TROY Public Radio is looking for financial help from its listeners in its annual fall fund drive.

“For eight days we get on the air for about 12 hours during the day and we remind folks that public radio is listener supported,” says Operations Manager Kyle Gassiott. “If you’re listening to a commercial radio station you’re going to hear somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 25 minutes of commercials per hour. That doesn’t happen on public radio because the main source of support comes from listeners. They pay for the programming. They pay for the content they want to hear whether it’s news or music or conversations or interviews that’s what we offer them and it works. It’s a system that’s been in place for 50 years.”

Gassiott says the financial help from listeners is important because it is a big part of keeping programming on the air.

“It’s vital,” says Gassiott. “Program fees go up every year. We pay a huge bill to NPR and to any of our other public radio providers. So their stepping up and supporting us helps us do that, but not only that, the great thing about it is it reaffirms the relationship that we have with them. Because if somebody is stepping up they’re saying I’m going to give you what I can.”

To make a pledge you can call 1-800-800-6616 or visit their website.

For the full story watch Belle’s report.