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(204) 474-6610
A Little Background Info...
With a return to Winnipeg’s airwaves in 1998, UMFM has been providing a diverse range of music, talk and specialty programming to Winnipeg. As with any organization, we have changed and evolved over the years but at its core, UMFM maintains a mandate to provide our listeners with a forum for music and voices that otherwise go unheard.
Since 1998, our operating budget has consisted mostly of student fees and ad revenue. While times have changed, funding from the student fees has stayed pretty static, ad revenue has decreased considerably, and the cost of running a community radio station has steadily continued to rise. While we are constantly exploring alternative revenue streams that allow us to maintain our daily operation costs and undertake necessary larger capital projects that allow us to grow for the future, we rely on the funds raised during Pledge-O-Rama to help us make our goals a reality.
We’re raising funds for our eighth consecutive year, hopeful that it will continue to bring us all a little closer to this great community that we all know and love so much!. Pledge-O-Rama 2019 runs from October 18th, starting at 6:30 PM (starting with Thank God It’s Free Range) and ends on October 25th at 8 PM, culminating with Thank God It’s Free Range, where it all began a week earlier!
Why We Doing This
With Pledge-O-Rama now in year 8, once again we ask you, our loyal listening audience, for financial support — we know that you love UMFM’s programming and personalities and that you understand how valuable independent campus and community radio is in this day and age!
In case you needed so additional convincing, here’s a few more key reasons why:
This year, 100% of funds raised during Pledge-O-Rama will go towards a major project that we’ve identified as our main priority: replacing our broadcast antenna!
- We are replacing our antenna for a couple of primary reasons – first, the current antenna is more than 20 years old and is starting to show a little wear and tear. Additionally, before we renew our current radio license in 2021, we need to become compliant with some new safety regulations regarding human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields that are now in place for all broadcasting antennae, including ours atop the Richardson Building. By replacing the antenna, similar to how we did with our transmitter a couple of years ago, we will maintain our compliance with all safety codes and will hopefully see key improvements in our signal and broadcast range — we see it as a huge win all around!
- We need to stress that this will not increase our wattage from it’s current 1200 watts, but if we do not make the changes necessary, it may mean that we have to turn down the antenna’s power for longer periods of time, perhaps even permanently, in order to maintain safe radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic levels. Replacing our antenna is not work that we take lightly, but the process is a costly endeavor that involves engineering inspections, structural analysis, purchase and installation of the components, not to mention all of the testing that will come afterwards.
We are 100% confident that meeting, and hopefully surpassing, our Pledge goal in 2019 would mean that we could tackle this project head on! Keep in mind, we run a pretty tight ship at UMFM when it comes to spending, so rest assured any extra funds left over are always put to good use!
- Our listeners provide the roadmap for our future. With the cost of running a radio station consistently on the rise we rely on friends of UMFM, like you, for support in helping us continue to bring you the best quality programming for years to come.
- Past Pledge-O-Rama success has allowed us to replace our transmitter, purchase field recording and remote broadcasting equipment, maintain all of our major broadcast gear, maintain and upgrade our live recording studio, replace and upgrade computers that are essential to our operation and build this beautiful website you are reading right now. It also goes towards everyday incidentals such as mics, cables, headphones, turntable maintenance and needles. Finally, listener support during Pledge-O-Rama also helps pay fixed costs like radio tower rent, network maintenance and utilities.
- The main point here is that fundraising is NOT a choice for the station, it’s a NECESSITY. We take this seriously and your generous donations go a long way towards improving service that UMFM provides not only to our campus, but also this beautiful community that we live in!
What We Do
- We broadcast a wide array of music, from indie rock to jazz, funk to folk, loud to hip-hop and everything in between, not to mention our sports coverage and great spoken word programming. UMFM distributes a wide assortment of sounds and information to its listeners and offers a ‘hit-free’ alternative to regular radio with a focus on local and national artists and affairs.
- Along with our on-air programming, UMFM has always done its best to support the arts in our community. From sponsoring the city’s amazing music and arts festivals, to helping local bands with promotion, UMFM has been a strong presence in Winnipeg’s music and arts scene since its inception.
