Silver Lining

The number of people dependent on news coverage aired by our local Hawaii Public Radio stations — from NPR to the CBC to the BBC — cledarly sees explosive growth during wartime.

HPR started its “Spring Fund Drive,” but unlike the usual rolling start to pledge calls, General Manager Michael Titterton was just beside himself this morning when he was reporting record pledges, bustling phone banks, and even making his usual warning about busy signals and actually meaning it this time.

Of course, since there’s no premium members’ only frequency, even if you pledge at the start of the drive, you still have to listen to the chatty, sometimes awkward fundraising breaks.

Good thing all the programs are streamed daily online. This stuff — especially the broadcasts originating outside the U.S. — are one of the few things that make it worthwhile to put up with RealPlayer.