A thoughtful donor reflects on the role public media plays in his daily life–and why giving back has become a simple, meaningful habit.
Though he rarely finds time to watch television, Carrick Detweiler is devoted to public radio. He first listened with his parents growing up in upstate New York.
“It was always on the radio whether that was in the car or in the kitchen,” he said. “It’s largely my source for local news.”
Detweiler hopes to pass his interest in public radio along to his two daughters, perhaps in the same way he encourages his wife to be a fan. “My wife happily listens with me,” he laughed. The two met as undergrads at Middlebury College in Vermont.
The family has called Nebraska home since 2010, moving here when his wife became chair of the political science department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Detweiler took a position with the university as well, as a professor in the school of computing.
“We’ve thought about moving other places, but Nebraska is a great place for family and quality of life,” he said.
Detweiler is currently on full-time leave as he builds his startup business Drone Amplified. The company’s drone-based wildfire fighting system improves wildfire management and reduces the risks firefighters face.
During graduate school in Boston, Detweiler listened to WBUR and made his first donations to support public media. “It’s nice to give back and feels better when you can participate,” he said. “For the amount of time I spend listening to it, it’s pretty cheap compared to what else I pay for.”
To maximize tax benefits, the family makes donations at the end of the year, including an additional gift to Nebraska Public Media. “We sit down as a family and think holistically, choosing where to donate. It feels like a good time to do it,” he said.
Detweiler says that in addition to local news and coverage of the Nebraska Legislature, he also appreciates NPR’s national and international news. “It’s unique and there’s so much detail in the stories. It’s a great way to keep informed.”
Public radio reporters and hosts become very familiar to Detweiler. “My wife gives me a hard time when someone leaves because I feel like a part of my family is going away,” he chuckled.