Slow Fade

[Mark_Giardina]

I'm with the group that has been trying to purchase time on the air for 'Democracy Now'.

As far as WXXI goes, you can call what they present, straight talk/news. but I perceive it as news within the (rather narrow) socially/politically acceptible spectrum that caters to the educated listener, and to offend no one in the middle political spectrum. I don't call that 'straight talk'. Nor do I consider 'Democracy Now' to be advocacy. 'Air America' is advocacy radio. It has a spin and it spins it. And I like Air America sometimes. When I'm in the right mood, Randi Roades picks me right up.


WXXI was our first choice because it lends authority to it's content. NPR is kissed by the powers that be. A little additional content and perspective would enhance their presentation, not corrupt it. However, the people who police that space are utterly rigid, arrogant and fixed in their viewpoint. These are not qualities likely to come up with any particularly interesting insights. What I learned from our negotiation is that 'authority' is so heavily guarded as to be, from the standpoint of content, vacuous.

As a former employee of WXXI I was aware of efforts by certain groups to "force" the station to carry Democracy Now.

While I am not about to get personally involved in your dispute with WXXI, I will say, from what I heard, that certain organizations used every tactic, including intimidation, in order to get this program on WXXI. When I mean intimidation I am talking about threatening the station's license.

Every station has the right to reject a program if the management doesn't feel that program will fit their core audience. Have you conducted any surveys or did any research to determine if Democracy Now would actually benefit WXXI's listening audience?

I will conclude by saying that I highly doubt WXXI's management will budge on this issue. I am not speaking on their behalf because, as I mentioned in the outset of my note, I haven't worked there in two years. But I do know the people who run that place.

 

[judy_newtoradio]

As a former employee of WXXI I was aware of efforts by certain groups to "force" the station to carry Democracy Now.

While I am not about to get personally involved in your dispute with WXXI, I will say, from what I heard, that certain organizations used every tactic, including intimidation, in order to get this program on WXXI. When I mean intimidation I am talking about threatening the station's license.

If that occurred, I wasn't aware of it.

Every station has the right to reject a program if the management doesn't feel that program will fit their core audience. Have you conducted any surveys or did any research to determine if Democracy Now would actually benefit WXXI's listening audience?

They do have the right to accept or reject programming. But I felt at the time that WXXI, as a Public Broadcasting station with a large local membership, had special responsibilities to it's public and the sensibilities to support them. I suppose I was disappointed to find that they did not see it that way. We did call up a rally with several hundred people and collect several thousand postcards requesting that WXXI run DN. I suppose they could contend that we don't know what is best for us. However, I don't feel that a station that runs public service announcements that sound just like ads for big donors like Exxon Mobil and some local corporations, while wanting further proof of the value of a show requested by 1000 ordinary members is not qualified to decide what programming will "benefit" their listeners.

I will conclude by saying that I highly doubt WXXI's management will budge on this issue

I have no doubt this is true. I gave up on them long ago.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

As a former employee of WXXI I was aware of efforts by certain groups to "force" the station to carry Democracy Now.

While I am not about to get personally involved in your dispute with WXXI, I will say, from what I heard, that certain organizations used every tactic, including intimidation, in order to get this program on WXXI. When I mean intimidation I am talking about threatening the station's license.

If that occurred, I wasn't aware of it.

Every station has the right to reject a program if the management doesn't feel that program will fit their core audience. Have you conducted any surveys or did any research to determine if Democracy Now would actually benefit WXXI's listening audience?

They do have the right to accept or reject programming. But I felt at the time that WXXI, as a Public Broadcasting station with a large local membership, had special responsibilities to it's public and the sensibilities to support them. I suppose I was disappointed to find that they did not see it that way. We did call up a rally with several hundred people and collect several thousand postcards requesting that WXXI run DN. I suppose they could contend that we don't know what is best for us. However, I don't feel that a station that runs public service announcements that sound just like ads for big donors like Exxon Mobil and some local corporations, while wanting further proof of the value of a show requested by 1000 ordinary members is not qualified to decide what programming will "benefit" their listeners.

I will conclude by saying that I highly doubt WXXI's management will budge on this issue

I have no doubt this is true. I gave up on them long ago.

The reason PBS and NPR affiliates have "underwriters" is because only one out of ten viewers and listeners bother to donate during fundraising drives. The cost of operating these stations rises every year, and without this additional revenue, programs currently offered could face termination.

What I would suggest is trying to find a low-power FM station, or an AM operation willing to carry Democracy Now, if your group is willing to underwrite the costs.

 

[dampier]

I did think about Real Audio and Podcasts, but DN already does that on their own website, and basically, all websites are available in the same locations, so it really doesn't make sense. If we did links to our special interests, I think we could give them a promo and a link. I have to talk to some people.

A lot of DR's audience is already spending a good part of the day walking around with iPods, so setting them up with a podcast subscription to DR, so that it's already delivered onto listener machines, is probably the most convenient way to get people to listen. If you make them work for it, it gets tougher. And speaking as a guy who now spends almost no time listening to local radio, preferring XM and time-shifting programs onto my iPod and car transmitter, this is definitely the trend listeners are taking. Radio's numbers are not what they used to be, and with the same tired old nonsense they shovel our way, nothing is going to change there.

