To access the pledge-free stream, you must:

• Be a High Fidelity member who gives $15/month or more (click here to upgrade!)
• Be a Leadership Circle member who gives $1,000/year or more
• Make a $45 donation right now

If you think you may be a qualifying member (Leadership Circle or High Fidelity giving at least $15/month), visit our Member Center.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

If you’re having trouble creating an account, please check out this step-by-step guide.

What can I do in the MemberCenter?
You can manage your High Fidelity, update your payment information, download your tax receipt, and much more.

How do I update my preferred email address?
Just send us an email (membership@wbez.org) from your preferred address and provide either your old email address or your current billing address and we’ll update it for you!

Why did I not receive the verification/password reset email?
The verification/password reset email can take up to one hour to arrive. Also, make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.

Why can’t I locate my account?
If you’re using Internet Explorer 8, you won’t see the appropriate fields to log in. Please update your browser or switch to a different one (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)

It’s an online source for listening to WBEZ without hearing the pledge drive.

How can one listen to the pledge-free stream?
It is available anywhere you can access a browser, namely: your computer, your smart phone or your tablet.

How is the pledge-free stream possible?
We’re basically running a second broadcast in addition to our regular broadcast. This broadcast requires additional staff time, studios and programming.

Who can listen to it?
Members who currently give $15/month via High Fidelity or are Leadership Circle Members giving more than $1,000 annually. Or, anyone who gives a one-time $45 membership donation between October 1 and October 9.

Why do members who do not already qualify have to give a one-time donation of $45?
As Chicago’s main source for independent, non-commercial news and stories, WBEZ is a non-profit organization that relies on the support from the individuals who use our services to help pay for them. On-air pledge drives are where WBEZ finds the majority of its individual support. Because of this, as well as finding ways to help off-set the cost of the pledge-free stream without taking money away from other revenue needs, we are requesting that non-qualifying members or new members make a minimum gift of $45 to access the pledge-free stream.

Why is WBEZ offering this?

WBEZ’s greatest source of funding comes directly from the listeners we serve. We must use our airwaves to find these donors, because running an independent news organizations is very expensive.However, once a listener donates, it would be nice to offer them the ability to go back to non-pledge drive programming. While that sounds simple, it’s actually very difficult to do, but we have finally done it and are now launching it for the first time. We’re thrilled to be able to offer this benefit to our current members.What are the technical requirements I need to listen? You must have cookies enabled to be able to access the pledge-free stream. It is also recommended that you have a recent version of your internet browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, etc.). 

How do I listen on my smartphone?
Log in to your account from your phone on any browser, and if you are eligible, you will see a blue button to launch the pledge free stream. Here’s a neat video on how to create an app icon for the pledge free stream on your iPhone.

My stream is choppy / sometimes it drops the feed / it stops when my iPhone falls asleep.
This is likely because your device is low on resources and having some trouble buffering the audio. Restarting your device should do the trick. If you’re using a smartphone, closing out other apps will also help. Also, please be sure your internet connection is strong (WiFi is the best).