FROM THE STAFF

Since global warming is threatening to shake up the order of the seasons, Asheville Global Report has decided to keep pace with the times by getting a head start on our Spring Fund Drive. Actually, we're forced with no other choice. We want to continue our non-profit endeavors to bring important, underreported news to the greater public, but to do so, our pathetic bank account demands that we hustle–now. The "greater public," too, has recently taken on profound, new meaning for us, here at AGR, reinforcing our volunteer work with an added sense of urgency and determination to see it through. What are we talking about? Well, the AGR has some GOOD NEWS! No, really: This past week we signed a licensing agreement with Free Speech TV to begin airing our television news program six times a week on their satellite network, starting in April. What could this mean? Aside from being the most-run program on their channel next to Democracy Now!, it would mean we could be potentially broadcasting into 25,000,000 homes in the United States. That's a mighty leap in reach from 3,000 copies of a newspaper, or even the thousands who read us online every week. After (often barely) managing to publish our little labor of love for eight years, you bet we're pretty excited about the prospects of this amazing opportunity. But our finances are such that our excitement must be muted. Let us illustrate: We're REALLY lucky two things happened to AGR this past week, otherwise we wouldn't be able to publish our next issue. Two people made a heroic difference that bottom-lined our survival. First, our friend Rebecca Bowe organized a night of benefit entertainment at the Joli Rouge which allowed us to pay this month's rent and last month's phone bill. Second, University of Maryland Women's Studies professor Amy Washburn ordered subscriptions for her class curriculum this semester, affording us the ability to hang on for another week. This is what it's really like behind the pages of the Asheville Global Report, never knowing if we're going to continue from one week to the next. As you might imagine at this particular moment, when AGR is poised to possibly reach such a large audience, the anxiety is almost insufferable. Will we even make it to April? At present, we don't have it in the bank to know. As we've shown, one or two motivated people really can make the difference for us. In writing this jump-start Spring Fund Drive appeal for help, it is our deepest hope that someone out there reading this will be similarly inspired. We really have little else to go on. Our expenses are relatively small but significant. Just think how much more bang for your buck AGR could unquestionably provide… if we're allowed the opportunity to continue. You've been there for us before. Will you please give us this chance to make a quantum leap and share our unique Asheville media activism on a truly national stage? (Hint: we're currently looking for people to underwrite our TV show.) We never would have made it this far without you. At this historic juncture, we invite you once again to join us as we set forth to hopefully, finally, give these issues and information the serious attention they deserve. Thank you. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Asheville Global Report! Send a check or money order to: AGR PO Box 1504 Asheville, NC 28802 We also accept credit cards via PayPal on our website, agrnews.org