SPRINGFIELD — Raising in excess of $136,000, public radio station WUIS/WIPA defied recession conditions to "go over the top" in its 2008 spring fund-raising drive goal, according to Station Manager Bill Wheelhouse.
"It's clearly a matter of value," Wheelhouse said. "New and veteran listeners put a premium on the smarter programming WUIS and National Public Radio deliver. And when the chips are down, they come through."
The station is located within the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Wheelhouse called the spring pledge drive "very gratifying in the face of deteriorating economic conditions" but warned that state and national deficits are putting more and more fiscal pressure on the station. "Thanks to the commitment of our listeners we again met our basic needs," he said.
"As long as state and federal funds keep waning," Wheelhouse said, "more and more funding responsibility will fall on our loyal listeners. We must work hard to stem government cutbacks," he urged.
Wheelhouse thanked area listeners for their support and promised even more station efforts to "meet the crucial news, information, and cultural needs" of central and west-central Illinois.
For updates on programming and regional news, go to http://wuis.org.
