UMFM Pledge-O-Rama is Back!

Friday, April 25 – Friday, May 2, 2025

DONATE: https://umfm.com/donate

PLEDGE-O-RAMA INFO: https://umfm.com/donate/pledgeorama

INCENTIVES: https://umfm.com/donate/incentives

TELL THE BAND TO GO HOME: https://tellthebandtogohome.com/

I’ll be on the air Saturday, April 26 from 1 to 4 pm helping out with Planet Mainstage! My friend & mentor John Prentice is unable to join us this year, so I’ll be helping out. I hear we may even have pickles!? Tune in and support someone who has been a big part of the station since day 1!

The Tell the Band to Go Home Pledge-O-Rama Spectacular returns, Sunday, April 27 from 2 to 6! Admittedly, the timing is a little tough with the Jets playing at noon, but hopefully you can watch the game with the sound down and I’ll do my best to provide an alternative play by play. I’ve got a really great new interview with Ron Hawkins from The Lowest of the Low and exclusive tracks from their new album to play! It’s a gooder! I’ve invited a some other very special guests to appear (Kathleen, CALL ME!), but nothing else confirmed yet… Tune in for special surprises!

Then, Friday, May 2, 6 to 9 am, it’s the long-awaited return of Mudge in the Morning, Winnipeg’s crankiest and most rockin’ morning radio show! I’ll do my best to get you fired up and on your way for the day. I’ll set the stage for the one and only Cretin Rob on Cretin Radio!

Since 1998, UMFM has been providing a vital alternative voice on the Winnipeg airwaves. The days before the arrival of UMFM, and shortly after, CKUW, arrived on the FM airwaves in Winnipeg were VERY different. Imagine a world where the Internet was in its infancy and really not that useful yet, smartphones and streaming radio/music were still a mere fantasy, and we had very few options for finding out about music, events, and ideas outside of mainstream media.

Today, we live in an increasingly disconnected, automated, algorithm-driven world, and having access to real people who are passionate about music and culture and ideas is more important than ever. While it seems like the entire universe is right at your fingertips, it can be very impersonal and overwhelming. When I open up my streaming service of choice, I rarely know where to start and I find it difficult to connect with new music. What I really want and appreciate is when someone I trust and admire can introduce me to something knowing that I might love it as much as they do.

I learn so much about music by listening to my favourite radio shows. When I find a radio show that I love, I feel connected to someone who can teach me about new things and help me to appreciate new music, ideas, and experiences. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Stu Reid, Joe Stover, and Sean Burns on CKUW. I was more than happy to show them a little love during the recent CKUW FunDrive because they’ve done so much for me. Giving a little bit back was an absolute pleasure.

UMFM has already given me more than I could ever explain or repay, so now it’s my turn to show my appreciation by supporting some of my favourite shows, past and present, by making a donation to Pledge-O-Rama.

Last year, we showed our appreciation and support for our friends Gail Comfort, who had recently passed away, and Lyle Skinner, who had recently stopped producing his show. Sadly, Lyle also passed away not too long ago. Fortunately, UMFM allows listeners to make “Legacy Donations” in their honour. As usual, I’ll be making a pledge in honour of my friends.

This year, we’ve got another ailing icon, as a UMFM Day 1 original, my friend and mentor John Prentice recently had to have some emergency surgery and is unable to join us in the studio for his longstanding show, Planet Mainstage. I’ll be making an effort to fill his shoes in the studio this Saturday to for his many years of tireless dedication. Tune in Saturday at 1 for a little love for John, where you can show your appreciation, too.

I have a whole pile of shows that I try to catch regularly on UMFM these days. I don’t even know how to split up my pledge among all of the great shows that I love. I have to highlight two that I try to never miss. Friday mornings are all about Cretin Radio with Cretin Rob. It’s noisy, dirty, and often NFSW, but you can catch the noise in my classroom every week, and I try to catch whatever I miss on the podcast. I’m torn on Wednesdays because my two favourite shows in the world air at the exact same time. While Ol’ Pal Stu is hosting the longstanding Twang Trust on CKUW, Connor is serving up the most deliciously messy sandwiches on Dagwood Radio on UMFM. I’ve been blessed to watch Connor grow as a host from his very first shows on Sunday afternoons to becoming a strong, confident, knowledgeable host who regularly puts me to shame. I’ve often said that my show is basically a replay of those two shows because I’m stealing tracks and information and ways of doing things from those two masters. I can’t wait to make a pledge to Connor‘s show, because I want him to know how much I really appreciate his efforts.

Tell the Band to Go Home is my attempt to share my love of music with people who might appreciate it, the way that other hosts share theirs with me. Music does so much for me, and the joy that I get from music is made even greater when I can share it with others. When I hear something that really moves or excites me, I can’t wait to play it on the radio. I love the thought that someone might be introduced to something that moves and excites them because I’ve played it for them.

