clamav-milter version 0.81b on buphy.bu.edu
Status: O

John Proffitt writes:

>The public radio news and information format does generate good listener
>support, in most cases.  In the case of my station, we do more classical
>music than news/information, and the support is very good from the
>audience.  But...the number of people who listen exclusively to the
>classical music programming on KUHF is considerably less than 1/4 of our
>overall audience.  Most KUHF listeners listen to Morning Edition and
>classical music and enjoy both!  and support both!

Well, John is to be congratulated on maintaining both news/information
and classical music programming.  There is of course no reason why such
a balance should not work, but I remember an interview with a consultant
which appeared in the New York Times a few years ago, and his general
advice to stations was: you cannot do both and thrive.  Proffitt has
followed a different path. In Boston one station maintains a balance,
the other (WBUR) has immersed itself in news, news, news.  What a bore,
but the Stepford listeners - very educated Stepford listeners, keep
contributing.  About twenty years ago NPR tried to pressure WGBH to cut
back on early morning classical music in order to broadcast more of
Morning Edition.  Fortunately classical music was the domain of the very
popular Robert J.  Luertsma, and WGBH did not cave.  Robert J.  is no
longer with us, but WGBH still leaves Morning Edition at 8 A.M., an hour
earlier than WBUR.

Now the station manager who purged WBUR of all vestiges of classical
music has resigned.  Perhaps the monomaniacal dedication to the Cult of
News and Chit-chat will be reexamined.

Bernard Chasan