that it received more than $1.1 million in pledges during its Feb. 4-12 fundraising drive, with 10,408 people offering donations.
"This is the first time we have met or exceeded 10,000 members," said Brenda Barnes, president of the public-radio outlet.
It helps that KUSC's musical mix of Beethoven, Brahms and Bach -- and the L.A. Philharmonic -- is simulcast on stations in Palm Springs, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara and Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo. But the Web increasingly plays a big role. Carrie Banasky, director of membership, said that the USC-owned station received pledges from listeners in 38 states and 11 countries.
Despite the larger number of donors, the amount raised was not a record. KUSC tallied $1.3 million in October 2007, with more than 8,500 contributors.
-- Lee Margulies
