WFDD is your public radio station.
Why Your Support Matters
WFDD is your public radio station. We exist because of listener support. Over 86% of our budget comes from the community, and there’s power in that. Why? Because we’re only beholden to you, not to corporate interests, and that means that listener support ensures our journalistic integrity. It means you can absolutely trust that our reporting is true, honest, factual, well-researched, and fact-checked.
86%
Over 86% of WFDD's budget comes from the community.
Listener support is also what keeps our service free and available to everyone. At a time when misinformation and disinformation are rampant, it’s essential that trustworthy information is freely accessible. You can listen to WFDD and read stories on our website anytime, and will never encounter a paywall. That’s why it means so much when you do give. It makes a powerful statement about what you hold dear and about the value you believe a strong public radio station brings to a community.
We are the protectors of democracy and civic space; the place where you will encounter a variety of perspectives and where you always find civil discourse; the place where you know that even the most difficult stories will be presented without sensationalism and will show you the human side of news. That is all made possible by listeners. That’s why your support matters.
Myth #1:
WFDD is government funded, so the station doesn’t really need my support.
Fact:
Federal support for WFDD comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the form of a community service grant, for which we must fulfill complex requirements. It amounts to just 7% of WFDD’s overall budget.
Myth #2:
Wake Forest University provides a majority of the funding for WFDD; they’ve got it covered.
Fact:
WFDD is proud to be licensed to and receive support from Wake Forest University. The funding we receive from the University is approximately 5% of WFDD’s overall budget. We think one of the things that makes public radio so strong is the breadth of its funding sources and that it isn’t beholden to any one entity, but rather to its listeners.
Myth #3:
Everyone else who listens is donating, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t.
Fact:
Less than 10% of WFDD’s listening audience donates, which is typical for public radio stations nationwide. That’s why it means so much when you do give.
Myth #4:
It takes a lot to support public radio; the small amount I can give won’t make any difference.
Fact:
Gifts of every size make a difference, because we combine them all together to fund this public service. Many hands make light work. WFDD’s average gift is about $194, which amounts to just $16.17 per month.
Myth #5:
Public broadcasting is a network and I already support another station, so I don’t need to give to WFDD.
Fact:
Each public broadcasting station, whether radio or television, is independently owned and operated, and has its own, separate operating budget that must be funded.