I monitor the WNYC message board and have noted a broad spectrum of unhappiness with the NYC programming in general., including the lack of coverage of NY's diverse residents. Actually, some listeners are looking for a broader array of programming. During the last fund drive, Laura Walker's salary was posted by an irate listener along with other 990 details.. Lots of complaints about the underwriting, etc. and discussion of public radio's purpose. . Today, this interesting article appeared in the New York Observer. http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/frontpage6.asp January 30, 2002|9:20 PM Don't Stop the Bach! Static Breaking Up Slick New WNYC-FM by Ian Blecher ‘I always thought of WNYC as a cause. Laura [Walker] thinks it’s a business.’—Mary Daly, former consultant to WNYC excerpt The passionate depressives who spin classical music on WNYC-FM are queasier than usual these days. When the station’s transmitter went down with the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, WNYC management knitted up its two schedules—a talk-heavy slate of programming on the AM frequency (820 kHz) and a classical-music-heavy lineup on the FM dial (93.9 MHz). And suddenly the FM D.J.’s, who had been broadcasting Beethoven, Berlioz and Glass 18 hours a day, were crushed into a mere four hours—from 8 p.m. to midnight—on the combined schedule. Now, four months later, although engineers say WNYC has regained its ability to broadcast on both frequencies, management has kept the classical-music schedule to its new hours. Why? WNYC is a new station, and its management has new priorities. “I have no clue what’s going to happen,” said John Schaefer, who hosts New Sounds daily from 11 p.m. to midnight. “I know we’ll have classical music,” he said, but “the morning music and the midday music shows, they’re basically gone.” The 77-year-old WNYC, a radio holdover from a municipally idealistic age, is now, in the tenor of the times, privatizing. It has just about completed its six-year transformation from New York’s blaring civil servant of the air to slick, independent NPR clone, muffling shows like Morning Music with Steve Post and Midday Music with Margaret Juntwait in favor of the garrulous transcontinental yentas Satellite Sisters and Kurt Andersen’s hip midlifer’s culture fest, Studio 360. snip Below are some comments posted to the NYC message board regarding the article. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> These are a few comments from the NYC message board: On 01/30/2002 at 02:23:05 PM, Terence posted the Observer article and wrote: "Read about the present and future of WNYC and then go throw up!"...... And to all you liberals who think conservatives suck, just see what your heroes are doing to what was once a really good station, perhaps the best of its kind in the nation. It's more than sad, it's criminal. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "scathing Observer article about Laura Walker" On 01/30/2002 at 01:39:16 PM, mattyboy wrote: Check out the cover of this week's New York Observer, or go to www.newyorkobserver.com and click on Laura Walker's face. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wnyc On 01/30/2002 at 06:34:53 PM, Waldo wrote: "Irony. Oh, such irony..." A couple of weeks ago Jonathan Schwartz was talking about broadcasting [I know a lot of you can't stand him, but I'm a long-time fan. Now, hear me out, please.] Anyway, Jonathan was talking about the "old days" when FM radio first started and station managers and owners didn't know what to do with FM. So somebody got the bright idea of running the same stuff on both AM and FM. Jonathan spoke of this as a really dumb idea. Eventually this became illegal. Maybe it still is. The irony is that Jonathan and Laura are friends -- she was on his Christmas show where she talked about how well Satellite Sisters is doing, etc. I guess she hadn't shared with him her plans for destroying the station. I haven't finished the Observer article. Thanks to those of you who posted it. I turned on the radio this morning to hear Brian {Lehrer} say (very defensively) something like: "We've already talked about that and we're not going to talk about it any more." I knew something was "up" but didn't have time, until now, to check in here. What a hoot! They'll talk about anything at all under the sun except their very own station. Sounds like a real tyranny to me. Thank heavens for WQXR and the Sulzberger family >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "People like Laura Walker and Ken Lay are more destructive to civilization than Stalin" On 01/30/2002 at 02:42:11 PM, shelly wrote: It's the slash and burn school of broadcasting >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "It's the Enronization of WNYC" On 01/30/2002 at 02:40:35 PM, shelly wrote: L Walker will profit handsomely from the IPO and the station will subsequently fail (is she a Bush family relative?). What a disgusting travesty. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 01/30/2002 at 03:16:03 PM, The F-word wrote: "I always said that: WNYC was MORE independent as a station of the city than now." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "At least Steve Post is well again and getting paid!" On 01/30/2002 at 05:08:51 PM, R. McGeddon wrote: Good to hear his voice, if only between quotes. He deserves the best. What's the point of having the FM station at all if the same stuff is going to be broadcast? One thing the article doesn't mention is that Gilbert Kaplan is a trustee (according to year 2000 form 990). Could this have anything to do with his having a show? Not that that's necessarily a bad thing (I happen to like the show >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. Lastly,my own sadness, is the paucity of classical music in the dial. period. BAi might consider this in future...? br New Pacifica Working Group http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica 'Save Our Stations!' To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: NewPacifica-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/