The management of 97.9 WHAV FM is sure you’ve heard this before, but just in case, there are those who keep secrets from you for personal, professional or financial gain.
Sometimes, it’s just about power. Those that can’t be king of the hill often settle for being ruler of the mole hill. While motives are not always clear, residents and businesses pay the price—in higher fees or taxes, inadequate services or inappropriate neighbors.
It’s nonprofit WHAV’s mission to ferret these secrets out. In fact, as the only Haverhill-based news source, and the only local news station in the county, it’s a gargantuan job that pays your membership or sponsorship support back many times over. However, according to a Pew Research Center survey released just last month, “few Americans are offering financial support: Only 14% say they’ve personally paid for local news within the past year.”
Curiously, according to the study, one reason people don’t pay for the news is they mistakenly believe they’ll find it free elsewhere. Only WHAV reporters have been regularly present at key municipal meetings, at the scene of a potentially dangerous hazardous waste incident or digging in hidden government files. If WHAV were to go away from lack of member and sponsor support, people won’t find these stories elsewhere. They just won’t be covered and, chances are, your out-of-pocket costs will rise.
When your business loses public parking, when an undesirable enterprise is placed next to your home, when you have to pay to send your kids to a better school or when taxes crush your earnings…it will be because you didn’t pay for local news.
If you’re affiliated with a business, underwriting boosts your business in many ways while paying for exclusive local news reporting. Click here for more information. If you’re an individual, there are affordable monthly membership options here.