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WRFN sounds strong again

F

flammable

Guest
I tuned to the frequency on a lark yesterday while I was on Harding Road. When I stopped in a parking lot, I noticed some strong pockets of signal. Last night, I was able to pick it up quite well in various parts of the city, almost as good as when they first went on the air. Nice loud audio, too.
 
> I tuned to the frequency on a lark yesterday while I was on
> Harding Road. When I stopped in a parking lot, I noticed
> some strong pockets of signal. Last night, I was able to
> pick it up quite well in various parts of the city, almost
> as good as when they first went on the air. Nice loud
> audio, too.
>
Two words...who cares?
 
> Two words...who cares?
>

Uh, the listeners? Man, ya gotta love the arrogance. . .

College radio sports. . .who cares? ;)

-M
 
> Two words...who cares?

About your opinion? Well, there's yourself. That makes one. Good luck with those numbers though.

Seriously, WRFN is one of the most interesting things happening in Nashville radio right now. This is a station run by people who don't get paid, yet turn up faithfully week after week to share their ideas and play their music to whoever is listening. Nashville Scene seems to think they're on to something good - they wrote that the only thing keeping WRFN from winning "Best Nashville Radio Station" was the limitations of their broadcast signal. They realize that WRFN is what radio should sound like - a democratic voice of the people, by the people, for the people. You may not always like what they have to say, but you can at least admire their commitment.

Not many people in this country will even bother to get out of their easy chair for much more than a walk to the refrigerator during the halftime break, much less volunteer and contribute to their community. It's so much easier to wave a flag and stick a ribbon on the car and pretend to care about things. It requires no thought and burns zero calories.

But hey ... enjoy that game. Need more Cheetos?
 
> > Two words...who cares?
>
> About your opinion? Well, there's yourself. That makes
> one. Good luck with those numbers though.
>
> Seriously, WRFN is one of the most interesting things
> happening in Nashville radio right now. This is a station
> run by people who don't get paid, yet turn up faithfully
> week after week to share their ideas and play their music to
> whoever is listening. Nashville Scene seems to think
> they're on to something good - they wrote that the only
> thing keeping WRFN from winning "Best Nashville Radio
> Station" was the limitations of their broadcast signal.
> They realize that WRFN is what radio should sound like - a
> democratic voice of the people, by the people, for the
> people. You may not always like what they have to say, but
> you can at least admire their commitment.
>
> Not many people in this country will even bother to get out
> of their easy chair for much more than a walk to the
> refrigerator during the halftime break, much less volunteer
> and contribute to their community. It's so much easier to
> wave a flag and stick a ribbon on the car and pretend to
> care about things. It requires no thought and burns zero
> calories.
>
> But hey ... enjoy that game. Need more Cheetos?
>


It's only a voice for people on the far, far left. I doubt that if someone even slightly to the right of these people gave them a million dollars, they'd let the person on the air. I will give them credit for getting the station on the air, but I had to laugh when they solicited donations of equipment and materials from some of the stations and broadcasters they were trashing.
 
> It's only a voice for people on the far, far left. I doubt
> that if someone even slightly to the right of these people
> gave them a million dollars, they'd let the person on the
> air. I will give them credit for getting the station on the
> air, but I had to laugh when they solicited donations of
> equipment and materials from some of the stations and
> broadcasters they were trashing.

Please support your position that WRFN *only* airs programs that espouse "far left" ideology. As for the "million dollar" analogy, I suggest you encourage some wealthy right-wing millionaire to give it a try. Of course, most right-wingers with a million dollars are not going to want to waste their time on a one hour show on a low-power FM station with a limited broadcast area. Tell me, if one of WRFN's show hosts had a million dollars to spend at WWTN or WLAC, do you think either one of those stations would give up some of their valuable drive-time air for a liberal show?

