Summer Nights, our popular event series, is our purest form of community building and attracts the most diverse audience across age, race, and neighborhood. We partner with iconic LA cultural hotspots to open their doors late and throw free dance parties featuring our KCRW DJs.
Each event has its own unique flavor, like vibing under the tree-lined laser show at Descanso Gardens, raging with confetti poppers and lion dancers in historic Chinatown, or dancing to cumbia at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. I’ve seen people shimmy through art exhibits, babies dancing with massive headphones, an entire crowd chanting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” several first dates, a proposal, and a couple canoodling too close to our merch tent. Everyone is welcome. If that isn’t a public service, I don’t know what is.
In 2023, we had over 100,000 RSVPs to our events, which includes our other free signature events like PieFest & Contest (yes, an entire festival dedicated to pie). This year we’re on pace to reach over 100,000 RSVPs for the Summer Nights series alone. These are 100,000 email addresses that we follow up with to keep the conversation going.
Membership: Text for the hookup
There’s a weird thing that happens when people become donors. All of a sudden, we get all institutional and transactional. Why do we stop being human after we hand them their thank-you tote bag? Why do we only engage when it’s time to ask for money again?
We are piloting a member-only texting service as a new way to consistently engage with our members and increase awareness of our member program and benefits. Knowing how annoying texts are, especially from brands (or political parties), we treat it differently.
First, no asking for money. Second, be yourself. In our case, Nick, our member engagement manager, needs to be himself. He has the member hookups. Free tickets to an upcoming concert. An exclusive track from a KCRW music performance just for members. First-to-know invites to a member-only party that would reach capacity within minutes. No need to be sales-y when you can be the most exciting text message they receive that day.
We currently have over 2,000 members who receive texts from Nick (and other friendly individuals from his team). We have a 99.94% retention rate for those who receive texts. Conclusion: if you text with us, you stay with us.
Throughout all of this, you may have some of the following questions.
What about covering the serious stuff?
It’s much easier to deliver serious news if you’ve already built a fond relationship. When the news is negative, wouldn’t you want it to come from a reassuring place that feels warm and familiar?
What if we illicit cringe?
Don’t get caught up in what is and isn’t funny. Think of humor as a way of being inviting. How do you welcome people in and make them feel comfortable? If a particular flavor of humor doesn’t feel authentic, your audience will notice. Cringe is when something feels forced.
How do I get my boss to greenlight my funny idea?
Use data as much as possible. Know that the public radio audience already trusts you. Surprise them by acting and sounding like a person they’d want to talk to.
Why does it matter?
The public media’s mission has not changed. We’re here to create a more informed, more engaged, more socially cohesive society. We can’t do this if we let the weight of the world’s drudgery bore people to apathy.