Public radio station KMST did not reach its membership goal of 450 pledges during the Spring Drive, but the station did hear from 305 new and renewing members.

New station manager John Francis says the station developed a different approach for this drive, urging listeners to pledge online or through the mail via short, recorded messages, and cutting the on-air portion of the drive to just four days from the usual eight.  The new format was very popular with listeners, but the station fell short of its goal.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the KMST staff,” Francis says. “They did an excellent job both on and off the air. The drive was successful in many ways, and has given us lots of food for thought. The jury is still out on whether we will try a shortened drive again, and we’re still looking at options for how to increase our pledge count after the drive.”

Those KMST members who normally pledge during the Spring Drive but were caught off guard by the shortened fundraiser will receive a phone call or mailing explaining the change and thanking them for their continued membership. Pledges are still being accepted by calling 888-776-5678 or online at KMST.org.

As part of its mission to support other community projects, KMST also raised $2,145 for Phelps County Bank’s annual “Take A Stand” event, which raises funds for child abuse and neglect prevention in Phelps County. For each membership call KMST received during the drive, Phelps County Bank pledged $15 to the event. KMST’s past joint fundraising drives included partnerships with the Smile Mobile, Wounded Warriors and Fill-A-Ford for the Holidays.

In its 41st year of service, KMST is a 100,000-watt non-commercial public radio station licensed to the Curators of the University of Missouri System. KMST offers a mixed format of news from NPR, nationally and locally produced talk shows, and a wide range of music, including classical, jazz, acoustic folk, blues, big band, Celtic, bluegrass and Caribbean. KMST is located at 88.5 FM in and around the Rolla area, 96.3 FM in Lebanon, and is live streamed online at www.kmst.org. Listeners can also follow the station on Facebook.