Colorado Public Redundancy

Here is another complaint from The Daily Camera regarding Colorado Public Radio's move of KVOD to 88.1-FM in Denver. Roger Cichorz, a KVOD listener, asks some important questions regarding the downgrade of KVOD. CPR celebrated -- and to some degree, warned about -- the move "back to FM." But if 1490-AM is still on the air (it is), carrying NPR news in northern Colorado including Boulder, and if 90.1-FM covers both Denver and Boulder, then there seems to be an overage of KCFR news coverage while there are enormous gaps KVOD classical music coverage. As a matter of fact, you can now get NPR news from Centennial-based, Colorado Public Radio on three different and over-lapping stations in the north metro area: 1340-AM, 1490-AM and on 90.1-FM. Sounds like Colorado Public Redundancy to me.

In the immortal words of CPR President Max Wycisk, more public radio IS better for everyone -- especially when part of CPR's mission is to blast KUNC listeners with KCFR's competing content from National Public Radio throughout northern Colorado. It sounds to me like CPR knows exactly what it is doing -- LITERALLY!

Damn Right It's Flat Out There!

Many of you have heard about the erosion of the middle class in this country; the rich get richer and the ranks of the poor and working poor continue to grow. It's that way in the public radio universe, too.Yes, Jimmy James Jr., The Public Radio World Is Flat!

CPR – Colorado Potemkin Radio

Take news content as an example; where today public stations have to play smart with the limited number of people they have on staff who produce relevant news and information. The exception to this numbers game in Colorado is found at Colorado Public Radio (CPR), which has more than a dozen people working for its news department. Smaller stations throughout the state would do very well covering their worlds with just a handful of such people. How CPR management allocates its talent is another story.

NPR – The CNN of Radio

The public radio news system as a whole is wanting -- wanting new blood, new ideas, new paradigms for a whole new generation of un-served and under-served listeners.Like the nation's distribution of wealth, there is a top-heavy layer of bureaucracy at National Public Radio, (NPR) filled with sometimes self-important Senior News Producers, Editors, and Hosts, who are VERY comfortable. After them, the talent gap drops off the table or it isn't widely seen or heard. Aside from basic egomania and established people clamoring at the top, there are several reasons why public radio news has become so anemic. One of the reasons lies squarely at the doorstep of a public radio icon.

If you draw a line from the 1970's to today, you will see a steady decline in the number of mid-level producers at public radio stations. Over the years, they have been the people who worked tirelessly to produce local and regional news, interviews, and feature material -- some of which may make its way onto an NPR news program (although not nearly as often as 20 or 30 years ago). The decline in the number of people churning out such material started in 1983, when (then) NPR News Director Robert Siegel dramatically shifted the emphasis, with NPR's limited budget, toward the BBC for international news, while building up a roster of NPR staff who served as regional reporters, based in various U.S. cities across the land.

The NPR Acquisitions Unit – Cultivating Local Flavor and Regional Creativity

While this may have seemed to be a solid strategy, left in the dust was something known as the NPR Acquisitions Unit, which contained hard-working editors who worked tirelessly with mid-level producers from hundreds of public stations across the country. The results were mixed, but the less polished (and less expensive) reports gave shows like All Things Considered a unique flavor, capturing life from region to region. Compared to now, more reporters participated then -- some of them with a regional sound to their voices. They filed reports on topics from the serious to the sublime. NPR news programs contained a smörgåsbord of Americana, along with hard news events and issues. When the NPR Acquisitions Unit was watered down, in favor of building a more professional sound, something very basic and essential was gone; and fewer and fewer people embraced work as mid-level producers.

The other big shift which brought about the flattening of the public radio universe came in 1981, when the Reagan Administration's Budget Director David Stockman vowed to zero-out funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This enormous shockwave felt throughout the system still resonates today. Every time you listen to something on public radio that rings of predictability and playing-it-safe, you can trace that tendency back to the shockwave. When David Stockman spoke his poison, too many public radio managers panicked. And they leaned heavily on self-appointed radio research gurus who preached playing it safe with focus group research as more than just a guiding tool. Risk-taking is forbidden in their culture. It is a mindset that, if Garrison Keillor were to attempt to start A Prairie Home Companion today, wouldn't get to first base.

Avant-garde Radio Theater

On a note other than news, 1981 also signaled the end of something else: good radio theater and widely distributed satire for radio. It was the year that the last two significant radio theater productions aired: the radio versions of Star Wars, and the unparalleled Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which dwarfs the TV and movie versions of same). Both shows were in the pipeline before David Stockman spoke, and nothing has come from that side of good public radio since.

It's time for a rekindling. But even that may not be enough to win back the college-aged generation walking amongst us; already glued to their I-pods and who consider public ALL radio irrelevant – not just public radio. The public radio system as a whole has only itself to blame for so much complacency; and whether or not we can un-flatten this mess is anyone's guess.

An Essay by First Responder

The Public Radio World is Flat

Thomas Friedman, The New York Times’ resident imbecile (sorry, Pulitzer Price Award Winning imbecile) wrote an idiotic tome some years back entitled The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, which (to my dismay) met with critical acclaim. As he made the rounds on all the popular public broadcasting outlets, I listened in horror as this charlatan spoke about fuzzy concepts he called "flatiners." Matt Tiabbi, of Rolling Stone Magazine (among others), and author of Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season, soundly panned Friedman's book in this review at New York Press, and vindicated my point of view that TF (aka THAT Fu*ker) has fallen as far over the edge as the cover of his collection of recent, worldly musings would suggest.

