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Michael on American TV!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to write all the letters to their local stations and to other stations on behalf of other Michael fans, to everyone who manned the phones, those who phoned in pledges and those who have long hoped and prayed and dreamed of Having a REAL BALL on PBS. And special thanks to everyone who has given permission for me to include your letters, notes, posts, stories, reviews and photos on Ballfest Place.
About Pledge Drives! By Whitney Anderson Every year (or maybe a couple times a year), our local PBS stations have what's called a 'pledge drive,' to raise money to keep their stations going etc. They put a lot of shows on the air that they think will raise money, and then ask people to call in and 'pledge', or donate a certain amount of money if they like what they're seeing. Depending on the amount, they get a video, CD, or both of the performance or show they pledged for. Because the pledge amount is always really high (for example, $75 for a CD, $150 for CD and video), the station always makes a lot of money per pledge. But the viewer also gets something in return for their donation. This is really great for the viewer, too, as it is can sometimes be difficult for them to find recordings of the show elsewhere (like in Michael's case). They also feel good about themselves for contributing to Public Television. Volunteers are needed
to answer the phones during the pledge breaks (breaks between airing
segments of the show), when people can call in with their credit card
numbers, etc. That's what I and some other Michael fans did this past week
when he came to the PBS stations - we answered the phones in the studio
while Michael was being interviewed and promoting his video during the
pledge breaks.
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