Our local NPR is doing quite well, as you can see from this Laura Leslie facebook post. But please do your part by pledging today.

Quote :

"Laura Leslie - New Arbitron ratings out today under the new PPM system show WUNC has the highest market penetration and AQH market share of any public radio station, big or small, in the US. Thank you, NC!"

Have you considered joining at the dollar a day level? For that 365 dollars you could have lunch with someone famous that no one has ever heard of! Or, you could enter as a sustaining donor so that you'll automatically get entered to lose all of their contests and drawings. Just imagine, you could be not going to Paris right now, for as little as $5.

Thank you for listening. This has been a Supplanter Public Service Announcement. (Also, you should vote).

10/21/2010 2:16:22 AM

Quote :

"penetration"

10/21/2010 4:16:52 AM

^touché

10/21/2010 4:29:36 AM

NPR just fired Juan Williams

they're dead to me lol jk

10/21/2010 6:42:32 AM

I'm so freaking sick of the pledge drive, the one on the Fayetteville station has been going on for over a damn week.

10/21/2010 6:58:20 AM

^if you pledged more and talked less they would be gone by now

10/21/2010 7:01:43 AM

Quote :

"NPR just fired Juan Williams"

finally

10/21/2010 8:33:21 AM

Market penetration doesn't necessarily mean they're making lots of money, since NPR doesn't sell air-time to advertisers.

10/21/2010 8:57:37 AM

dude I hated Juan Williams - he was such a prick

does anyone know anybody that works at WUNC?

10/21/2010 9:32:51 AM

Quote :

"I'm so freaking sick of the pledge drive"

10/21/2010 9:37:47 AM

if you're tired of the pledge drive why not just call up and give them the $300,000 they need?

10/21/2010 9:38:48 AM

I have an idea.
It's not without its problems, but I think it might work:

Liberal libertarians like myself are smarter than average, listen to NPR, use the internet, etc.
We'd like to challenge the liberal spin presented on NPR.
Also, extreme leftists, (unapologetic socialist-types,) may also like to challenge NPR for not being liberal enough.

NPR executives and the hosts of the shows, presumably, control 99% of the content on NPR, the other 1% being callers that get through with their points, but are often dismissed and remain unaddressed. NPR, as a public radio station, (note that I don't really share their goal of "public radio" exactly,) should be more open.

Allow people to bid (or "buy it now",) on airtime to air the issues that they don't think NPR is giving fair time to (or any time at all,). Bidders may use their airtime to challenge and respond to the regular programming on NPR, however they see fit. Basically let listeners pay to be sort of like NPR ombudsmen...

For instance, I hate the way they refer to things being "[illegal] drug-related" but not "[illegal] drug-prohibition-related". I object to their use of the phrase "both [political] parties" when in fact there are more than two parties. If I could get a few minutes of airtime to attempt to cogently and critically challenge these and other NPR practices, I would give them money. (I already do give, just not a huge amount.)

Now, of course, really rich political interests of all kinds could just buy up the available airtime, ruining this idea -- unless someone could figure out how to make it work.... But it seems like a win-win... NPR better represents listeners and a wider variety of viewpoints, and they get more money.

10/21/2010 10:26:23 AM

Quote :

"Liberal libertarians like myself are smarter than average, listen to NPR, use the internet, etc."

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

10/21/2010 10:28:56 AM

^
Fact, dude. Look it up. No, really.

10/21/2010 10:32:22 AM

You brought the pledge drive to TWW

Get fucked, buddy

10/21/2010 10:33:48 AM

Quote :

"NPR executives and the hosts of the shows, presumably, control 99% of the content on NPR"

You definitely don't understand how NPR's programming works. Only a portion of the shows on NPR are actually produced by National Public Radio. Many shows are co-productions of various public media groups: Public Radio International (PRI), American Public Media (APM), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), etc. Many regional stations are also involved in the production of programming as they provide many of the material resources required to produce a show.

The focus of programming is set by a number of factors including grant money which stipulates how the money will be spent - when I worked on Studio 360, for example, we received grant money that could only be spent on segments that dealt with the intersections between art and science.

Programming is further determined by the staff involved in the production of the show. The host is but a small part of this team. Senior producers and editors wield the most control over the show.



[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 10:36 AM. Reason : -]

10/21/2010 10:35:07 AM

^

Quote :

"various public media groups"

Sorry I wasn't clear. That's who I meant by "execs"... not necessarily NPR ones.
The point is, though, that listeners don't have as much of a voice as they could. (even though they already have more than most other news outlets...)

10/21/2010 10:38:44 AM

Well you could always write them a letter. They DO read it.

If you're interested in more engagement with your media outlet I'd suggest you get involved with Pacifica or other community radio organizations. If you're in the Triangle there is WCOM in Carrboro.

Actually a LOT of programs do engage with their listeners. The Story with Dick Gordon is a local example. The Story relies very heavily on listeners for its content.

Also, I think you're misunderstanding the goals of this programming. Public radio is intended to inform and entertain. If you are looking for some kind of electronic agora I'd recommend the internet. The very nature of broadcast radio makes it poorly suited to be an open forum. It is a hot media (to use McLuhan's language) compared to television but it is very cold when compared to interactive media like the internet.


[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 10:47 AM. Reason : -]

10/21/2010 10:43:57 AM

^
I do write on occasion. They don't always reply.

Quote :

"more engagement with your media outlet"

Well yeah, but it should be as open and easy as calling in on the show. Literally anyone anywhere can call, and possibly be on the air. "get involved with ...community radio organizations" is too much. Only a few people would have the time and effort for that. I'm suggesting that hundreds of people might donate a lot of money if they could get their issue some airtime on NPR, for the national audience.

Quote :

"If you are looking for some kind of electronic agora I'd recommend the internet."

No doubt, and perhaps the listener-ombudsman could be blog-driven on NPR.org as well, but the airtime is crucial. It could be more of a "hot media" with some clever ideas...

[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 10:53 AM. Reason : ]

10/21/2010 10:52:38 AM

The only entities that would win such bids are corporate and big-party campaign advertisers.
The only entities that would win such bids are far removed from healthy, constructive discourse.

10/21/2010 10:56:30 AM

why don't you pitch the program to one of the radio groups or an area station?

your sentiments are fine but if you are unwilling to enact the change you wish to see these sentiments are dead, aren't they?

^ That too.

[Edited on October 21, 2010 at 10:58 AM. Reason : -]

10/21/2010 10:56:56 AM

^^
Yeah, I know. That's quite obviously something that would have to be controlled somehow for my idea to work.

Quote :

"why don't you pitch the program to one of the radio groups or an area station?"

I don't have the whole idea worked out, nor the time right now to design it...

Quote :

"your sentiments are fine but if you are unwilling to enact the change you wish to see these sentiments are dead, aren't they?"

No, because I'm sharing the idea with you all, so my sentiments live on. (or at least might...)

10/21/2010 11:02:57 AM

Quote :

"^ Fact, dude. Look it up. No, really."

I'm curious. Is ALkatraz laughing at you because he doesn't believe liberal libertarians are smarter than average, or is he laughing at your poor grammar (which is funny given the content of the statement)?

10/21/2010 11:12:08 AM