CapRadio cuts 12% staff and cancels shows

[Mark Roberts]

With that as the model, it's obvious why some assume public radio is "leftist." I usually ask for examples, and the only ones they can name are the ones publicized earlier this year. None of them are really "leftist." But they are a bit "snooty" and a bit "elitist," which is exactly what you expect from an educational institution. I'm one of those who believes public radio needs to get out of the northeast a bit more.

So...let's go to Vail! (Kidding, for obvious reasons.)

More to the point is what I've observed while doing a lot of listening to All Things Considered recently. It sounds to me a lot like a group of urbane people in their 30s (and those in their 40s trying to stay up with trends) who are comfortable in a large institutional or corporate environment talking to each other, and who probably have pretty good educations. They probably start their emails to each other with "Hi, <name>" or even "Hey, <name>". There's a casual, breezy tone that suggests they're all kind of hanging out in a very structured way, swapping cocktail recipes. It reminds me of happy hours in San Francisco last decade. It wouldn't surprise me if that was a deliberate effort to make NPR more appealing to younger audiences. But it's still a very urban kind of experience and probably comes across as "snooty" to some. I hear less of this on Morning Edition; I hear more of it on some of the network's midday programming.

All this obscures some of the very good work that local public stations do. Some of it deserves to be heard on the wider network, I think, and might be a good answer to the accusations of snoot.

 

[radiofan2023]

Plus there was San Francisco's status as a cultural center and, now, all those institutions are suffering as their audiences age out. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Entercom was harder-nosed than Bonneville about what the future was likely to bring, I believe.

There's also the trend of more people working from home or in hybrid work from home/in office jobs, which leads to less time spent listening while commuting.

 

[TheBigA]

There's a casual, breezy tone that suggests they're all kind of hanging out in a very structured way, swapping cocktail recipes. It reminds me of happy hours in San Francisco last decade. It wouldn't surprise me if that was a deliberate effort to make NPR more appealing to younger audiences. But it's still a very urban kind of experience and probably comes across as "snooty" to some.

I know what you're talking about. Which brings up the catch 22 of public radio with regards to the taxpayer funding part. The money stations receive from CPB is based on the amount they raise from local communities. The more local money they raise, the more they qualify for CPB grants. This goes back to the Reagan administration that didn't want to give these stations "welfare." I'm not kidding. They wanted these stations to EARN the federal dollars they received. So that means these stations HAVE to appeal to the kind of audience that is more likely to subscribe, which would be those snooty, elitist people you remember from cocktail parties. The same thing applies to the music programming you see on PBS stations during pledge month. It's all part of the system that requires them to raise local money to qualify for taxpayer funding.

This is why I say that if they eliminate CPB and taxpayer funding, the places that will suffer the most will be small red states and rural areas. Because Northern California has a lot of the people who will keep public radio & TV funded. Not so much in Mississippi and Alaska.

 

[TheBigA]

"One size fits all" healthcare should be appalling to the NPR fans, but a few years ago, they all turned into lemmings for some weird reason.

I think that's a misconception of what they believe. NPR fans have nothing to worry about with regards to healthcare. The statistics I've seen say they're all well insured and well taken care of. The idea behind government healthcare is taking big corporate profit interests out of the system. That story was in the news recently because of the shooting of a healthcare CEO in NYC. People are angry with the state of corporate healthcare. They like Medicare and Medicaid. So the view was to broaden the program to other people. Once again, mainly people in red and rural states. But the billionaires who will be running the government want to privatize everything so they can make more money. So they have demonized the government programs. That will be the issue people will have to deal with in the next few years: Who do they trust? Profit-making companies or those who provide those services in a non-profit way. Public radio is part of that discussion. We see how corporate radio handles staffing and programming. Public radio is supposed to operate free of those profit motivations.

 

[Paul]

I'm sure you do. That's great! My point is I agree with the idea that colleges SHOULD provide students with ways to participate in their radio stations. Especially state colleges. I know in my own case that I wouldn't have had the career I've had were it not for college radio. I've had a lot of conversations with colleges about that very thing. In the specific case you brought up about Sac State, my understanding is there is a student internship program with Cap Radio, and the aforementioned KSSU. So I think Sac State has done what most colleges do with regards to student radio.

I agree. And I am still not convinced that an internship at an NPR affiliate 50 miles away is nearly as good as an air shift on the air of a multi-kilowatt campus radio station. Although my career as an engineer would be the same with or without a campus radio station, the same is not true for most of my friends from school who needed that campus station and their air shifts to help form their careers and the very people they are today. Like you, I believe they are important.

