Category Archives: support KLRU

It's perfect weather for #whyKLRU

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Did you enjoy the rainy day yesterday by staying inside and turning on KLRU? If so, you would have caught the incredible Andrea Bocelli all-star concert in Central Park and the encore presentation of the first episode of Downton Abbey – you can always count on KLRU for quality programming, enriching our lives with the finest in arts and culture.

Your on-air KLRU personalities during Downton Abbey: Linda, Jesse and Betsy

We heard from so many of you this weekend and thanks to you we raised $75,995 towards our goal of $240,000 – if you gave a gift this weekend, THANK YOU!

If you’ve been waiting to make your gift this pledge drive, you might be interested in what we have coming up tonight on KLRU – we’ll be live in the studio during Antiques Roadshow with the final opportunity to get your tickets to the 2012 KLRU Antiques Appraisal Fair! If you haven’t secured your place yet at this fun event, you can donate now or call in tonight to do so!

Don’t forget to comment on any of our blog, Facebook or Twitter posts for a chance to win a KLRU t-shirt prize package! Comment often! #whyKLRU

Give the gift of KLRU this holiday season!

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The December pledge drive is here and as we approach the end of the year, KLRU needs to raise $240,000 to continue the kind of quality programming and community engagement that Central Texas has come to expect for almost 50 years!

Whether you can donate $1 or $100, your support matters – we have so many ways to thank you for your donation and are excited to present some truly special programs over the next few weeks for your enjoyment!

  • Through out the pledge drive, we are going to be giving away t-shirts to folks who comment on our #whyKLRU blog, Facebook and Twitter posts. Everyday, we’ll give away a prize package that includes 5 t-shirts featuring KLRU Q, Central Texas Gardner, Austin City Limits, PBS Newshour, and KLRU-TV – all you have to do is share a comment, a story, a question and you’ll be entered to win! We’ll pick winners everyday, so comment often!

All these could be yours, just let us know #whyKLRU!

  • Tonight is the PBS Arts Festival premier of Andrea Bocelli: One Night in Central Park - a beautiful concert made even more special by the exclusive offer for KLRU viewers to see Andrea Bocelli in concert when he comes to Austin in February. Tune in tonight at 8pm (or catch the repeat, Sunday evening at 6pm) to find out how you can receive tickets to the show!
  • On Sunday evening at 8:30pm, we are going to be live in the KLRU studios with the first episode of Downton Abbey! Whether you’ve seen it before or have been dying to see what everyone’s been talking about, you won’t want to miss this evening. We’ll have special thank you gifts, with the opportunity to see an advanced screening of Downton Abbey Season 2 which starts in January 2012.

Don’t Resist! Watch the preview of Downton Abbey, Season 2

Nelson Puett Foundation Supports KLRU

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The Nelson Puett Foundation has just granted KLRU $20,000 to support the Inspiration Fund and Friends of Austin City Limits.

The Inspiration Fund is a mechanism to sustain comprehensive services at our station: local productions, outreach and education activities including Ready To Learn, Community Screenings, Community Cinema, Spark at The Moody Theater:  KLRU’s Engaging Speaker Series, and more.  Each of these elements frames KLRU as a trusted window to the world with universal access to educational and creative content in and beyond Austin.

Austin City Limits has presented audiences with the most diverse, original, cutting-edge talent that music has to offer for more than three decades. ACL airs nationally on 97% of the country’s PBS stations.  In addition, select episodes are available to view online.

The Foundation’s investment in our mission will help bring pioneering programs, authentic engagement and meaningful acquisitions to the citizens of Central Texas.  On behalf of all who will benefit, thank you!

First Meat Up a success for Daytripper fans and KLRU supporters!

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On October 1, around 90 donors who donated $150 during the August pledge drive climbed aboard charter buses for the inaugural KLRU/Daytripper Meat Up – a tour of barbecue restaurants featured on Chet Garner’s The Daytripper.  Chet joined the group of super fans for a tasting tour of iconic Texas barbecue joints: Black’s, Luling City Market, and Smitty’s.  Each restaurant had something special to offer: a tour of the pit at Blacks, an extra rib at Luling City Market, and dollar scoops of Blue Bell at Smitty’s.

For recaps and photos from some of the folks that were on the Meat Up see here and here.

Still Water Foundation Supports KLRU’s Inspiration Fund

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The Still Water Foundation has just awarded KLRU-TV a $25,000 grant to help establish the Inspiration Fund.

The Inspiration Fund is an opportunity for donors to support comprehensive services at our station:  local productions, outreach and education activities including Ready To Learn, Community Screenings, Community Cinema and Spark! @ The Moody Theater.  Each of these elements frames KLRU as a trusted window to the world with universal access to educational and creative content in and beyond Austin.

KLRU is deeply grateful to the Still Water Foundation for its past support of our station.  Their continued investment in our mission will help bring pioneering programs, authentic engagement and meaningful acquisitions to Central Texans.  Thank you!

Susan and Richard Marcus Make Grant to KLRU

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Susan and Richard Marcus have just made a $3,500 contribution to KLRU. The funds will be used to partially match an “Arts on Radio and Television” NEA grant which was awarded earlier this year.

Through this project, KLRU will re-master and distribute 8 new episodes of our award-winning arts series, Arts In Context. Each half-hour program will utilize content from the best of these original segments. The final result will be the creation of a nationally broadcast series incorporating the highest production values to present a diverse and engaging selection of artists and their work.

