Don Satz wrote:

>John Proffitt wrote:
>
>>Performance Today is a major investment in the future of classical
>>music in this country, by any estimation.  Two hours of commentary,
>>features and--most of all--recorded musical performances from
>>concert halls around the country.
>
>Great sales pitch.  I'll make a large contribution on Monday.

I see no need for this snide remark.  John's statements above, whatever you
may think of the content of the show, are for the most part facts.  If you
have a problem with one of these facts, please confine your response to
those facts.

>Performance Today is not, in my mind, a major investment or "major" in any
>respect.  Two hours per day? Big deal.

Big deal? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific.  Is this too short
or too long? Does Performance Today pale in comparison with your favorite
news magazine devoted to classical music? Is there another news magazine
devoted to classical music? Ever tried to produce a show of any kind 14
hours a week every week of the year? Do you really have any idea what you
are writing about? I see little evidence of it in your posts, on this or
other topics.  Gut reactions and off-the-cuff remarks are OK as far as they
go, but you have to realize that continuing to apply these same methods to
every topic you post on is not likely to engender a great deal of
confidence in your opinions or judgements.

>Perhaps John, who routinely lets us know that he's connected with the
>world of broadcasting, is displaying a little bias.

And you continually and routinely remind us that you are in "management".
So what? At least John is posting about something he knows intimately.  You
would also do well to avoid taking pot shots at the vocations of others,
and further I advise that reading minds over the Internet is a risky
business.

But then, perhaps I'm biased too.  I once appeared on the show on a short
segment discussing Internet resources for classical music lovers.  In my
experience, Ben Roe (charter member of this list, BTW), the producer of
PT, and Martin Goldsmith, the host, were consummate professionals.  They
perform a service, and the music world would be much poorer if we had to
do without.  PT doesn't have a lot to offer hardcore CD collectors - they
tend to concentrate on the broader, more popular topics, music, recordings,
etc.  - but I for one believe they do have a great deal to offer those
enthusiastic about classical music in general.  There are a great many
legitimate bases for criticizing the show, but in lieu of an alternative
I don't see any wisdom in simple, knee-jerk bashing.

Or perhaps this was just another childish attempt to "provoke" discussion.
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I've pretty much lost
patience with those tactics.

Dave
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