KGNU Launches Blog to Cover the DNC, Election

Very much in keeping with its independent, community-centered public radio format, KGNU 88.5-FM in Boulder and 1390-AM in Denver launched a blog. Today, you can see "KGNU’s Joel Edelstein and Maeve Conran discuss the station’s upcoming coverage of the 2008 election, the DNC and the launch of their new blog." Once again, KGNU shows that high-quality public radio can be done on a shoestring budget when public radio stations work harder and smarter.

Also, my guess it that KGNU will balance out coverage of the more conservative branch of public radio, represented by Colorado Public Radio, with a budget or more than $10 million dollars per year. All that money and they STILL cannot produce a blog for their website? Oh that's right, if you want to participate in public radio news with CPR, you have to register with the Public Insight Network. How corporate is that?

I'd venture to guess too, that when KGNU speaks of public participation during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado that they will more often refer to demonstrators rather than protesters, unlike the staff at Corporate Public Radio. But what's in a word? Public radio listeners are not fussy about vocabulary -- especially when it comes to free speech -- right? Four-syllable, eleven-letter word that is a synonym for fussy? Hmmmm, where is the puzzle master Will Shortz when you need him?

KGNU: Doing More with Less

Seems like KGNU has found a different way to cover the DNC. It's not a huge presence, but has an eclectic feel, much like the station. I guess blog-like sites can be a good way to cover the news. Who'd have thought?

Back to the Future

Colorado Public Radio creeps forward by looking backward. In August of 2008, KCFR expands Colorado Matters (its one-and-only, locally-produced, 30-minute-long, public affairs show) back to 1 hour, with live and taped coverage from Democratic National Convention. Let's hope that once the convention is over that the KCFR news staff (which will probably number near 20 people by that time) can manage to fill an entire hour without having to rely upon theme-related news like multi-part, bark beetle stories.

Hey, here's an idea--how about doing political stories--like maybe, candidate races? Just a thought. Or is that too controversial for public radio?

Cokie Roberts Coming to Colorado.

Cokie Roberts, of National Public Radio, will be in Denver, Colorado as the keynote speaker for The Women's Foundation of Colorado on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at the Colorado Convention Center

Maybe one of the Denver public radio stations: KUNC-FM, KGNU-AM, KUVO-FM, or KCFR-AM can arrange to get this speaking engagement on the air, or get her into a studio to speak about The Democratic National Convention, the 2008 campaigns, working at NPR--you know, politics?