KLRU is proud to showcase the inspiration of Central Texas creatives and share their vision with the greater American public.

Summer Special: Support KLRU for just $5 today!

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As a KLRU Green Member, you join a caring group of viewers who provide us with dependable financial support on a continuing monthly basis. On special for only $5/month, the KLRU Green Membership is convenient, easy on your budget, and helps provide considerable savings to the station. Being a KLRU Green Member means never receiving paper mailings from us and never having to renew your membership – it’s the easiest way to show your commitment to KLRU in your life and your community.

  • Enjoy the convenience of automatic payment of your Green Member gifts. Convenient and secure automatic withdrawals from your credit card of checking account save you time and money since you never have to write another check or find a stamp.
  • Enjoy the satisfaction of knowing your support is helping to reduce KLRU’s administrative costs – which makes your contribution a full investment in the unique and outstanding television programs, educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events you expect from KLRU.
  • You’re in control. You can change or stop your payments at any time. Just give us the word.
  • You’re in the know. As a Green Member, you’ll receive only the most important e-communication from KLRU, keeping you informed about upcoming programs and events with the KLRU Green Member eNewsletter.
  • Your membership is always active. You’ll never have to look back and see when you last gave to KLRU – and you’ll never have to renew or receive any renewal notices by email or mail.
  • Spreading your support out over the year makes generosity easier on your budget and gives KLRU the security of a steady, reliable stream of income.

Please consider all the advantages of becoming a KLRU Green Member – the convenience to you, the savings to us and, most of all, the expression of your enduring commitment to all that public broadcasting stands for – and join during this end-of-summer special for only $5/month.


As a KLRU GREEN MEMBER, you not only support your local PBS station, but as a thank you gift you will receive a KLRU branded GO LOCAL card, valid until August 2012, good for discounts and deals at over 600 businesses in Central Texas.

The Winkler Family Foundation Renews Their Support

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KLRU has just received $50,000 in unrestricted funding from the Winkler Family Foundation.  The Foundation’s renewed generosity will help support all the ways that we serve Central Texans.

We acquire meaningful content through a variety of sources, including PBS and the local creative community.  In addition, we offer pioneer productions on a wide variety of interests including education, the arts, our local community and public affairs.  Finally, we provide authentic engagement opportunities around community, cultural and educational topics.

KLRU brings viewers informative and impartial news reporting through PBS NewsHour, Frontline, American Experience, Washington Week and Overheard with Evan Smith.

KLRU is Austin’s largest stage.  We ensure the worlds of music, theater, dance and art are freely accessible on-air and online to all Central Texans – many of whom might never have the opportunity to experience them otherwise.

KLRU is also Austin’s largest classroom.  We offer a full slate of trusted and educational content for viewers of all ages.

Finally, KLRU encourages viewers to embrace their inner explorers through NOVA, Nature, American Masters, Central Texas Gardener and The Daytripper with Chet Garner.  PBS won 9 Peabody awards for programs such as these in 2010.

A teacher journeys with her students to the edge of the universe.  A child experiences ballet for the first time.  Austin music is shared with the world.  A parent learns to read to his child and discovers the joy of reading for himself.  And artist discovers their creative outlet.  A community comes together to discuss challenging issues.

We feel grateful to serve Central Texans in so many ways, and thank The Winkler Family Foundation for their continued support of our mission!

#whyKLRU? You can give the gift that puts us over goal!

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KLRU has reached the end of our August pledge drive and we are just $495 short our goal of $240,000. If you are among the thousands who have responded over the last 17 days, THANK YOU!

If you have not given yet, you have a unique opportunity to give the gift that puts KLRU over it’s goal. Give that gift right now!

During this drive we offered tickets to a number of one-of-a-kind KLRU experiences. As you think about how you would like to be thanked for your support, please consider joining us for one (or more) of these incredible events:

2 tickets to the Austin City Limits taping with Arcade Fire on September 17th

2 tickets to KLRU Antiques Appraisal Fair (bring 3 treasures with you) on January 21st

2 tickets to spend the day on the set of Central Texas Gardener on October 6th

2 tickets to our BBQ bus tour – KLRU-Daytripper Meat-Up on October 1st

We hope you will make a donation, and perhaps join us for one of our events. Also, please consider inspiring others by sharing your reason for supporting KLRU at our Facebook page, or on Twitter – using the hashtag #whyKLRU.

Thank you for watching and supporting KLRU!

Why KLRU? $193,000 to go

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If you were among the hundreds this weekend who donated to support our August pledge drive, Thank You! In total we raised $47,000 towards our goal of $240,000.  We are 17% through the drive, and we are 19% of the way to our goal. If you have yet to give, help us keep the momentum going by contributing to our fundraising effort.

Our #whyKLRU campaign is also picking up steam. We want to hear why you choose KLRU by logging on to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or the KLRU blog, to answer the question: Why KLRU? Here is a sample of some of the messages we received over the weekend:


Please take a moment to make a donation – any amount makes a difference! And also share your reason for choosing to watch and be involved with KLRU at our Facebook page, or on Twitter – using the hashtag #whyKLRU.

Thank you again for watching and supporting KLRU – and we look forward to hearing from you!