Let’s start with a thank you to everyone who has already stepped up to join our Fringe Coverage Friends Drive, including two new Local Media Champions. In one week, you have already gotten us 25 percent of the way to our campaign goal (30 new Friends of BSR and five new Local Media Champions, or about $3000).
Our Fringe coverage, by the numbers
This is an awesome start to our campaign, but it’s still an uphill climb to the goal that will fund this year’s Fringe coverage. If we can reach the two-thirds mark of that goal, it’ll fund our writers’ work. If we can reach the full goal, that will help to support my extra hours coordinating that coverage.
Let’s look at some previous years’ Fringe budgets, so you can understand what we’re doing. For the 2023 Fringe, we previewed eight shows and reviewed 29, and that coverage cost us about $1540. For the 2024 Fringe, we covered 53 shows (previewing 19 and running reviews of 34). That cost us $1800 in writers’ fees. Last year, we did even more: previewing 24 shows and reviewing 41 shows(!). That means we covered 65 shows in all, and paid our Fringe writers a total of $2,150 (we dearly wish it was more!). Can you name another Philly outlet who covered so much of the Fringe? We’ll wait.
So now you know why we’re asking you for these funds. Folks who become Friends of BSR today are directly investing in this year’s cohort of Fringe writers and ensuring that dozens of Philly artists receive the public record that their exciting work deserves.
Friends join our events for free
The timing is good to make a gift, because Friends of BSR join our events for free, and our latest one is coming up next week, on Wednesday July 22 at 6:30pm ET on Zoom. It’s our HELP US HELP YOU webinar all about PR for indie artists and small cultural organizations. All are welcome, including those who want an inside look at the process of our journalism at BSR. Tickets are a suggested $30 donation, and all Friends will get a comp code by email.
If you’re not able to become a Friend of BSR today (an annual gift of $72, or automatic donations of $6/month), we totally get it. Times are hard. But you can still give us a big boost by sharing BSR in your networks, or sharing a link to HELP US HELP YOU with the artists in your life. Tell your friends why you value us and let them know about the opportunity to support grassroots journalism deep in our own community.
