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WQQQ local programming to be silenced

Re: WQQQ programming to change

Here's the most objective article to date: http://www.countytimes.com/articles...4d4acf505866b218593221.txt?viewmode=fullstory It has been gratifying that even though one or two mean-spirited people tried to cast this story in a negative way, everyone else seems to gets it.

They have joined in celebrating the 17 1/2 year record of community service that we've always tried to stand for. Some have noticed that there are virtually no other large commercial FM signals that the owners have allowed to remain so locally focused for such a long time, having long since gone corporate and generic and cut way back on personnel and community involvement.

Given that we seek more free time, given a choice of selling to a corporate conglomerator or allying with a respected public radio group that maintains a large regional news department, holds a strong sense of responsibility to local communities, and presents widely-respected, intelligent, and professional programming - much of it locally produced - the choice was clear.
 
Please do not take my comments wrong.


You seem to be complaining about the same thing as I and others.


'The way radio was'


I enjoyed WQQQ and I will miss it.



If we all had 'big money' maybe could could buy out all the radio stations but reality is-------



I live in Fairfield so WSHU is nothing unique.


I do get troubled by the limited programming and music choice (classical) but ----------

(and that's just my sole opinion)

Nobody can question the choices made not knowing full particulars nor is it any of their business.
 
Re: WQQQ programming to change

I think that's all true, Shepaug. The days when radio could delight listeners and succeed by being creative seem to be gone. Research has long since taught us what to do in order to maximize reported listening, and most "owners" today are corporate shareholders (the largest shareholder often being named Mays, Suleman, or Dickey) whose interests are simply financial. Thanks to the Mayses and their cronies lobbying and "contributions" persuading Congress to lift most all ownership limitations in 1996, most big signals are now in those hands. Shareholder interests are tended to by a Board of Directors and managers acting in a fiduciary capacity. Fiduciaries don't have the liberty to take creative risks with other peoples' money, so it's all research driven. And research means just playing the well-tested format power hits over and over and over. No depth and not much personality; that would be too risky.

As a result, fewer people have a favorite station, and listeners don't feel a personal connection as in more creative days. They don't care, it's just background noise to set a mood. In fact, many listeners can't even remember call letters, so stations "brand" themselves with simplistic animal names like "Fox," or cool first names like "Jack." Easier to remember, especially when jammed down our throats every three minutes with an explosive sound effect and telephone EQ voice.

Remember when WNEW-FM pulled the live stunt of airing a couple copulating in St. Patrick's Cathedral? CBS got fined, and Dan Mason (I think it was) commented, "We're guided by what's best for our shareholders." It was the probably most blatant repudiation of the public interest standard that we've ever heard in public. Corporate conglomerators no longer even pretend to care, let alone believe that radio should rise to the challenge of helping make our lives more interesting.

Soapbox off, but I will say that with Q-103, we did try to make life more interesting in our large coverage area. Our AC playlist was at least five time larger than the corporate stations. Our personalities had free creative reign, we offered something for everyone, and we aired more specialty shows than any other commercial station I know of. (What other station on this continent features an Anime show? lol)
 
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