Today, I am a doctrine!
> Amen. Please note today is April 2nd - not April 1st.
>
> Fybush Doctrine: I love it. Good line.
Damn. Now I'm going to owe Dampier royalties. (Phil, would you settle for lunch at the Bagel Bin? That should be about halfway, and it's not like I can drive down Elmwood with all that construction, anyway...)
But I digress. Yeah, I was being a little bit tongue-in-cheek in challenging M. Webster on the "localism" thing where WLIB is concerned. In the real world, pretty much everyone in the industry agrees that the current city-of-license rules no longer make any sense, and their execution is farcical in many cases. The big broadcasters aren't trying to change the rules, though, because they've learned over the decades precisely how to make them work in their favor. My hands are not completely clean on that account, either, having earned consulting fees myself for helping broadcasters navigate those rules.
There's an argument to be made that the rules, as ridiculous as they appear on their face, have at least ensured some degree of even distribution of signals across population. Any attempt to revise the rules would almost inevitably allow still more rural and suburban stations to move in even closer to big cities, and I'm pretty sure I'm convinced that's not a good thing. And if nothing else, the rules, while exceedingly arcane, are administered fairly and equitably. Anyone who learns how to play the game has a shot at winning the game. That, too, is a pretty good thing.
The rules that do need to be brought into the 21st century are the public file rules, which have turned into a fine-extraction tool for the FCC without any real benefit to the public.
Getting back to my original point, though, there's no evidence to suggest to me that WLIB isn't playing by the rules as they now exist, and until and unless those rules are changed, I don't think WLIB can reasonably be held to any expectation that it perform at a higher standard than any other radio station.
And that said, I do agree with the next point:
> > WLIB should have at least a local morning show (buh bye to
> > Jerry Springer who is not doing us any favors on radio).
One wonders how Jerry's show would have been perceived if he'd arrived at it without all the tabloid TV baggage. In any event, yes, a local show or two on WLIB would be a good thing, not because WLIB is required to do so, but simply because New York is New York, and it's never been a market that's been friendly to national hosts, even ones originating right in the city. The libtalk stations that have done best, in my experience, have been the ones with a strong local show holding up the tent - KLSD, KPOJ, KKZN, etc. But it's a matter of voluntary programming decisions, not any sort of requirement that there be something local.
> PS: Have you been able to listen to Buffalo's competing PT
> stations where you are? Any reactions, especially to the
> local shows?
Leslie Marshall is OK on KB. I listened the first few days and haven't really come back to it at all. I finally had the chance to hear WHLD when I was in Buffalo a few weeks ago. The midday show I heard was dreadful - not just preaching to the choir, but preaching to one tiny corner of the choir loft. No entertainment value at all. I hope Ray Marks' morning show is better. (I didn't get to hear that.) <P ID="signature">______________
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