 

[dampier]

They do have the right to accept or reject programming. But I felt at the time that WXXI, as a Public Broadcasting station with a large local membership, had special responsibilities to it's public and the sensibilities to support them. I suppose I was disappointed to find that they did not see it that way. We did call up a rally with several hundred people and collect several thousand postcards requesting that WXXI run DN. I suppose they could contend that we don't know what is best for us. However, I don't feel that a station that runs public service announcements that sound just like ads for big donors like Exxon Mobil and some local corporations, while wanting further proof of the value of a show requested by 1000 ordinary members is not qualified to decide what programming will "benefit" their listeners.

The public comes into public broadcasting primarily during their begathons. Public radio is -not- community radio, especially in the last 10-15 years. It is not public access, it doesn't exist to guarantee programming of interest to the entire community, and is focused more and more on attracting a broad enough audience to pony up the dollars to keep the operation on the air. They say otherwise during pledge drives, but what happens 365 days a year is more important than words during a call out for cash.

True community radio is struggling with low power FM licenses in some communities, and this is a far better fit for what is community radio, but with our crowded FM dial locally, that's unlikely to be a reality around here.

I still think public radio is important and belongs on the air, but it needs to stay real in how it depicts itself. Locally, it is a very big operation and they pay some incredible salaries and benefits to those at the top.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

I still think public radio is important and belongs on the air, but it needs to stay real in how it depicts itself. Locally, it is a very big operation and they pay some incredible salaries and benefits to those at the top.

If the public only knew what the salaries were for top management at public stations they would freak. Some CEOs make more than the President of the United States.
:

 

[Ed Trefzger]

If the public only knew what the salaries were for top management at public stations they would freak. Some CEOs make more than the President of the United States.
:

A quick registration at guidestar.org will let you see IRS Form 990 for non-profits. Compensation of officers and top 5 employees is shown there. I won't post numbers here but the CEO of one Rochester non-commercial broadcaster receives compensation that is double the entire budget of another local non-comm. It's not as much as the president ... but it's almost $90K more than Dick Cheney makes!

 

[raymond_shaw]

Public radio is -not- community radio,

But it should be. They get tax breaks commercial broadcasters don't get, but modern public broadcasting(at least on a local level) is all about $$$$$$

and this is a far better fit for what is community radio, but with our crowded FM dial locally, that's unlikely to be a reality around here.

You could easily have LPFM stations in Rochester, Buffalo and every other urban area, except the ruthless NAB successfully lobbied congress to change the rules - instead of 3 spaces apart on the FM band, LPFM stations now must be 2 spaces apart. This makes LPFM pretty much impossible in urban areas...

Do you all know the story of the doctored CD Roms sent to congress with the "interference" that LPFM stations would cause for existing stations? It was actually 2 existing stations interfering with each other. **Note to NAB and your many supporters - you're a bunch of greedy, lying sacks of ------. No wonder you have so much influence with our morally challenged greedy, lying sacks of ------ in Congress.

As far as downloading Democracy Now! off the internet into ipods. I don't - I don't currently own an IPOD and even if I did, downloading a one hour show off dial up takes too long. Why can't I listen to DN! on a local outlet. WEOS in Geneva is NPR and they run DN! Why can't our country club crowd at WXXI run it? Afraid to piss off your wealthy contributors? Won't be able to dine on lobster bisque with them at Locust Hill anymore?

If the public only knew what the salaries were for top management at public stations they would freak. Some CEOs make more than the President of the United States.

True and disgusting. I support Public Broadcasting to the fullest, especially NPR and PBS. But on a local level, I find it abhorrent. Non profits should be run on an austere budget - no need for expensive new buildings, like in Buffalo and Rochester(have they ever gotten any tenants for the rest of the WNED building?).

If the public only new how cheaply local public broadcasters could operate and give the same on air quality. I've worked in radio studios in ranch houses and big buildings - WXXI and WNED could easily operate at their transmitter sites and nobody could tell the difference. Same for their TV stations. Then you couldn't possibly even attempt to justify these big top level salaries.

And they do so little for artists, musicians, performers and anyone else who'd like to use the public airwaves.

Next time they beg for money, ask them to sell off their buildings, extra production facilities they barely use and come back and ask for money later.

One last thought - what a deal - does any other non profit have the ability to reach their financial contributors like public broadcasting does? The Red Cross doesn't have it's own broadcasting facilities. Every time WXXI or WNED wants more money, they stop everything, run An Evening with Ray Charles(or some other larger appeal show) and break every so often to beg for money to support their cash cow.

 

[SpareChange]

The truth about salaries and compensation probably lies somewhere between "public radio is a racket" and "public radio employees make chump change." The WNED-TV building in Buffalo appears to a palace, but where is it written that public radio and TV are required to transmit from flop houses? Ever walked through the Channel 17 studios at the Hotel Lafayette back in the day? Or their studios at Barton Street? By the way, the WNED building has leaks in the roof and holes in the walls which allow wind and rain to pour into the place. It's far from the palace it appears to be on the outside.

