My online buddy Paul Reynolds pointed out a freaky new take on pledge drives today on Friendfeed: NPR is encouraging people to turn in their friends that listen and don’t pledge, and then calling them for a shakedown. Seriously. I’m sure NPR thinks it’s edgy…but it’s not. It’s creepy and totally out of bounds, IMO. Here’s a MP3 of Ira Glass leaning on a listener: Megan gets the call.

Have fun, NPR…but don’t expect any money from ME anytime soon. I’ve actually started listening to some radio again as streams on my G1 (in particular, Vermont Public Radio’s excellent BBC World Service stream), and I’d not only be happy to donate to VPR, I in fact plan to do so later, in the spring (I plan and spread out donations over the year).

But if Ira Glass calls…well, I don’t think they’ll be able to play my response on the radio. *grin*