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Blue Ridge Public Radio is launching a fundraising campaign \u2013 Be the Lifeline<\/i> \u2013 designed to build sustainable financial support that will replace income lost from the federal government\u2019s defunding of The Corporation for Public Broadcasting.<\/p>\n
BPR, a lifeline for Western North Carolina residents after Hurricane Helene ravaged the area in September 2024, will lose $330,000 a year \u2014 9% of its annual revenue \u2014 as a result of the defunding. BPR\u2019s base of support has offered an outpouring of donations in response to the funding challenge. These early gifts safeguard trusted local journalism and keep high-quality music thriving on our airwaves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been so impressed with how our area is supporting us as we move to a totally private funding model,\u201d says Ele Ellis, BPR\u2019s CEO and general manager. \u201cWith many asking to help, it\u2019s the perfect time to ask our listeners to be our lifeline<\/i>, providing support that will help ensure our long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Be the Lifeline<\/i> campaign starts September 2, tied to BPR\u2019s next on-air fund drive. Then, a launch event, Be the Lifeline: A Community Benefit for BPR Featuring BJ Leiderman and Friends<\/i>, will be held Sunday, September 28, from 2:30 to 5 p.m., at Highland Brewing\u2019s event space in Asheville.<\/p>\n
Leiderman is a nationally known composer and musician whose theme music is heard on a variety of programs on Blue Ridge Public Radio, including Morning Edition<\/i>, Weekend Edition<\/i>, Marketplace,<\/i> and Wait, Wait\u2026 Don\u2019t Tell Me!<\/i><\/p>\n
The ticketed fundraiser, at $25 per person (children 12 and under are free), is open to the public and will also feature interactions with BPR on-air staff and station leadership.<\/p>\n
The campaign\u2019s artwork, produced by North Carolina artist Brittain Peck, will be a prominent part of Be the Lifeline\u2019s <\/i>social media, online, and advertising campaigns. The artwork evokes the famous scene in the 1989 movie Say Anything<\/i> when Lloyd Dobler (played by John Cusack) holds a boom box aloft playing Peter Gabriel\u2019s \u201cIn Your Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, the community experienced firsthand just how essential public radio truly is. BPR\u2019s team spent hours a day telling people where to get food and water. For days \u2014 or even weeks in some cases \u2014 BPR supplied the only voices that some could hear after the storm.<\/p>\n
The BPR staff\u2019s work has been recognized nationally with a slew of awards, including two prestigious Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, one award from the Online News Association, five Green Eyeshade Awards from the Society of Professional Journalism, and three awards from the Public Media Journalists Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s by coming to the event at Highland Brewing, or by making a contribution online, we know WNC residents will come through in this time of need,\u201d says Travis Childs, chair of BPR\u2019s board of directors. \u201cBlue Ridge Public Radio is critical for delivering local news to our area, and that was never more apparent than in the weeks and months after Helene.\u201d<\/p>\n