As for "the station" trashing stations and broadcasters, the "station" doesn't trash anyone. From what I understand, the content of every show is completely under the creative control of the volunteer host doing the show. If the individual chooses to take a swipe at corporate radio, it is apparently their right to do so, so long as they're not engaging in slander or libel.

The purpose of low-power FM is to give the power of broadcasting to voices that otherwise do not get heard on the airwaves. WRFN is doing precisely that, fulfilling their mission. What right-wing ideology (short of outright fascism) isn't being espoused on Nashville's airwaves? On the nation's airwaves? The people who put Radio Free Nashville together obviously have an ideological point of view, and they felt that that point of view wasn't being heard anywhere else.

But it's certainly not just about politics. There's plenty of music shows and even sports programming on the station - which brings up my challenge to your assertion that the station is *only* about "far-far-right" politics. I've heard religious-themed programming on the station that is quite in line with the kind of old-school religion I grew up with. Not necessarily the hardcore religio-politicking of the current Religious Right. Old-school themes like proper stewardship of the world God has given, compassion for the poor and disenfranchised, and condemnation of greed. Religion as a personal experience rather than some kind of Sharia Law to be forced on people through the legislative process. Things you don't hear so much anymore.

That's why I'm excited about what WRFN is doing. It's exposing people to different points of view, points of view that they don't get anywhere else on the radio. It's exposing them to music that they won't hear anywhere else on the dial. It's giving the voiceless a voice.

To answer the original respondent, *that's* why I care about it.
 
> That's why I'm excited about what WRFN is doing. It's
> exposing people to different points of view, points of view
> that they don't get anywhere else on the radio. It's
> exposing them to music that they won't hear anywhere else on
> the dial. It's giving the voiceless a voice.

Not really. If a radio tower falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it have a voice at all?

Really, it seems that the people who would listen to WRFN and the people who think "Musica" is art representative of this city's musical heritage are the same small group.

That's why they call LPFM "narrowcasting..."
 
The station doesn't trash other people and nobody has said they did. But some of its "staff" have. When they first began and received an onslaught of adoring newspaper articles, one of them mentioned a "Valentine Watch," to monitor and attempt to rebut Phil Valentine's show. They also talked about corporate radio and some of the stations in town in a disdainful way, and then expressed hope some of those same people would donate equipment or money.

Personally, I'll donate to another non-profit station. I believe, including WRFN, there are at least five in the midstate.
 
> Really, it seems that the people who would listen to WRFN
> and the people who think "Musica" is art representative of
> this city's musical heritage are the same small group.

I would agree with you there. That hideous statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest on I-65 is much more representative of this city's heritage.
 
> Personally, I'll donate to another non-profit station. I
> believe, including WRFN, there are at least five in the
> midstate.

You know, I've been to the station and read through their public file. I seem to recall a letter to the station that read a lot like your initial response. Do I detect a bit of sour grapes?
 
> > Personally, I'll donate to another non-profit station. I
> > believe, including WRFN, there are at least five in the
> > midstate.
>
> You know, I've been to the station and read through their
> public file. I seem to recall a letter to the station that
> read a lot like your initial response. Do I detect a bit of
> sour grapes?
>

No, you don't. I do give to another non-profit station, I have had absolutely nothing to do with WRFN.
 
> > Really, it seems that the people who would listen to WRFN
> > and the people who think "Musica" is art representative of
>
> > this city's musical heritage are the same small group.
>
> I would agree with you there. That hideous statue of Nathan
> Bedford Forrest on I-65 is much more representative of this
> city's heritage.
>

Gotta disagree. Nashville was one of the first cities in this part of the country to take on segregation. Mayor Ben West publicly called for an end to it in 1960. There's a plaque commemorating this on the steps of the Nashville Courthouse. Nashville hasn't had the racial tensions that other cities, such as Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York have had. There have been some problems, to be sure, but not to the extent those cities have had.

The Forrest statue is offensive and gaudy. Musica is big and strange.
 
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