KCET Pledge Drive Returns to Basics : Funding: The public TV station acknowledges the recession with lower goals and a soft-sell approach.

As the troubled economy continues to put a squeeze on donations, KCET Channel 28 has entered its March pledge drive with reduced expectations and a soft-sell approach.

According to Donald Youpa, executive vice president, the station is urging viewers to subscribe at the basic rate of $40, but is not hawking as many high-priced premiums or asking for as many large donations--such as pledges for $100 or $1,000--as in previous years.

“Being realistic, knowing the economy as it is, we’ll probably focus more on the basic membership,” Youpa said in an interview. “We’ve got to be (aware of) how people are responding at any one time. We don’t want to appeal to an audience that says, ‘What are these people, crazy?’ ”

KCET’s approach comes in part out of its own experience so far this fiscal year, which began last July. The station is about $1 million behind where it had hoped it would be in pledges from viewers. The reason, KCET executives say, is that while people continue to subscribe, more are buying only the basic membership and foregoing additional contributions.

Overall, the station’s goal for the 20-day pledge drive, which ends March 23, is $1.7 million, down from last year’s goal of $1.9 million--even though the drive itself is two days longer than it was in 1991.

During the drive’s first two days, last Wednesday and Thursday, KCET took in $96,000. That was considerably more than the $69,999 that had been projected, but less than the $197,000 that the drive’s first two days garnered last year.

Over the two days, 2,000 new members joined the station, whose goal is to attract 20,000 to 30,000 new subscribers this month.

Friday night the station attracted 817 new members and raised $51,000 during the airing of the special, “Unforgettable, With Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat King Cole.” The program carried as premiums a videocassette of the special, as well as cassettes and compact discs of Natalie Cole’s Grammy-winning “Unforgettable” album.

Wednesday’s presentation of “Bowl of Beings,” a “Great Performances” production featuring the Los Angeles-based comedy troupe Culture Clash, attracted triple the number of members projected and earned the station $3,500.

To attract potential new subscribers, KCET is concentrating on entertainment programming, temporarily shelving controversial series such as “Frontline.”

“During pledge, the critical element is having the most people watch you at any one time . . . to get the broadest possible audience,” Youpa said. “The goal is to raise money.”