Dog Talk Newsletter

First of all, APOLOGIES for the awkward beginning and ending of the show – and the fact that you are getting it days late. There were technical difficulties, due to the fund drive and the show going a little longer than usual. So I’m sorry for the rough beginning and ending but especially want to extend my apologies to those wonderful listeners who actually wrote in and said “Hey! Where’s the show?!” Not surprising, except they emailed from Atlanta, Wisconsin, the Dutch West Indies and Geneva, Switzerland. Wow, I get to travel without the hassle of the airports.

Today’s show is the kick-off of the WLIU fund drive, which you know is something essential to the station’s survival since it is an NPR station, a public radio station. That means we don’t have deep-pockets advertisers (thank goodness) to sponsor the whole show. So who do you think should ante-up to keep this show rolling along? Yes! I’m talking about you…

I think that if you are lucky enough to be within the 88.3 live listening area, then you know you are the first people who need to reach in their pockets to support the station that has given DOG TALK its live weekly platform with our very own call-in number to connect me with you.

If you’re listening live by streaming the show on the internet, you, too, can call me live while you listen. That means you know how special this show is, too, and I’d hope you’d show that with a pledge.

And if you get the podcast that I arrange to have sent out every week – or you download it free from iTunes – don’t you think you can chip in a little to cover the costs? Most tunes on iTunes cost about a buck – and DOG TALK is on 52 weeks a year. So a $60 pledge is just about right. And DOG TALK is on for a whole hour, not just 2 minutes like a song, and you can keep it forever in your library, send it to friends, burn it on a CD and take it in the car with you.

So when you’re deciding about calling in a pledge, please realize the importance of every dollar to keep WLIU strong but especially to offset the costs of producing DOG TALK. The show is so young, just over 3 months old, that while we are growing our audience and evolving the show, WLIU is taking on the cost and responsibility of bringing you this show live every week. Wally Smith believes in it, and I am humbled by that support, but he needs to know from all of you that it means something special to you, too.

DOG TALK is the only dedicated live canine hour in the country and I want us all to look back with pride and say that we helped to create it. Just think about this - CAR TALK, the delightful and famous show that we at WLIU like to think of as my warm-up act, started as a tiny gleam in someone’s eye too, in Boston, and slowly overtook the country. Let’s show Wally Smith that his faith in America’s passion for pups is at LEAST as great as their interest in rusting Volvos.

If you’re debating whether or not to make the pledge to show your appreciation for DOG TALK, let me help you get off the fence by pointing out that WLIU represents more than just some nifty programming. It also represents the vital importance to us as Americans to keep National Public Radio alive and well – because a commercial-free arm of the media is the only really free voice. If this were commercial radio I would have to watch what I say about products and companies, I would be expected to tailor my remarks and advice to fit into an advertising plan. Instead, I can tell you the real truth, based on my research and interviews, about what are the best products and procedures for your dogs and cats - and there is no dollar amount high enough to protect that freedom. So with your pledge you are saying to WLIU, thank you for giving us the chance to be talked to as smart people who don’t want to be manipulated or have our pets’ lives influenced by a multi-national corporation that makes toothpaste, detergent – oh, and dog food – just because they are paying the electric bill. Let’s all chip in and keep the lights on – and keep our minds open – by making that pledge.

     So you can send a check made payable to
     WLIU 88.3 FM
     239 Montauk Highway
     Southampton, NY 11969-0803

     Or send your credit card number to that address with your signature

Or email me at asktracie@dogtalktheradioshow.com and give a credit card number (it will be destroyed after processing your pledge)

     Thanks for listening but especially for putting your money where my mouth is!

     Bow-WoW,
     Tracie Hotchner