Long-term spending and income trends,
WBAI and other Pacifica stations
WBAI listener support and salary, 1994-2005:
The plot above shows 12-year trends in WBAI listener support (pink and red) and salary expenses (blue and bluer), expressed in 1994 dollars (i.e., adjusted for inflation). Both trends reached a maximum in fiscal year 2004 - listener support was so high, because the station spent a record number of days in fund drive. (Pacifica fiscal years run from October through September - FY 2005 is 10/04 - 9/05.) The previous maximum was in FY 1998, when response to on-air pitching was better. There is a distinct drop in listener support in FY 2005, even though almost as much airtime was spent on fundraising as in FY 2004. This decline supports the argument that 90-plus days of on-air fundraising per year is not sustainable; further, it was the impetus for staffing cuts in FY 06.
Clearly, WBAI is a bigger-ticket operation than it was in 1994. What needs to be determined is whether that is a good thing.
This date comes from audit statements, which can be found on http://pacifica.org, and from a recent FY 2005 income statement.
*****
KPFA listener support and salary, 1994-2005:
What is most notable about KPFA's recent experience is the dramatic growth in salaries and related expenses. One wonders how supportable this is.