The 'Save mvyradio' Campaign More Than Two-Thirds There

Hopeful Expectations!

WMVY/MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA is entering the final stretch in its SAVE MVYRADIO fund raising campaign, gaining pledges more than $480,000 towards the $600,000 goal.

The effort, led by station staff and mvyradio’s many supporters, is aimed at saving the independent sound and converting mvyradio to a fully non-profit, commercial-free operation. The move was prompted by the sale of the WMVY-FM frequency, 92.7, to WBUR, an NPR station in BOSTON looking to expand its listener base to the CAPE, ISLANDS and SOUTH SHORE of MASSACHUSETTS. (NET NEWS 11/27/2012)

"We are incredibly grateful to our listeners for digging deep and helping us save this independent, one-a-kind station," said PD PJ FINN.  "We're grateful for the generosity of every single listener who has stepped up and pledged, but we're not there yet. While we are confident we can make it, we do need to close that gap and time is running out."

The sale by ARITAUR COMMUNICATIONS to WBUR is now before the FCC, with a decision expected early this year.  While ARITAUR will use the sale proceeds to resolve its financial obligations, it is donating mvyradio’s assets, including all the content and equipment to the non-profit FRIENDS OF MVYRADIO which is administered by PUBLIC RADIO CAPITAL.  FRIENDS OF MVYRADIO would operate "mvyradio" as an online radio station, keeping all its current local programming, music and online content in place. At the same time, Friends of mvyradio would continue to seek a return to the FM dial.

Additional facts about the SAVE MVYRADIO campaign:

* The current total of $480,000, came from 3,054 listeners.

* Roughly one-third of the pledges have come from MASSACHUSETTS, with donors also hailing from 48 states and 14 countries, including NEW ZEALAND, ENGLAND, FRANCE, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, AUSTRALIA, ITALY, CANADA, OMAN and ISRAEL.

* The $600,000 mark represents one year’s operating budget for the station, and will keep all current programming in place. If the campaign is successful, the station will sell underwriting to help with those costs going forward.

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