The all-fundraising content WQED Showcase multicast channel in Pittsburgh has brought in $140,000 in pledges in its first year — that’s $30,000 more than projected, according to the local Post-Gazette.
“Over 40 percent of donations through Showcase were new donors,” Deborah Acklin, president of WQED Multimedia, said at an Oct. 25 station board meeting.
The Showcase channel launched late last year, apparently a first in the pubcasting system.
The newspaper also reports that on WQED, concerts and regional specials “aren’t inspiring viewers to donate as in years past, prompting a reduction of such pledge fundraising days by 18 percent.”