Posted on 11/05/2010 10:22:08 PM PDT by 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.
Hello RR, is the web-radio audience stats reflected in listening stats?
“liberals who pronounce Michele, “Mishay” “
I know a Conservative who pronounces it “Mooch-ell”, as in “Minnie-The-Mooch”. (Rush Limbaugh, of course)
no idea, sorry...as far as I know though it’s just terrestrial signal/broadcast
This is good. Submit it as a letter to the Washington Times. I think they’d print it.
yourletters@washingtontimes.com
Heck with the French chef. Isn’t WGBH where the Swedish chef was from?
Thanks; I’ll try to cook it down a little.
If you mean the Muppets... :) Prob not... though who knows!
Probably pick one of your paragraphs and drop it. Perhaps drop the pronunciation bit, and stick to the loss of diversity (with the “black guy” kicker as the punch line.)
Make it all about “diversity.”
I bet there is a lot of propaganda. I haven’t heard of any conservative spanish radio. If I were a billionaire I might try starting something along those lines, lol.
Love it!!
You’re presuming that anglos who live near Spanish radio stations can’t understand the Spanish broadcasts. The reverse is true. The more Spanish stations in the area, the more likely there are anglos who speak Spanish. I live in Dallas with numerous AM, FM and television channels, and they couldn’t fly anything under the radar, because way too many anglos are bilingual themselves.
Interesting question. If the broadcast isn't local, it might have come from Mexico or even Cuba. In Colorado, I have heard Radio Taino, an English-language broadcast out of Havana at 1160 kilocycles. Do announcers on the stations you heard give out a call sign or location?
In my market, we can easily hear Mexican border blasters such as XETRA at 690 kcs and XESURF at 540 kcs. At 6:00 AM, both stations broadcast the Mexican national anthem.
As for propaganda, you can get satiated on it im my market by listening to KTLK at 1050 kcs or one of several NPR affiliates on the FM band.
That was a favorite station of mine while I was living in a dormitory on the slopes of Fiji Hill. Late at night, while my classmates were listening to the Rolling Stones, the Credence Clear Water Revival, the Beatles' Abbey Road album, and other hits of the day, I would tune in to XERB to listen to Rick Ward and others broadcast "oldies" from the 1950's and early 1960's.
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