Topic: Pledge Drive

Craig Porter is officially knighted as "Sir Craig Porter" for his contribution of $1,000 or more to the program. The hosts contrast their listener-supported model with NPR's pledge drives, which they claim are unnecessary given NPR's significant corporate underwriting. The segment includes the traditional knighting proclamation and a call for support for the upcoming Sunday show.

NPR introduces a new $45 digital stream that allows listeners to bypass pledge drives, a move the hosts compare to paying a subway musician to stop playing. They define "commercial" media as a model where the audience is the product sold to advertisers, whereas their own show treats the programming as the product. They emphasize their "value-for-value" model as the only way to remain truly independent.

Inspired by public television pledge drives, the hosts adopt the term "giving levels" to encourage recurring $5 monthly donations. They urge listeners to use noagendastickers.com to promote the show at toll booths and public spaces.

A listener named Breedlove proposed a "Drive for Three" to fund a third weekly episode of No Agenda. The plan involves seeking 3,333 donations of $33.33 each by March 3rd. While Adam is intrigued by the symbolic "power of three," John Dvorak expresses skepticism and finds the plan overly complicated.

A proposed pledge drive for the show involves a lottery for a dinner with the hosts, though logistical challenges remain. In mainstream media, David Letterman performed a show despite losing his voice, leading to speculation about his health. Jay Leno was also recently hospitalized, leading to a monologue joke about his condition and the importance of his new 100 p.m. time slot for NBC's ratings.

The hosts discuss potential business models for the show, including the "begging for money" system used by Leo Laporte and public radio. They critique the intrusive nature of NPR pledge drives but acknowledge their effectiveness. The conversation touches on Howard Stern's success being rooted in his genuine interest in talking to people.