 

[tbolt909]

The people who gripe about Government are the first ones crying for Government help when a hurricane wipes out their trailer park. Most Americans don't view Social Security as a hand out. They pay into the system their whole lives. People like Elon Musk are the ones saying "Let Them Eat Cake".

Getting back to NPR, it's ridiculous to label them as elitist.
It's just another mindless argument from people don't trust Dentists, Doctors, Scientists, or anyone with any professional training...

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

No. It's called sharing an opinion. I am under no obligation to share how I formed that opinion. No leftist (nor right-wing) web forum bully is going to dictate to me otherwise.

It is truly none of your business what new sources I prefer. You can ask, but I am under no obligation to answer. You were setting up a trap, I jumped over it. Just move on.

an opinion is correct, though far from fact ... usually people will back up their opinion and discussion with evidence/proof and you are 150 percent reluctant to that that. it leads alot of people to not really take what you say very seriously. how you came upon these opinions, etc is tatamount to understanding your reasoning

 

[TheBigA]

I am still not convinced that an internship at an NPR affiliate 50 miles away is nearly as good as an air shift on the air of a multi-kilowatt campus radio station.

The problem the colleges have with students on air is supervision. They feel there needs to be a responsible adult overseeing what the students do, since most of them are under 21. That's why I brought up the example at USF. So the colleges feel better when the student stations are either unlicensed internet stations or low power. But yes, getting on air experience, building a fan base, and programming to an audience are all benefits of being at a big college station. I certainly benefited from it. The bad news is the colleges are seeing less value in it as we move along.

 

[Delete My Account]

Just one reason being that they are on the campus, yet don't have student run programming. I also went to UOP when UOP still had their own station, and Cap Radio bought it, moved it off the UOP campus, and programmed it out of Sacramento with the same violin music and leftist propaganda as was already on several other signals at the time, this effectively took away the voice of that school. That station once aired programs created by UOP students and was an integral part of that campus and that community. Cap Radio took it away for greed. No more student programs, just more Sacramento originated begging for bucks.

If you have an issue with NPR programming, somehow I doubt that obscure alternative and independent eclectic music programmed by students, expressing sentiments and making comments much further left than the most liberal opinion on NPR would be your jam. Don't most conservatives think universities spend too much on "useless" programs? In many cases, I've seen more conservative administrations actively work to dismantle traditional college radio formats because it's considered wasteful spending and broadcasts programming outside the mainstream. Student radio is not typically something political conservatives believe is a value to society, and the programming typically is actively progressive, from the early days to now.

Or, maybe you'd appreciate what they did in Georgia to WRAS. Atlanta had a strong NPR affiliate, WABE. But GPB is (ten years, so far) leasing college station WRAS. The stated goal?

"to use Georgia Public Broadcasting as an economic development tool to a greater extent than we’re currently doing.”

GPB hires governor’s pick for plum job

When Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal recently approached Georgia Public Broadcasting’s top exec about appointing outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers to lead the state network’s proposed initiative promoting economic development, GPB chief Teya Ryan agreed to make the hire.

current.org

This prompted criticism from the GM of WABE who pointed out that the duplicative programming was a waste of tax dollars:

GPB to WABE: 'We are responding to the high demand we have heard for years' | CL

It's on!

creativeloafing.com

WRAS was a station with high student involvement and professionalism. GPB, under the authority of the governor, spends thousands to duplicate NPR programming that WABE airs, and takes the daytime hours away from students. So, a conservative administration spends taxpayer money to broadcast "liberal" NPR programming to slant the "local" programming towards their priorities, but NPR is the biased organization you're mad at?

Seems a tad hypocritical, but then again, I grew up in an era when the leader of the "conservative" party took strong stances against Russian dictators, so what do I know.

 

[TheBigA]

WRAS was a station with high student involvement and professionalism. GPB, under the authority of the governor, spends thousands to duplicate NPR programming that WABE airs, and takes the daytime hours away from students.

I remember the battle over that. To this day, students point out that WRAS still underperforms WABE in the ratings. When WRAS was student run, it got better ratings than it does now. But it was seen by the adults as a "sandbox." So they took it over. This has happened at a lot of college stations, where administrators tell everyone about declining student interest in radio. Then when you talk to the students, they give a different story.

 

[Paul]

further left than the most liberal opinion on NPR would be your jam. Don't most conservatives think universities spend too much on "useless" programs?

You've made an assumption about my political preference, then used a stereotype to paint me into your desired mold.

 

[TheBigA]

So, a conservative administration spends taxpayer money to broadcast "liberal" NPR programming to slant the "local" programming towards their priorities, but NPR is the biased organization you're mad at?

