The Voice of Reason said:
As for WXXI-AM, I have been disappointed with their line-up of programs.
Diane Rehm has interesting guests, but her show is as stimulating as stale toast.
There is a colorful phrase I use in dismissing those who bore me to tears with esoterica, razor-thin niche topics that people will discuss for hours on end, and dreary highbrow discussions which seem to try and illustrate one's own knowledge of a topic rather than truly being interested in it - "you are so Diane Rehm second hour."
I appreciate Diane's ability to go deeper than the usual surface populism or bombastic rhetoric one gets on commercial talk radio, but her show is made for podcasting (played back at double speed when she is hosting - I haven't heard delivery that slow since VOA Special English). For every insightful program delving deep into current events with someone who actually has knowledge of the issues, there is a show with an Albanian poet celebrating the release of her new book on Asian Haikus for Kosovo. Kill me now.
If you go to her archives on the website, there are one or two hours a week that are *really* good stuff, and it's worth listening, once you get past her delivery (which isn't her fault by the way). But the rest of it is the radio equivalent of a coffee table book in a waiting room.
As for Bob Smith's show, to be quite truthful I am surprised Mr. Smith's guests are able to get a word in at all considering how he monopolizes the conversation. And some of the topics are quite boring.
As compared to what else on the radio? Bob Lonsberry? Bob Smith's show as a podcast would get far more attention from me when I actively listen to radio programming (I power walk my way up and down Elmwood every afternoon usually with BBC World Service Newshour or something else along those lines). But I would be lost in fascination as well hearing Bob Smith talk with guests about history topics or other things which get absolutely no attention on the radio. I have heard far, far worse in monopolizing talk show hosts. The worst ever was Casper Citron, who hosted a radio show for decades five nights a week in New York City, typically from a upper crust NYC hotel he wormed free room and board from and recorded the show in their dining room (complete with table bussing heard quite clearly in the background). He wanted to make sure his guests knew he read their books, so he constantly interrupted them and finished their sentences to prove it. After that, Bob Smith's on air interviews don't bother me at all. I suspect some of the time, he's talking to fill time waiting for some calls to show up.
raymond_shaw said:
If so, who can blame him? WXXI is pretty hard to like. Stictly for the Country Club set. Can't get Danny Wegman mad at them - he's a big contributor. AM 1370 doesn't have much to offer as far as local programming is concerned("we're not a community radio station," as they once wrote to me).
I think the better word here is "elitist" at least with some of their programming. I think there is an opportunity for people to run a public radio station that actually connects with the entire community, not just potential donors. I think most of them are in more rural communities. Listening to Wyoming's public radio stations, for example, shows they are quite willing to talk to the common man and woman in the mountain west. A lot of community interest programs with local flavor. Alaska's public radio stations have compelling local programming as well. It's amazing what some stations can pull off on a shoestring and provide a meaningful service to the community. Others have millions and well, they want to make sure they have those millions.
For the big bucks he makes off the faithful's money you think he could have been a little nicer to the Democracy Now committee of Metro Justice and let them all in to the meeting("not enough chairs" - empty chairs were seen inside the meeting room, or so I am told - I wasn't there).
Metro Justice and Norm have no love for one another, so I'm not surprised. MJ wants Democracy Now on public radio and the management of WXXI has drawn a line in the sand with their absolute refusal to run it. It isn't going to matter how many people show up to protest. And WXXI is correct if they've told you they are not a community radio station. They haven't been for sometime. WGMC and WRUR are more "community" than WXXI is these days.
And yes, I once worked for them. Dreadful. The Walmart of local broadcasters. Strictly sweat shop. Norm needs his big salary.
As I've written before, once you visit their headquarters, you'll never pledge another dollar.
