PLEDGE The Book

KBOO's News in Depth talks with Portland author Don Merrill.  He has just written his first book, called "PLEDGE: The Public Radio Fund Drive." 

As Don says on his website, "PLEDGE examines the fund drive and the public radio universe surrounding it. Loved by (if not sometimes quietly annoying to) the left, and hated (if not sometimes begrudgingly respected) by the right, both drives and that universe are full of palace intrigue, financial arm twisting, over-modulated egos and passive-aggressive meltdowns. Though public radio has had plenty of fist bumping triumphs, what it suffers in silence are the kinds of things the audience would never think goes on because they assume public radio is above them.  

But most of all, PLEDGE is not written for the public radio insider. It’s not a love letter.  It’s not an academic study.  It’s not a first person narrative. Rather, it’s for the average giver, donor, contributor, sustainer, supporter and listener who wants to know more about the station than its phone number.  Researchers, journalists and public radio opinion makers fill its pages.  In fact, PLEDGE is full of voices, including those from people like you. And, it promises to tell you things you never knew about the part of public radio you might’ve thought you knew best.