The station hopes to raise a total of $350,000 to replace its transmitter, which is the same one they've had since first going on the air 43 years ago in 1970. (The usual life of a transmitter is around 30 years, according to the campaign materials.)
Although WSIE historically has been funded by the state of Illinois, the state's own financial struggles in recent years not only have prevented investment in the station, they actually have resulted in serious funding cuts, leaving them with no budget for new equipment. And although WSIE in the last couple of years has begun conducting on-air pledge drives to raise money from listeners, their development operation isn't nearly as well established as those of other St. Louis area public broadcasters like KETC and KDHX.
As a result, station management now has turned to an IndieGoGo campaign to try to raise money for the new transmitter. Unlike KickStarter and some other crowd-funding services, donations to IndieGoGo are not contingent on whether or not the campaign meets its overall goal.
Instead, any money donated through this campaign will go to WSIE, regardless of how much is collected between now and the campaign's official ending at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3. According to the campaign page at IndieGoGo, "If this goal is not reached in totality, we will continue our fund raising efforts until the transmitter can be replaced."
To contribute to WSIE's transmitter fund, go to http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wsie-88-7-the-jazz-station.
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