Classical music station KUSC-FM passes 10,000-member milestone

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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