Dear Friends of EcoTalk
“EcoTalk’s Inconvenient
Truth":
If Green is the new Black why are
we in the Red?
The nearly three years of broadcasting
our groundbreaking program on Air America have come with nearly constant
turbulence. As the nation’s first progressive network with ambitious
expansion plans experienced growing pains, EcoTalk weathered them all
– but not without significant cost. Selling advertising and partnerships
was our only means to cover production costs and that task was made
difficult for many reasons.
The program’s continuation has been possible
largely through donation of my time and personal funds. Getting a
primetime program dedicated to environmental issues on the national
airwaves has not been easy, and we’d hate to lose this coveted slot
simply due to a temporary cash shortfall. Especially as Americans are
just now tuning into their environment!
If Green is the new Black why are
we in the Red?
The short answer is bad luck! Since Air
America does not pay EcoTalk for the program, we get five network spots
to sell to cover costs.
In the first year we were put on early Sunday
mornings and the new network was slow to provide audience info necessary
for selling ads.
In the second year the network was charging EcoTalk
$10,000 per month to air our show so breaking even was impossible.
In
the third year Air America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy – the same
week we went to a daily format!!
Consequently we’ve not been able
to sell any spots during the 8 month transition to new network ownership.
At the same time production costs increased five-fold going from weekly
to daily. With that new time slot we made broadcast history in September,
becoming the first M-F program devoted to
green issues. But now we risk becoming history!
The
Need/Opportunity
The network’s new owners want to put
only “political” programs on weekdays/nights so we’ve been offered
a two-hour time slot Sunday mornings from 10-noon East. We envision a
tree-free news magazine with a combination of news, views, trends and
updates from regular contributors in green business, building, clean
technology, transportation, organics, eco-spirituality, etc.
The network is saving this slot for
us but we can only go forward on May 21st if we raise
$60-thousand to cover costs during June, July and August.
The
only way we can continue broadcasting through this
transition period – the month of May
– and retain our spot on more than 40 stations, is with
immediate donations and advertising commitments
while we resume selling sponsorships and get back on track.
Strategically,
it’s important to retain our platform to expand to new distribution
outlets. We have always had our sights set beyond Air America. New avenues
of syndication have opened up, including satellite and podcasting.
So at this crucial fork in the road to
sustainability, we respectfully request your contributions, commitment
to share this appeal with your circle, and any leads on companies or
green groups that would like to support the nation’s only green show
while promoting their products or programs.
Our bare bones production
costs are $2,500 per week.
Please see a summary of what this
"gasroots" program has achieved with so little fuel.
We have
chronicled, and hope helped to catalyze, the eco-evolution and would
like to continue to serve that role. Keeping EcoTalk afloat will lift
all green boats, allowing the spotlight to remain on those on the front
lines of climate change, renewable energy, green building, clean tech,
waste reduction solutions and beyond.
For more than three years EcoTalk
has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to showcasing the important
work of so many environmental heroes, and to highlight what’s working.
Both EcoTalk listeners and guests
will feel the void if we go silent so
please act now, before it really is too late.
In the last few weeks we’ve had Senators
John Kerry and Barbara Boxer on the program, as well as Lt. Governor
John Garamendi and retired Congressman Pete Mcloskey. In addition to
green leaning politicians, we spoke to an Oregon schoolteacher who’s
being harassed for speaking frankly about ‘inconvenient’ environmental
issues and the whistle-blowing Environmental Working Group getting a
government contractor fired for being on the payroll of chemical companies.
We have been reporting on the mysterious disappearance of bees – and
inexplicable ‘killing’ of electric cars – long before the general
media picked up these stories!
Finally, on a personal note, I have traveled
across the country covering key environmental events, often the only
mainstream journalist present for gatherings like the Sundance Mayor’s
Conference on Climate Change, AASHE Conference (sustainability in higher
ed) and being trained by Al Gore in communicating global warming science.
I have appeared on Hannity and Colmes several times to refute personal
attacks on Gore, and the day after Glen Beck mocked global warming science
on CNN, we had Paul Waldman of Media Matters on EcoTalk to debunk the
debunkers!
Does it bother you that right wingers like Hannity,
Limbaugh and Scarborough are making hundreds of millions of dollars
a year generating heat while a show like EcoTalk that aims to shed light,
make a difference AND entertain is struggling? If so then here is your
chance to make a real difference!!
Please take a moment to consider the
caliber of guests and range of current, compelling topics and voices
EcoTalk brings to the airwaves.
There is no other program like this
and it’s unlikely there’ll be another one soon.
Before this
nonrenewable resource disappears, please consider all of the above.
Time is short so if you can help please use the PayPal option on our
website now, or send checks of any amount
to:
EcoTalk, P.O. 29025, San Francisco, Ca. 94129.
If you
have good leads to green companies, orgs, or angels, pls. call or e-mail
me today – timing is key here!!
With deep gratitude and commitment to
carry on if the support is there,
Betsy Rosenberg, Host/Ex. Prod. and the
EcoTalk Team
www.ecotalk.net betsy@ecotalk.net
or (415) 717-4183