Rock Critics quit WXRT 93.1 for Public 91.5

[whiteyoday]

From www.soundopinions.com -

To our "Sound Opinions" Listeners:

After 354 shows on WXRT (93.1-FM), “Sound Opinions” will be moving on Dec. 3 to
a new home on Chicago Public Radio (91.5-FM). Basically, we got an offer that is
too good to refuse: a bigger budget for production, staff and our Web site, an
amazing facility for conducting interviews and recording live music
performances, and the opportunity to reach a national audience with streaming
audio, podcasting and syndication. We are excited about the prospects of taking
“the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show” to a whole new level and a new and
larger audience, and we hope you will continue to join us every week.

Details about our new Saturday time slot and repeat airings, among other things,
will be announced soon, but in the mean time, we would like to thank everyone at
WXRT for their support and encouragement over the last seven years; the “Sound
Opinions” team—Matt Spiegel, Shawn Campbell, Jason Saldanha, Robin Linn, and all
of our interns past and present—for all of their hard work; and most of all you,
the listener.

Sincerely, Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot

 

[swalve]

> From www.soundopinions.com -
>
> To our "Sound Opinions" Listeners:
>
> After 354 shows on WXRT (93.1-FM), “Sound Opinions” will be
> moving on Dec. 3 to
> a new home on Chicago Public Radio (91.5-FM). Basically, we
> got an offer that is
> too good to refuse: a bigger budget for production, staff
> and our Web site, an
> amazing facility for conducting interviews and recording
> live music
> performances, and the opportunity to reach a national
> audience with streaming
> audio, podcasting and syndication. We are excited about the
> prospects of taking
> “the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show” to a whole new
> level and a new and
> larger audience, and we hope you will continue to join us
> every week.
>
> Details about our new Saturday time slot and repeat airings,
> among other things,
> will be announced soon, but in the mean time, we would like
> to thank everyone at
> WXRT for their support and encouragement over the last seven
> years; the “Sound
> Opinions” team—Matt Spiegel, Shawn Campbell, Jason Saldanha,
> Robin Linn, and all
> of our interns past and present—for all of their hard work;
> and most of all you,
> the listener.
>
> Sincerely, Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot
>


All WBEZ has to do now is replace the hosts and they might have a decent show!

 

[RichardPeirce]

> From www.soundopinions.com -
>
> To our "Sound Opinions" Listeners:
>
> After 354 shows on WXRT (93.1-FM), “Sound Opinions” will be
> moving on Dec. 3 to
> a new home on Chicago Public Radio (91.5-FM). Basically, we
> got an offer that is
> too good to refuse: a bigger budget for production, staff
> and our Web site, an
> amazing facility for conducting interviews and recording
> live music
> performances, and the opportunity to reach a national
> audience with streaming
> audio, podcasting and syndication. We are excited about the
> prospects of taking
> “the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show” to a whole new
> level and a new and
> larger audience, and we hope you will continue to join us
> every week.
>
> Details about our new Saturday time slot and repeat airings,
> among other things,
> will be announced soon, but in the mean time, we would like
> to thank everyone at
> WXRT for their support and encouragement over the last seven
> years; the “Sound
> Opinions” team—Matt Spiegel, Shawn Campbell, Jason Saldanha,
> Robin Linn, and all
> of our interns past and present—for all of their hard work;
> and most of all you,
> the listener.
>
> Sincerely, Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot
>
sad

 

[uncamark]

> sad

I don't really know--if the SOMB is any indication, a lot of their listeners don't care all that much for today's XRT in the first place and didn't seem to listen too much to the station outside of "SO" and perhaps "The Big Beat."

The problem they may have--until that time if and when the music station is set up by Chicago Public Radio--is that a good portion of the WBEZ listenership is not going to like it one bit, the way they didn't like the "Schadenfreude" comedy show "SO" is replacing. There is a strong element that is opposed to *anything* pop culturish on public radio and the whining on 'BEZ's crappy message board is going to be loud come Dec. 3, if not sooner, especially considering the uproar over the cancellation of "Odyssey."

Meanwhile, if the music station happens (as simulcasting on repeaters WBEQ and WBEW, with a third frequency to cover the northern end of the area), I'm now guessing that it's not going to be a jazz format, as assumed, and that they're going to go to a more modern AAA like Minnesota Public Radio's the Current in the Twin Cities. Considering how hugely successful that format's been so far, if I were XRT I'd be very worried.