800 Number Offered to KCLU Listeners

KCLU music listeners intrigued by a new jazz artist they have never heard before or unable to find an out-of-demand singer at local record stores can now dial an 800 telephone number to order the music by mail.

After finding itself swamped with requests on where to find recordings of the eclectic mix of jazz and contemporary musicians it offers, KCLU 88.3 FM, Ventura County’s only public radio station, recently signed on with a national service that helps public radio listeners identify and order recordings of artists at prices competitive with those in record stores.

The nonprofit service, Public Radio MusicSource, was launched in 1993 to help raise money to support public radio after a federal mandate to the industry to find new sources of funding.

Along with providing a service to listeners, 8% to 10% of each order is funneled to the public radio station identified by the caller.

Requests are not limited to songs played by the station, and with more than 120,000 titles to draw from, customers usually find what they are looking for, said Mary Olson, marketing director for the station.

“Ever since we opened we have had people calling asking where they can buy some piece of music, but a lot of record stores here don’t have that deep a catalog of jazz and blues, so often they can’t find it,” Olson said. “This way they get great music that’s hard to find mailed to them.”

KCLU, which was started 15 months ago to bring local programming and public radio to Ventura County, is counting on the MusicSource revenue to supplement its budget.

In October, the station’s application for a three-year grant totaling $88,800 was denied by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds more than 1,000 public radio and television stations nationwide.