- UMFM boasts a state-of-the-art recording and production facility that has recorded some amazing sessions. Our live band room has given UMFM the ability to support local talent and give them a venue to record their first demo, live session on UMFM, or perform live to air.
- UMFM is a strong supporter of student groups across campus, and community organizations across the city. We’ve never hesitated in airing their Public Service Announcements and have always given interested student groups time slots on our airwaves and the resources to program and run their own shows.
- In return for providing these services, we are reaching out now to our loyal listeners, our friends and our family. Maybe some of you have won tickets or prizes on one of our shows. Maybe you’ve phoned in and had your request played or have been interviewed and expressed your opinion on air. Or maybe you’ve attended some of the events that we’ve sponsored or you’ve been turned onto some amazing new music by one of our many shows!
Whatever the case, now is the time to show us your support by calling in and pledging to UMFM, a station that’s as big a part of your life as it is ours!
How To Pledge
Plainly stated, during Pledge-O-Rama 2019, our goal is to raise is $36,000. Starting at 6:30PM on October 18th and running through to 8PM on October 25th, our hardworking show hosts and volunteers will be hitting the airwaves and taking your calls in in an effort to reach our goal. $36,000 isn’t an arbitrary number to us, it represents roughly 15% of our operating budget goes a long way in assisting with the day to day maintenance and operation of UMFM. After Pledge-O-Rama kicks off, we’ll be answering those phones daily from 6AM until 3AM. However, if you miss during our prime pledge hours, you can just leave us a message at 204−474−6610 or drop us a line at pledge@umfm.com and one of our Smooth Phone Operators will get back to you ASAP! Or if you want to come down to the station during Pledge-O-Rama to pledge your support in person, we’d love to see you.
Obviously no donation is too small or too large, we’re grateful for all of your support. Our aim is to make pledging to UMFM as pain free a process as possible, so we’re offering you a number of different payment options and payment plans to pay your pledge. Your Pledges can be made over the phone (204−474−6610), in person (Room 310, University Centre) or online. You can pay in one lump sum, or you can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or in whatever other configuration that works for you, it’s just that easy. Pledges may be paid by in person at UMFM Headquarters, Room 310 University Centre, Monday through Friday from 10AM until 5:30PM. We’re happy to accept the following forms of payment:
- Cash
- Cheque or Money Order **(Made Payable To “UMSU Endowment Fund” if requesting a tax receipt; write “For Donation to UMFM in Memo Field”)**
- Visa or MasterCard
- Pre-Authorized Credit Card Payments based on your preferred schedule
- Paypal
Please note that we can only accept in person payments during regular office hours, 10 am to 5:30 pm, Monday thru Friday. If you want to ensure that we can accommodate you, you can always phone ahead at 204−474−7027!
Incentives
Now obviously, the biggest incentive of all that any pledgee can receive is knowing that your are supporting the quality, community-supported programming that UMFM provides on a daily basis. However, we’d like to thank all of our listeners who pledge, and will be offering some great incentives, including your choice of of some limited edition UMFM merchandise or a tax deductible receipt. Learn more on our incentives page.
Special Bonus Draws!
$75 - everyone who donates at this level or above gets an entry into a draw for a daily Half Pints prize pack and also into the grand prize draw for a private brewery tour & tasting for you and up to 20 friends after which you’ll leave with a gift certificate good for a keg of your choice!
$101.50 - everyone who donates at this level or above gets an entry into a draw for one of three weekend passes to the 2020 Real Love Summerfest, taking place from July 27th thru the 28th in Teulon, Manitoba! Plus one lucky winner will win a passes to both the 2020 Real Love Summerfest and the 2019 Rainbow Trout Music Festival, complete with camping!
$150 - everyone who donates at this level or above gets one entry into our now famous golden ticket contest — participating venues this year include The Park Theatre, The West End Cultural Centre, The Pyramid Cabaret, The Good Will Social Club, The Handsome Daughter, The Garrick, Jazz Winnipeg, and The Winnipeg Folk Festival!
$250 - everyone who donates at this level or above gets three entries into our now famous golden ticket contest — participating venues this year include The Park Theatre, The West End Cultural Centre, The Pyramid Cabaret, The Good Will Social Club, The Handsome Daughter, The Garrick, Jazz Winnipeg, and The Winnipeg Folk Festival!