Music and Community News

From: M...

Hello Everyone,

Sorry to bug you but I hope you think this is a worthy cause.

As you may know, WUFT changed its music/news format to just "talk" this past August. I'm still dismayed by the fact that, since,
there is no classic music aired or available in our area. So, we lost that, most of the programming that came with it, and the
opportunity to listen and learn about the music from other cultures. If you were a listener of WUFT music and are looking for a way
to help reinstate this cultural asset, here are some things you might consider doing and/or contact Sue Yelton (below) for
additional information.

I plan to go to the rally announced below but promised not to sing. Don't want to risk being arrested for disorderly conduct. ;)

Best to you,

Meee...

----- Original Message -----
From: Sue Yelton sueyelton@yahoo.com

We had an excellent turnout with good food, good company, and good talk at last night's community meeting. Many of you who could
not attend have asked me to give you an update. Soon we'll have much of the information that I shared at the meeting posted on the
website -- my research in recent weeks has uncovered a lot of very interesting information! But for now, I need to share the
following messages:

The most important message I can give you is that there is plenty of reason for hope -- most definitely! If we can keep our
community support for music strong and active, I believe we can succeed. I think it's best to expand upon the reasons for this hope
on the website, where our webmaster will soon be posting much of the information that I presented at last night's meeting.

Our petition total, as of yesterday, including both online and paper petitions, is 1,788 signatures! And that, I assure you, will
continue to rise.

Among the actions, discussed last night, that we can all take this month to contribute to our chances of success are:

~Send more emails stating your concerns to Dean Wright at jwright@jou.ufl.edu with cc to the following: WUFT-FM at radio@wuft.org,
the Gainesville Sun at voice@gvillesun.com, the Alligator at aconti@alligator..org, and me, for accountibility, at
sueyelton@yahoo.com.

~Come to the rally! This event will take place in front of Weimer Hall (the Journalism building at UF) during Homecoming weekend on
Friday, October 16th between 4:45 and 6 pm. If possible, bring friends and carpool! We will have a map showing the location of
Weimer Hall on the website.

Parking will be easy -- there are no classes on Homecoming Day -- and a parking map will be on the website.

We have extra signs for people to use at the rally, but it's not necessary for everyone to be holding one -- there will be plenty of
sign-holders. Signs are to be positive, and we will be silent and non-confrontational. Just please come and enjoy the music.

Please, if possible, RSVP if you will be attending the rally at sueyelton@yahoo.com We need a show of strength and numbers this
time! If it looks like we'll have enough people, I'll alert TV20 as well as the press. If it looks as though we won't have enough
people, we will have to call the rally off.

SOS: Please let me know ASAP if you, or someone you know, might be able to provide live music for us! (We weren't able to have the
UF Jazz Band, as planned, because of permit difficulties having to do with their electric instruments.) Any genre of music is great,
as long as it's something that was on Classic 89 and is now missing from the analog broadcast.

~UNpledge Update: WUFT-FM's fall pledge drive begins on October 27th, ending on November 6th. To unpledge is to phone the station,
state the amount that you would normally have pledged, and explain that you will not send this money until they restore the music to
the analog station. When you phone to unpledge, please repeat your statement in emails to the above-mentioned addresses, including
one to me for record-keeping purposes. The UNpledge drive will be far more effective this way, because there may not be any record
of your unpledges otherwise!

~We are considering taking out a full-page ad in the Gainesville Sun. We could state our concerns and our hopes, and include facts
that support our views. The cost of this would be around $1,300. If 52 people were to contribute $25 each (from their pledge
refunds or unpledges), we would reach that sum. Each donor's name would be printed in acknowledgment. We could also ask those
underwriters who previously supported the music to help with this expense. If you would be willing to contribute to a fund to buy
this ad, please let me know.

Thank you all for your patience, and for your support. With your help, I believe we can succeed, so that North Florida may once
again benefit from great music on our analog airwaves!

Sue Yelton