It’s that time again! WAMU, home to many a local broadcasting treasure, is again asking its listeners for cash — and given the extra-long station breaks which have cluttered your favorite programs over the last week or so, you may feel compelled. While we’d hope you’d like to donate and keep people like Patrick Madden gainfully employed, we thought we’d grade the crop of gifts offered to particularly generous donators, as we did last time around. Without further ado, let’s see what’s on tap this go around. Will this fall’s crop be able to survive the lack of a golf umbrella, the spring drive’s undisputed champion? Let’s see!

Gift: A Prairie Home Companion Recycled Grocery Tote
Donation Required: $60
Pros: Last year, the station offered only a simple, branded tote. But this year they rolled the dice, assuming that some would want to enjoy a “panoramic view of beautiful Lake Wobegon” while you’re surfing the aisles at Whole Foods. At least they tried, I guess.
Cons: We’re pretty sure that Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery would balk at the five-cent bag tax.
Grade: .05 Kojos.

Gift: A WAMU Knit Beanie
Donation Required: $60
Pros: It’s getting cold out there, after all.
Cons: A little too “Hot Topic” for this editor’s taste.
Grade: 1 Kojo.

Gift: Music
Donation Required: $75
Pros: I’m sure that Gillian Welch’s The Harrow & The Harvest and The Wronglers with Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s Heirloom Music are fine records…
Cons: …but I hear they’re doing wonderful things with digital music these days.
Grade: 2 Kojos.

Gift: WAMU 50th Anniversary Tote Bag
Donation Required: $88.50
Pros: Uh, it carries things?
Cons: Is WAMU’s logo (which I actually like quite a bit) really worth $28.50 more than Lake Wobegon? And what’s up with the non-round number?
Grade: 1 Kojo.

Gift: Car Talk-Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Plastic Travel Tumbler Mug
Donation Required: $88.50
Pros: It has “double-wall construction” and “a threaded lid, is dishwasher safe, microwave safe and BPA free,” so we’re talking the cutting edge of tumblers, here.
Cons: Last time we did this, the canteens were orange, this year, the tumblers are yellow. These are ugly colors, WAMU.
Grade: 2 Kojos.

Gift: The Animal House Goodie Bag
Donation Required: $88.50
Pros: You get a canvas lunch bag, a 1-cup food scoop n’ clip, and a pet waste bag dispenser.
Cons: The cute puppy in the photo is not included.
Grade: 4 Kojos.

Gift: Music
Donation Required: $88.50
Pros: Different CDs!
Cons: They’re still CDs!
Grade: 1 Kojo.

Gift: This American Life, “Interviews” 2GB USB Drive
Donation Required: $120
Pros: This could be the winner of the bunch — the drive has copies of seven episodes of the hugely popular series, a behind the scenes video, and interviews with Dave Eggers, Joss Wheldon, and a panel with Chuck Klosterman, Malcolm Gladwell and Susan Orlean bundled in. A creative nonfiction fan’s dream.
Cons: It’s only 2 GB, so you’re probably going to have to erase some of those episodes at some point.
Grade: 8 Kojos.

Gift: WAMU MemberCard
Donation Required: $120
Pros: Here’s what I wrote last year: “2-for-1 entrees at more than 200 area restaurants, and more than 8,000 restaurants across the country and 2-for-1 opportunities at area performances and attractions sounds nice. (Does it apply to beer?) Seriously, no one under 53 is going to carry this thing with them, let alone use it.”
Cons: That’s still applicable.
Grade: 3 Kojos.

Gift:A signed copy of Bob Edwards’ A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio
Donation Required: $150
Pros: A logical entry: Edwards is a public radio legend, and WAMU is a public radio station.
Cons: Lacks the flash factor.
Grade: 5 Kojos.

Gift: MORE COMPACT DISCS
Donation Required: $150, 225, 360
Pros: Different CDs! Some of them feature jazz! Others, episodes of Gunsmoke!
Cons: Seriously, someone take these compact discs off WAMU’s hands, as they obviously have run out of storage space.
Grade: 1 Kojo.

Gift: Ski Lift Ticket Vouchers
Donation Required: $180
Pros: An intriguing winter option, for sure.
Cons: Wait, “NOT valid for snow tubing”? Unacceptable!
Grade: 4 Kojos. (Would have gotten extra Kojos it tubing was included, of course.)

Gift: WAMU Hoodie
Donation Required: $240
Pros: Standard issue swag.
Cons: It’s not even 100 percent cotton. Plus, for that amount of money, this had better be the most comfortable sweatshirt ever made.
Grade: 2 Kojos.

Gift: Insignia portable HD Radio receiver
Donation Required: $360
Pros: You can get your fill of Diane Rehm on the go.
Cons: Another repeat from last time around, it still feels like a “1997 gift” to me.
Grade: 4 Kojos.

Gift: WAMU 88.5 Day Sponsorship
Donation Required: $500
Pros: “Member can schedule a personal message to run 3-times in one day. This can recognize a birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc.” Again, YES.
Cons: Are people who protest in town eligible for membership?
Grade: 8 Kojos.

Gift: WAMU 88.5 Leadership Circle
Donation Required: $1,000
Pros: All hail as the messiah of public radio!
Cons: That’s a lot of money that you could be spending on beer. (Plus, we’re not sure if, like last time around, you get a “88.5 pewter Microphone Pin,” which, if not, is a total dealbreaker.)
Grade: 6 Kojos.

Gift: Apple iPod Touch (32GB)
Donation Required: $1,800
Pros: Something to rip all those CDs to!
Cons: I’m a reasonable man, but a 600 percent markup is still a bit much, guys.
Grade: 0 Kojos.

Despite many more offerings, this is a somewhat underwhelming crop of gifts. I suppose the flash drive is the winner here, but unless you’re willing to part with some serious cash for membership, the swaghounds among us might be better off sending WAMU twenty bucks and holding out for the next round of fundraising.