Cutting "Public Radio" would do wonders for public radio

none ^ | 11-6-10 | Dangus

[dangus]

A long time ago, there was this wondrous thing called "college radio." Some stations played classical music, some played experimental jazz. Some played alternative rock back when alternative rock was actually an alternative. Today, across the left end of the F.M. dial, there's nothing but the incessant droning of pretentiously accented liberals who pronounce Michele, "Mishay" and compete for who can pronounce third-world place-names in the most unique way. (Why is Nicaragua, "Neek-ah-rrrrragooah," but Quebec is "Kwebeck"? And excuse me, but English-speakers built the city of Los Angeles, so it's pronounced, "Lawss Anjilis," not "Loehss Onhileess" until Mexico formally announces the annexation.)

It's funny to hear leftists bemoan the loss of "programming diversity" on radio, to Clear Channel. I pointed out to a professor of mine that I could find Rush Limbaugh on precisely one station, but "All Things Considered" was on no fewer than twelve stations. Think I'm exaggerating? Depending on the weather, you can get NPR on Baltimore 88.1, Ocean City 88.3, Washington 88.5, Baltimore 88.9, Salisbury 89.5, Towson 89.7, Ocean City 90.7, Washington 90.9, Princess Anne 91.3, Baltimore 91.5, Dover 91.7, Ocean City 106.9. I could probably pull in Rockville or Frederick, but they're wiped out by other NPR stations on the same frequency less than fifty miles away!

Why so many stations? Because small stations can receive CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) funds only if they carry "public" radio. So, when a non-profit station finds it no longer worth it financially to provide its own local programming, rather than sell the license to someone who would actually put programming on the air, they simply buy NPR broadcasts, and screw the taxpayers and radio listeners. Hey, it's better than letting Glen Back or Laura Schlessinger into the local market, right?

So, the very public corporation created to supposedly provide for a diversity of opinions on the public air waves serves instead to make sure that the entire left side of the radio -- the side that's cheaper to broadcast on -- carries one and only one program option: National Public Radio. And if you want to hear classical, or experimental jazz, or improvisational blues, or whatever the alternative to alternative rock would be, screw you. This is the government, and we know what's best for you to listen to. You need to listen to diversity on the radio. And of course, we'll fire the one black guy in the entire operation, because he actually expressed a thought that went loose in his brain.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

I agree. The sad thing is, if you want a degree in broadcasting, most college radio stations are running this fluff.

there is no creativity anymore.

[Vince Ferrer]

All NPR has to do is go out and sell advertisements, which makes their money the easiest funds to cut. Turn them from tax users into tax payers.

And this should not be a big fight. If we can't cut them, we can't cut anything, including the hard stuff, and the country goes down the toilet.

[GeronL]

Pacifica Radio also gets some funds even though some of their stations are run by volunteers and the tax dollars go directly to the radical leftist Pacifica Foundation.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

I was picking up an hispanic spanish only station on AM here in Ohio the other night. It was in the evening so I have no idea where in the heck it was coming from.

My question is this. What kind of propaganda are they feeding on these stations ? And most conservatives and middle of the road types have no idea what slips under the radar. Lets be honest, nobody in the state capital or in Washington D.C. is truly monitoring these broadcasts other than the ones that use these stations for propaganda !

[MplsSteve]

“And this should not be a big fight. If we can’t cut them, we can’t cut anything, including the hard stuff, and the country goes down the toilet.”

Well put. And that includes the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

[GeronL]

Much of the leftwing of this country is funded by the government through grants and ‘educational’ funds, look at George Soros’ Open Society Institute getting millions in tax-dollars for “voter education” in foreign countries.

This all needs to end.

Whether its Planned Parenthood or ACLU or ACORN-type groups they all rely on government funds. It should end.

[Bender2]

A billion or so years ago in the late 1960s, North Texas State College finally got a student radio station on the air. I was among a gathering of Radio/TV students and faculty standing in Master Control as we waited for the first broadcast. After a few moments of silence at the appointed hour, the very first words transmitted into the Denton, Texas, airways were, "Flip the [effing] switch!"

We all looked at each other and radio legend & Radio/TV professor Bill Mercer said, "That will be hard to top as the years roll by, won't it?"

It was agreed that it would not take the FCC long to swoop down and shut us down, but as time went by, nothing came of it. Other than it being a great story to tell now and then.

