Continuing their mildly creepy fascination with the BBC, it sounds as though MPBN has a new Maine Things Considered host, Tom Porter, who is quite British. I'm not sure why his Britishness annoys me...but it does. Can't listen anymore.
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New Maine Things Considered Host
- Thread starter radiothis!
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A
argytunes
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Maybe it's because a british accent can occasionally take on the air of being snobby?
This doesn't always set well with Real Mainahs or New Englanders in general!
argytunes
This doesn't always set well with Real Mainahs or New Englanders in general!
argytunes
It's not just the accent; it's more the attitude. The BBC promo exhorting us to "wake up to me, Dan Damon" is a prime example of pretentiousness. Someone once said that if you wake them up in the middle of the night, they talk just like we do (it's only a joke, folk). I suspect that the BBC alliance is more economic than journalistic, and, yes, I am an MPBN member. That said, if I want the BBC, I have my shortwave radio. I'd personally love to hear Tim Sample do a station break on BBC One over there.
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argytunes
Guest
I think Tim Sample would be excellent for a station ID or bumper! Can you imagine him appearing on a BBC pledge drive with his downeast accent!
argytunes
argytunes
Tim Sample once appeared on Michael Feldman's "What Do You Know?". You wouldn't of known it, however, since he did not use his trademark "accent." Well, he did of course, when they asked him to do a comedy bit. But for the interview, he spoke in a normal, accent free voice. It was pretty funny, actually.
I appreciate an immigrants right to work...but I think MPBN could have done well to hire, at the very least, a Salt graduate. Someone who already knew Maine a bit or had some good connections to the area. This is a state with a rapidly shrinking population of local journalists...I would have liked them to grab another AJ Higgins. Of course, maybe none applied.
I spend too much time thinking about this...
Not a Salt graduate (nor an applicant for the job discussed),
rt!
I appreciate an immigrants right to work...but I think MPBN could have done well to hire, at the very least, a Salt graduate. Someone who already knew Maine a bit or had some good connections to the area. This is a state with a rapidly shrinking population of local journalists...I would have liked them to grab another AJ Higgins. Of course, maybe none applied.
I spend too much time thinking about this...
Not a Salt graduate (nor an applicant for the job discussed),
rt!
A
argytunes
Guest
Have you noticed that many (but not all) MPBN stations have a Masterpiece Theatre Mindset?
There are programmers and listeners...as well as paid subscribers...who believe that the British accent adds 'an air of dignity' to the station!
Personally...I think this up your nose with a rubber hose attitude keeps potential subscribers from plunking down their hard earned cash when pledge drive time occurs!
argytunes
There are programmers and listeners...as well as paid subscribers...who believe that the British accent adds 'an air of dignity' to the station!
Personally...I think this up your nose with a rubber hose attitude keeps potential subscribers from plunking down their hard earned cash when pledge drive time occurs!
argytunes
Public Radio in general sports a snooty attitude. It would seem more beneficial to hire someone "local" however if someone is here on a legit work visa and no qualified locals applied so be it. There's a certain irony to them hiring a Brit to work on MPR.
Lots of xenophobic rhetoric on this board. Not one mention of the man's journalistic or broadcasting credentials. If one of you would have been better for this job, then I would be interested in learning how you brought your talent to the attention of the network's programmers. As a subscriber to an NPR station in another state, my only expectation is that the station hire their broadcasters strictly based on their merits not their accent, political leanings, country or origin, or postings on a chat board. It saddens me to see so much effort channeled negatively on these boards rather than being invested in creating opportunity to exhibit your talent and skills.
You know, I actually agree with you. But I also wonder if a public radio station would hire someone from India or Nigeria (or China or anywhere else) with a pronounced accent. I know of examples of both who were asked to "lose" their accents (no, not at MPBN, which I still belive delievers the best news in Maine). Neither were hard to understand, both were award winning journalists, but somewhere, someone found their accents jarring.
I don't really think this is about xenophobia. I think its about our public radio system's coziness with the BBC. Ever notice how similiar the NPR and BBC logos are? The BBC actually has a midly questionable history of reporting the government line--something it certainly does no longer...but it still doesn't mean we shouldn't question why we're fed their news as though it's the gold standard of journalism. I wonder how many NPR updates they air in the Empire?
That said, Tom has done an excellent job pronouncing Maine town names correctly. I've seen hires from New Hampshire struggle with town names...so it speaks well (heh, pun intended) to anyone from "out o' state" who can pronounce our names right.
rt!
I don't really think this is about xenophobia. I think its about our public radio system's coziness with the BBC. Ever notice how similiar the NPR and BBC logos are? The BBC actually has a midly questionable history of reporting the government line--something it certainly does no longer...but it still doesn't mean we shouldn't question why we're fed their news as though it's the gold standard of journalism. I wonder how many NPR updates they air in the Empire?
That said, Tom has done an excellent job pronouncing Maine town names correctly. I've seen hires from New Hampshire struggle with town names...so it speaks well (heh, pun intended) to anyone from "out o' state" who can pronounce our names right.
rt!
Actually, NPR employes a number of foreign born jounralists around the world and here in America with noticeable accents. I have even a few reporters who have mild lisps or other speech impeditments. I think it is admirable that the network seems to choose their correspondents based on their ability to effectively communitcate the news not on their ability to emmulate radio stereotypes.
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