Pledge Drive Me Crazy

Spending 4 hours a day one the road leaves me more than enough time to listen to the radio.
 
It's been suggested that I should subscribe to a satelite radio service but I still can't justify the cost. I think that my radio listening would have to consume at least 14 hours daily before I would consider cracking open the old dusty wallet.
 
My other reason for sticking to terrestrial broadcasts is my love of public radio. Chicago's public radio statio, WBEZ, is one of the best public stations in the country and satisfies both my musical and news-hound needs.
 
The one and only drawback to listening to public radio is the pledge drives. Ten days of polite pleading interspersed with a smattering of regular programming unleashed twice a year. As you can guess, I'm halfway through this drive and it's making me a little crazy. My news intake has dropped and I'm finding myself learning of current events from sources such as The Daily Show. Entertaining but not the same.
 
Don't get me wrong, the pledge drives can be entertaining in themselves especially when my favorite people like Ira Glass or Peter Sagal are hosting.
 
Until next week I'm going to have to settle for IPR - Irrational Public Radio. With subjects such as "Free Smoothies for Nobel Laureates, and why not to carry around erotic balloon animals in Stockholm", it's a healthy placebo.
 
 
"Where other news sources leave off, Irrational Public Radio starts, and proceeds almost mercilessly.  For the discerning listener, IPR is a stalwart of integrity, a bastion of integrity, and just a huge heaping platter of integrity.  We commend you for your taste and your fetching personal scent."
 
Sidenote: Our very own InShaneee was once on NPR (click "listen").