The conservative attack on public broadcasting is primarily a national one that doesn't transfer when those same politicians go to their home states. In other words, Georgia rep Marjorie Taylor Greene isn't telling her governor to defund WRAS. The state legislature has cut some funding to Georgia Public Radio, but they haven't told them what shows to air or that they should drop NPR. And the funding cut wasn't because of "leftist propaganda."

Georgia Public Broadcasting losing 9% of its state funding

www.ajc.com

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

You've made an assumption about my political preference, then used a stereotype to paint me into your desired mold.

Well, can you blame him? youve thrown around accusations, provided no support or details and refuse to answer what you consider a trust worthy source so one has to make assumptions.

You def. come across as a bit bitter/with an axe to grind in a way about all of this, but with no supporting or background details

 

[davideduardo]

I wonder if Paul objects to the lavish lifestyle of someone like Joel Osteen? He relieves his followers of their money quite effectively...

And his followers support his lifestyle as his brand of faith includes the tenet that following the Bible will lead to prosperity.

 

[davideduardo]

Absolutely cannot stand that crook. Or any of the others like him.

I am definitely not a follower. But Osteen is open and honest about his lifestyle and uses it to show that prosperity follows people of faith.

 

[Paul]

You def. come across as a bit bitter/with an axe to grind in a way about all of this, but with no supporting or background details

I wasn't bitter until I started getting attacked on this forum. I can't get over the unmoderated hostility here. Didn't used to be like this years ago. Moderators would not have tolerated such uncivil conduct.

 

[TheBigA]

I wasn't bitter until I started getting attacked on this forum. I can't get over the unmoderated hostility here.

I get attacked for being too much of a corporate cheerleader. I just ignore it. It used to piss me off. But I have nothing to be angry about.

 

[davideduardo]

Nope. Never applied there. I had friends who worked there, and I even assisted with some of their projects (no pay, just helping a friend) and saw a lot of behind the scenes.

Since you asked, and I believe your post deserves the respect of a response (unlike other attack posts here- Scrooooooo the rest of you):

You have more recently complained about moderation and the political focus of certain posters here. What did you expect when you suggested that we all get screwed?

I am strongly against any broadcaster who accepts taxpayer funds and spews leftist propaganda.

I think that most student operated stations are going to have a progressive or liberal perspective. There are plenty of statistics about the left or right orientation of people by age group.

Further, the Administration of most colleges and universities tends to be anywhere from centrist to the progressive side. So we should expect that in opinion and commentary based programming such stations as those operated by colleges will reflect their political and social orientation.

In this particular case, as a Sac State alum, I am strongly against the operation as a whole for lots of reasons. Just one reason being that they are on the campus, yet don't have student run programming.

I agree with other posters, who believe that there has to be strong and guiding adult supervision of college students who “want to be on the radio“ but who are, at best, only a few years removed from being teenagers

In my experience in radio, I have not found any examples of an 18-year-old who should be handed the reins to a program or a whole station without that kind of supervision. And I say this as one of the few exceptions to that rule as I Built my first radio station at age 18 in a major market of over 1 million people; I had the inherent stupidity of unrestrained youth and a big doses of good luck.

I also went to UOP when UOP still had their own station, and Cap Radio bought it, moved it off the UOP campus, and programmed it out of Sacramento with the same violin music and leftist propaganda as was already on several other signals at the time, this effectively took away the voice of that school. That station once aired programs created by UOP students and was an integral part of that campus and that community. Cap Radio took it away for greed. No more student programs, just more Sacramento originated begging for bucks.

Generally, the programming produced by undergraduate students without intense supervision, tends to be a batch of manifestations of individual student’s tastes and preferences with little or no consideration of who might listen or who might want to listen.

 

[davideduardo]

I get attacked for being too much of a corporate cheerleader. I just ignore it. It used to piss me off. But I have nothing to be angry about.

Well said!

Paul seems overly sensitive to perspectives that do not reflect his own beliefs. For his benefit, he might look at how many times you and I have had different perspectives, points of view and even fundamental beliefs about radio. But we keep coming back to discuss and debate with each other because it is healthy to review our own attitudes constantly and consistently.

There is no doubt that you and I have totally lost count of the number of times other posters have disagreed with us, sometimes so vainly that those contrary opinions are personally offensive. There is no fun coming here to have people only applaud us and honor our opinions.

 

[davideduardo]

I wasn't bitter until I started getting attacked on this forum. I can't get over the unmoderated hostility here. Didn't used to be like this years ago. Moderators would not have tolerated such uncivil conduct.

Obviously, you do not know that the three principal moderators here have a long history with this board and all can measure our participation in decades, not just years. The current owner of the site was this same site founder… another moderator is a well known industry, consultant and publisher of a highly respected newsletter. And I have been a radio groupie since the late 1950s so I must have absorbed a bit of knowledge and perspective along the way.