Sam McManis from Sacramento Bee:
People used to say, with a measure of condescension, that National Public Radio's audience was small but fervent. Now, it's huge -- 26 million listeners a week huge -- but no less fervent.
Still, public radio dust-ups rarely go, well, public and draw mass attention. When they do, the fervency of listener reaction is off the charts.
Case in point: Three years ago last month, NPR's signature news program, "Morning Edition," replaced Bob Edwards -- the only host the show had ever had -- after 24 years. Howls of protest ensued from "Morning Edition's" listener base, which at that time numbered more than 10 million a week. Its headquarters in Washington received 35,000 e-mail protests. Supporters started online petitions. Some even withheld pledge money, anathema to a nonprofit media outlet.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/23245
People used to say, with a measure of condescension, that National Public Radio's audience was small but fervent. Now, it's huge -- 26 million listeners a week huge -- but no less fervent.
Still, public radio dust-ups rarely go, well, public and draw mass attention. When they do, the fervency of listener reaction is off the charts.
Case in point: Three years ago last month, NPR's signature news program, "Morning Edition," replaced Bob Edwards -- the only host the show had ever had -- after 24 years. Howls of protest ensued from "Morning Edition's" listener base, which at that time numbered more than 10 million a week. Its headquarters in Washington received 35,000 e-mail protests. Supporters started online petitions. Some even withheld pledge money, anathema to a nonprofit media outlet.
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/23245