A Desperate Letter to a Man That I KNOW Can Save Me!

Dear Ira,

I've been slogging through the WABE (Atlanta) pledge drive for what seems to be the fourteenth week (rather than the ninth day) which of course means that I listen a lot.  As I started typing, you were berating Megan for her pledging deficit. (I also heard you do your magic with the guy that stammered his way through your low key questioning on just why he listened and didn't cough up a few bucks.)  You're much better at the guilt than which ever Baldwin brother has been on lately, I've got to say.

You might have some influence with WABE that I don't have.  You see, I don't want to be a member, I don't want a gift, I don't want to talk to anyone with WABE or read the barrage of what WABE sends me when I give money.  I just want to give some money in return for what I get.  For a number of years after being barraged for more money after giving, I quit giving.  A couple of years ago I started giving again, having been expressly promised that no one would contact me.

And of course, computers have more control than humans and each year I get Emails.  Each year I threaten to stop giving, the latest being a few weeks ago when I got an Email telling me that WABE loved its loyal listeners "like me" and wanted to let me know that I would be getting an Email survey from an independent company to find out what I want to listen to and what I liked about the station and didn't like.  I got the promised Email survey (some promises WABE keeps) and filled it out taking the opportunity to tell the independent people about my ire with yearly broken promises and a vow to not contribute again.

Then, for the third or fourth time in the now seemingly six month current pledge drive (did I say I spend a lot of time listening to WABE?) I heard your voice with the aforementioned Megan and was inspired!

In the event you know anyone down here, say Lois Reitzes, John what's his name, the COO, Denis O'Hare, the Burris kid on the weekends, any of the new reporters that my money has played a small part in hiring (they aren't great yet but they are persistent and not too bad), could you, would you, make one of your calls and question them on why they harass someone who gives them money and asks and pleads not to be bothered?  I'd really like to know why it's so hard to give them money.  I bet they'd pay attention to you, if for no other reason that you'd take the piece to say, who?  Fox News would love it!  Juan Williams could do a series of diatribes about the idiocy of the government funded, insensitive, liberals at NPR.  

Best regards,

Dave