Inside the ArchHow Phil Shappard has hindered Moody Radio and is wasting listeners donations

How Phil Shappard has hindered Moody Radio and is wasting listeners donations

Moody Broadcasting, once a year, asks listeners for support via a weekly fundraising event called “Share” on each of their owned and operated stations. In 2006 & 2007 Moody decided to hold an additional fundraising event called “Operation Next” to raise funds to help propel Moody Radio into the 21st century to bring HD radio to it’s owned and operated stations, Internet streaming, podcasting, a much needed updated web presence, etc.

The only tangible product to arrive from the Operation 2006 event was The Conference Center (which is now called Proclaim!), an interactive website that allows listeners to request what messages are heard for that day. (for the actual cost of The Conference Center see “The Cost of Internet Radio”

Now Operation Next 2007 has occurred... Moody’s web site has been updated, but the stations websites are still on the old format. WMBI has HD Radio as of May 2008. There are 2 more internet streams that are audio only... no interactive websites. As of September 2008, there are no plans to hold any more “Operation Next”s.

Looking at this web site below, you would think that by clicking on your local station, you are giving money to helping your local station get HD radio, right? Do you want to know where the money REALLY goes? If you click on any of those buttons, they all go to the same place. All of the money goes directly to Chicago, then gets divided up to what stations are deemed the most important.

Let’s say, for example, most donations come from listeners in the Pacific Northwest. These listeners give in addition to Share a gift to Operation Next 2007 to KMBI to help them get their HD radio equipment. Little do they know, it will all go to Chicago, be given to WMBI, then it will go to the second largest station, WCRF in Cleveland, etc. If there is any money left over for KMBI, then they will receive their equipment or have to wait for the next fundraiser.

Why doesn’t Moody track their incoming donations you say? Well they do... after the fact. They track donations based on ZIP codes of the donors. So if you are a family member living in the Midwest and give to KMBI they will track your ZIP code where you are giving from and think you are giving to Chicago. On a worse case scenario, if Moody comes under another financial crunch like it did in the late 90’s, they might have to sell another station like they sold WAFS in Atlanta. By not having the ability to accurately track where the money is coming from, they may sell a station that generates the most income from donors without them even knowing.