Jon Gallant wrote:

>Why?  I would guess that the pressure to increase audience size (hence
>switching from CM to jabber) is related to the pursuit of sponsorship $$$.
>If this view is correct, it means that the abandonment of CM broadcasting
>is a direct consequence of the commercialization of NPR.  Does anyone know
>of any hard evidence for this (or any other) explanation of the trend?

First of all, I think it a little short sighted to use such a derrogatory
term as "jabber" to characterize the various talk and public affairs shows
that are broadcast by NPR.  That's putting Diane Rehm and Juan Williams
(grammar errors, mispronunciations and all) into a league with the likes
of Rush Limbaugh; which is a very unfair comparison.  I am an avid NPR
listener, not only because I am a bit of a news and politics junkie, but
also because our local classical radio station (a commercial outfit owned
by the city of Dallas) is pathetic.  It is staffed by an on-air tribe whose
incompetence is only matched by its arrogance and pretentiousness.

I also think it unfair to characterize NPR as being "commercial" simply
because it has abandoned a format that does not garner support from the
public.  That isn't commercialism, it's survival.  At least the programming
that has replaced CM on NPR is of a high quality, and not the garbage that
passes for radio on the AM band.

WRR, Dallas' classical station survives handsomely, despite its myriad and
obvious weaknesses because they have made a large market for themselves in
Dallas' affluent community.  The 'fur' loves W R-ah R-ah (it's very hard
to put a Texas accent into letters) and I don't think it's going anywhere,
anytime soon.

Kevin Sutton