I also really love the opportunity to try to help out the artists who make the music that’s so important to me. I hope that they are able to find new fans and sell merchandise, music, or concert tickets because I’ve given them a bit of an opportunity.

Through hosting the show, I’ve gotten to know so many incredible artists, and in 2009, I started hosting house concerts as a way to connect musicians with audience members and provide a place for artists to play their songs when they might not otherwise have one.

Of course, Tell the Band to Go Home gave me the greatest gift of all (and there have been many!) in 2022, when I hosted a 20th anniversary live recording at The Park Theatre. It was there and then that I reconnected with my now (again) wife, Nicole. This little hobby radio show of mine sure has given me some life altering gifts!

This Sunday from 2-5 pm CDT, we’ll take pledges and hope that you might be willing to show your support for the station.We’re hoping that we might have some special guests show up. I’ll definitely play some great music and say some dumb things, as usual.

IMPORTANT NOTE: UMFM isn’t going anywhere! We don’t need your money to survive. Nobody should be breaking open a piggy bank or going into debt to make a pledge. This is your opportunity to help the station, however is comfortable and convenient for you! If you’re lucky enough to be able to make a generous pledge, we’ve got some really exciting incentives (umfm.com/donate/incentives) and opportunities to win some pretty amazing prizes. If a small pledge or recurring pledge or deferred payment is better for you, we’d love to accommodate. If all you can afford to do at this point is share the info with your friends & followers or let us know that you’re out there, that’s great too.

For me, Pledge-O-Rama is a chance to connect with the community in a way that I don’t regularly get. I hear from people once in a while who tell me that they’re out there, and I really appreciate that, but the vast majority of listeners are completely unknown and invisible, EXCEPT NOW! This is your chance to let us know that you’re out there and that what we do matters to you. I’d much rather have a LOT of $10 pledges than have one person make a huge pledge and not hear from the rest. The good news is, we could have both! If you’re fabulously wealthy and want to make a big donation, boy, will we love you! But if you’re like most of us and having a hard time making ends meet, any donation, one-time, on a payment plan, or deferred to later, would be greatly appreciated!

DONATE: https://umfm.com/donate

PLEDGE-O-RAMA INFO: https://umfm.com/donate/pledgeorama

INCENTIVES: https://umfm.com/donate/incentives

TELL THE BAND TO GO HOME: https://tellthebandtogohome.com/

Supporting the station and the great information and music that we promote makes you an official Music Angel, and it entitles you to our ongoing heavenly thanks and praise.

If you’re not convinced yet, here are some words from a friend & supporter of campus & community radio:

“My music career has grown significantly over the years thanks to community radio stations across Canada. I especially want to thank Jeff Robson for broadcasting my live interviews and studio albums on Tell the Band to Go Home and Steel Belted Radio at CJUM 101.5 UMFM in Winnipeg. His show reaches audiences around the globe, and I have seen his listeners purchase my music as a result of hearing me on his programs. By supporting Jeff and community radio, you are supporting Culture and Arts in Canada! ~ Christina Martin – Singer Songwriter and Fan of Jeff Robson

UMFM INCENTIVES:

By supporting UMFM, hopefully you are getting the inherent reward of knowing that you’re part of making great campus and community radio happen. We support and encourage great music and ideas which are under-represented in mainstream media. We’re all about independent, local, challenging content that is made by real people. It’s interesting and accessible, and that is worth supporting.

As our thanks to YOU for helping us, we’ve got some dandy gifts for you. You can choose to either make your donation TAX DEDUCTIBLE and receive a receipt, OR you can choose the package corresponding with the amount you donate. As always, you can choose to split up pledges however you wish, so if you really want a an incentive or two, but nothing else, you could make one pledge for incentives and direct the rest as a separate tax-deductible donation for another amount, or split things up however you wish. You can also support multiple shows/hosts with your pledge.

Here’s a complete list of our great incentive packages, tax receipts are also available: https://umfm.com/donate/incentives

Please be aware that we cannot set aside specific t-shirt sizes during Pledge-O-Rama. All of our shirts will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

Pre-pledge to UMFM/Tell the Band to Go Home and not only we will guarantee you your desired shirt size, but I will personally deliver it to your door or your mailbox! (Germans not included, sadly. Make a big enough donation and we’ll make it work!)

NOTE: Tell the Band to Go Home supporters have won AT LEAST one Golden Ticket EVERY YEAR, and most years, TTBTGH supporters have won AT LEAST one bonus prize pack! 

Make your donation now by clicking this link! (don’t forget to support Tell the Band to Go Home!)

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