And there was the time I was giving a live 5 minute news report when several of my very close, personal friends decided to slip into the studio and fill my pants with whipping cream--

But that can wait for another time... when we have a lot more beer--

[GeronL]

If the National Science Foundation wants to give $700,000 for a play on global warming, they should be cut too.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

It has to be really bad down in the Southwest. I imagine there are a good many spanish stations on this side of the border alone. and there are many other radio and television signals from Mexico that carry hundreds of miles into the US. Some of the higher powered Mexican AM stations probably cover the entire SW US !

And thats fine. I am sure there is some great programming on these stations. A lot of good christian and catholic programming im sure. news and sports info..ect

but how much propaganda is reaching the hispanic community in the United States ? I imagine more than we could imagine. That is what scares me. How do we fight back ?

Sometimes we get caught in our own bubble and it is easy to assume everyone else is watching the same news we watch on TV and seeing everything we see.

[Smokin' Joe]

I remember listening to a college station, broadcasting on AM, "with less power than your average light bulb". You could hear them across campus on a clear night.

It was fun, but then the comm arts dept decided to go upscale (50,000 watts) and the fun faded fast...

[Smokin' Joe]

How do we fight back ?

As much as I have been actively resisting the concept, out of pique if nothing else, perhaps it si time to learn Spanish just so we can know what is being said...and Farsi, and...whatever else.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Frank from the Right Perspective radio program also has a unique way of pronouncing Nicaragua as well as a host of others countries & terms as well.

[Mr_Moonlight]

Back in the day there was the advent of FM radio, and in my late childhood experience, one 102.7 -- WNEW-FM, New York -- WNEW-FM would play entire album sides uninterrupted, and would have soft spoken DJ's such as Scott Muni, Allison Steele, Pete Fornatele, etc etc, do the thing ... it was grandiose ;)

With the advent of FM radio and it's superior audio bandwidth, AM radio audiences diminished. AM radio stations could not compete with FM anymore due to this, so AM turned to "Talk Radio" --- but there was a huge problem there, as a government dictated ditty called the "Fairness Doctrine" initiated in 1949 got in the way, as government dictates usually do. /brphhhh

President Reagan started the skids of the 1949 "Fairness Doctrine" in 1987 and it was fully abolished later on after SC challenges (by liberals no doubt, the most illiberal ppl of all !!! /laughs)

We can thank Pres Reagan for the dawn of truly fair and balanced broadcasting, and one of the first broadcast hosts to take advantage of this was Rush Limbaugh -- and we all know how influential Rush turned out to be :)

How does the above ramble figure into an FR post about Public Radio? I dunno, but somehow it does. Mainly that there is little need for government sponsored 'public broadcasting' and that any free speech issues are quite well taken care of within the free market. Government should have nothing to do with it, as an entity such as NPR is beholden to their government benefactors and cannot, by its very funding source, be 'objective' in its reporting.

-- MM

[truthfreedom]

Yes, it pretty much should be doable.

[Othniel]

I remember the days when FM radio played music, intrusion by DJ was minimal, and one often heard the b-sides or the other tracks from an album, instead of just playing the hit songs overandoverandoverandover like they do today.

I listen to a number of online radio stations. One of the best for variety is www.streekradio.com. Streekradio is based in Holland, and the diversity of their music library is staggering. Due to the time difference, I hear it during their late night, so there is more rock and less talk, so to speak. There are also news and information spots, but those are in Dutch. NPR never gets a listen, and it's been decades since I heard to Prairie Home Companion.

[TXnMA]

"Some of the higher powered Mexican AM stations probably cover the entire SW US !"

I haven't listened to AM in a long time, but there used to be "XERF, Del Rio, Texas -- with our 100,000 watt transmitter in XXX Mexico"

XERF was the only (English-language) station you could pick up anywhere in the SW at night...

[alpo]

XERB and Wolfman Jack on AM crusing 4th in Santa Rosa. Nothing finer.

My Dad sometimes could listen to WHO DesMoines onboard ship in the South Pacific at night in WWII. Radio waves bounce around at night and you get stuff from all over. Got the home town news the same time as his folks.

[raccoonradio]

There is still college radio. I have been on a 130 watt (but we do streamcast!) univ. station near Boston for almost 30 years and we have alt. rock, blues, jazz, “chill music”,
doo wop, ethnic and so on. We do not do pledge drives. We operate on a shoestring. A few “donorships”. No long
“commercial breaks”—heck, no commercials. Some DJs are
current students, some are community members (I graduated
from there in ‘84) who can be much older.

[raccoonradio]

>>And if you want to hear classical, or experimental jazz, or improvisational blues, or whatever the alternative to alternative rock would be, screw you

WGBH Boston, sister station to the TV folks who brought you the French Chef, dropped long-running blues and folk
shows and substituted news and talk shows—and you can guess
how they slant. Bon appetit!