Some of the discussion on this thread overlooks the hard work that the average staff people do at public radio. What's an equitable salary for people who are on call 24-7 and put their lifeblood into their jobs? Should salaries be capped at $52 G's per year? What about benefits? Insurance, 403(b) retirement. Surely, you wouldn't deny justifiable compensation to a person whose background, skills, experience, dedication and talent merit a decent paycheck.

This having been said, it's likely J. Michael Collins, former President and GM of WNED-TV, AM and FM, isn't hurting, nor are many of the upper level staff members at WNED-TV, which causes understandable rancor from within and outside the ranks. Some of the perks are pretty sweet. Trips, vacations, "seminars" and the like. In some cases, it would be a hoot to see a crawl under certain station personnel during their appearances during pledge weeks.

"Mary Doe's annual salary is $72 thousand. Within the last fiscal year, she attended five seminars valued at $18 thousand and will receive a bonus of 3% of the local gross revenues generated during this pledge week."


Hooowahhhh! Wouldn't that be full disclosure!

You have to admit, these are the people who believed in the medium and its mission. They rubbed shoulders and elbows with the right patrons of the art and pillars of the community and they've walked away with generous retirement packages and endowments for schmoozing the right people and installing their supporters on the boards of directors, which in most cases, sets their salaries; just like Yahoo, GM and Clear Channel.

When it's all said and done, in the purest sense of radio, that being turning it on and listening to what comes out of the speakers, I'd rather have WNED-FM, WNED-AM, WBFO and WXXI sucking up spectrum space on the AM and FM bands than ANY of the Pray For Pay crowd that grabbed what seems to be every available frequency in America between 88.1 and 91.9, manipulating the non-com rules to suit their every whim.

If you're pissed off about the salaries at Public Radio/NPR stations, don't take it out on the men and women who work in the trenches. Become a member, go to the board meetings, read the financial statements and raise your hand and make your feelings known at the proper time and forum.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

0If you're pissed off about the salaries at Public Radio/NPR stations, don't take it out on the men and women who work in the trenches. Become a member, go to the board meetings, read the financial statements and raise your hand and make your feelings known at the proper time and forum.

I've got no problem with talented, hard working broadcasters making a decent living. I suspect that the broadcasters at those stations deserve a raise -- in fact, without even knowing what those folks (some of whom post on here) make, I still think they deserve a raise. But I'd like someone to justify annual compensation nearing $300K for the CEO, though.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

0If you're pissed off about the salaries at Public Radio/NPR stations, don't take it out on the men and women who work in the trenches. Become a member, go to the board meetings, read the financial statements and raise your hand and make your feelings known at the proper time and forum.

I've got no problem with talented, hard working broadcasters making a decent living. I suspect that the broadcasters at those stations deserve a raise -- in fact, without even knowing what those folks (some of whom post on here) make, I still think they deserve a raise. But I'd like someone to justify annual compensation nearing $300K for the CEO, though.

The salary structure, plus the shrinking talent pool, is not only going to hurt public radio, but commercial radio as well. When places hire people with little experience who are willing to work for peanuts all these stations get are untrained individuals who are just padding their resumes. Those veterans attempting to return to broadcasting sometimes end up getting their old jobs back, or they are pushed aside in order for a station to hire someone who will work for less money; or for the station to fill an EOE quota.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

But I'd like someone to justify annual compensation nearing $300K for the CEO, though.

Blame the Board of Directors at these public broadcasting stations. They are the ones who approve the salaries for management. I agree it's unfair that the regular working stiff is lucky to get a 3% raise, while the person at the top gets double-digit increases, plus other benefits. But who said life was fair?
If you really want to complain about this salary structure, then contact the Board of Directors at your local public broadcasting outlet.

 

[dampier]

Public radio is -not- community radio,

But it should be. They get tax breaks commercial broadcasters don't get, but modern public broadcasting(at least on a local level) is all about $$$$$$

You get no argument from me! If I had the power, I'd turn off every religious repeater polluting the FM educational band and turn those frequencies over to any organization (including churches) that would provide LOCAL community programming to the areas they serve. Public broadcasting is a lost cause for this, at least right now. Maybe if they go digital and have subaudio channels, these could be dedicated to community public interest programming not coming off a satellite, but I won't hold my breath.

As far as downloading Democracy Now! off the internet into ipods. I don't - I don't currently own an IPOD and even if I did, downloading a one hour show off dial up takes too long. Why can't I listen to DN! on a local outlet. WEOS in Geneva is NPR and they run DN! Why can't our country club crowd at WXXI run it? Afraid to piss off your wealthy contributors? Won't be able to dine on lobster bisque with them at Locust Hill anymore?

You answered your own question + top management is entrenched in their views about programs like DN, and that view has probably gotten more entrenched the louder the protest against the decision has been.

Next time they beg for money, ask them to sell off their buildings, extra production facilities they barely use and come back and ask for money later.

This is where I have gotten to be myself. I used to be a member of our local public broadcasting operation but after discovering where the money was going, that was the end of that.