In today's online version of Current, the public broadcasting trade magazine, Dana Davis Rehm, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for National Public Radio gives her pep talk about how NPR and Member Stations will stem the tide of its own media and membership flattening (a Friedman-esque mixed metaphor). Audience numbers have leveled -- have been flattening for some time. Subscriber contributions are down -- have been leveling for some time. Read her prescriptions, and decide for yourself what you think about her solutions and your own local public radio stations. Can you guess what will happen next?

The fact is that NPR and many public radio stations have been privy to this information -- declining audience -- for some time. They saw the trends more than 5 years ago, but most member stations did very little about it -- except buy and observe the data. But, short of another major nation-wide or world-wide disaster, NPR's audience will continue to shrink, as it (quite literally) dies off. Recent cuts and draw-downs at large, financially sound public radio stations and networks are real. Minnesota Public Radio predicts staff cuts, and WBEZ in Chicago recently dropped 2 local shows it produces. And yesterday, NPR announced that it was dropping the Bryant Park Project, a $2-million show (experiment) aimed specifically at a younger audience demographic.

And what is the strategic plan for NPR and its member stations? Rely upon you -- the subscriber. Once again, NPR and Member Stations will continue to balance the books on the backs of individuals, at a time when individuals have fewer dollars to spend. They know that you will feel guilty enough to do the right thing. So, just do it!

Simultaneously, strong member stations and networks will start to "partner" with weaker ones. That means Member Station consolidation; mergers and acquisitions. Non-profit language is so chicken shit. This isn't a "partnership." It is survival of the fittest. The "more public radio is better for everyone" maxim was as horse shit when I first heard it years ago as it is today. More is always better for everyone, so long as the pie is getting bigger. The pie is shrinking. The world is flat. Oh yeah, and guys like Tom Friedman are freakin' geniuses!

Here's a thought, why doesn't someone go on just one public broadcasting outlet -- radio, television, NPR, member station -- I don't care, and tell people, EXPERTS like Tom Friedman, Mara Liasson, Juan Williams, and Cokie Roberts, that they are completely full of shit? Sorry, full of talking points? Full of conventional wisdom? That would be some interesting public radio CONTENT! I bet that would get some listener-subscribers ringing the pledge lines!

Max Wycisk for the NPR Board of Directors

I guess Max Wycisk is doing such a bang-up job at Colorado Public Radio, that he has decided that he has a bit of free time on his hands. Now, he's running for the National Public Radio Board of Directors, which he served on 18 years ago. Read his questions and answer for the NPR position below. They are posted to the Western States Public Radio website.

I wonder why Colorado Public Radio didn't run a press release related to this campaign. Do the CPR employees even know? I doubt it. You'd think news like this would bring honor and prestige to (as the constant CPR promos say) "your community-supported source for in-depth news and classical music." Or perhaps this is just part of Wycisk's suspiciously secretive nature and painfully introverted character. Seems contrary to public radio to me. Good luck, McWycisk!

*****

Candidate: Max Wycisk – KCFR-AM (Denver, CO)

Please detail your qualifications for the NPR Board.

• 35 years of public radio experience: as a volunteer announcer; as a Program Director; and as a General Manager.
• Extensive non-profit governance experience: I have served on several non-profit boards, including the NPR Board (1984-1990), and have worked under a non-profit board for the past 25 years.
• Prior to working in a community licensee structure, I worked in a university licensee structure for 10 years and understand the strengths and weaknesses of both structures.

If elected to the NPR Board, on what Board Committee – or in connection with what issue – do you believe you have the most to offer NPR?

The primary issues I see for the NPR Board will need to be dealt with by the Board as a whole. These issues center on the need for clearer and more productive working relationships with NPR member stations. Examples:

• Improving the NPR governance and management process, with the goal of creating greater internal accountability at NPR and greater external accountability to NPR member stations.
• Marshaling the public radio system's capacity to support common activities such as news-gathering.
• Working to develop more effective ways of using new media to maximize the strengths of public radio's local/national structure.

What is your overall assessment of the NPR board? Is it responsive to stations? Is it sufficiently high profile?

Over the past several years the agendas of NPR and stations have slowly drifted apart. I see real potential at the present time to bring station and NPR agendas into alignment, and feel that the NPR Board is poised to take on this task in an active, meaningful, and productive way. The NPR Board has an opportunity to empower station managers by planning the Annual Meeting on behalf of the membership. The Annual Meeting should be a business meeting with real outcomes, a meeting at which directions are determined and decisions are made. At the Annual Meeting NPR management should report to member stations about its implementation of decisions affirmed at the previous year's meeting, and field questions from the membership.

NPR does not currently have a conflict of interest policy and procedure for Board members. What sort of policy should be established in order to handle conflict of interest situations when a board member has a primary duty as an employee or officer of a competing station, network or distributor?

I have not seen conflict of interest surface as a problem over the years. Working as we do in a co-op model, station managers' individual organizational interests often dovetail directly with the interests of NPR. The NPR Board's job will be to make sure that the interests of NPR are aligned with the needs and interests of member stations. (Note: Article 5.4 of the NPR by-laws does address conflict of interest in a general way.)

Since the institution of the A-Reps meeting format, NPR has not achieved a quorum for its Annual Meeting. Do you view this as a problem? Do you have any recommendations for engaging more stations in the citizenship of the annual meeting?

The Annual Meeting problem has to do with the fact that it has devolved into a one-way presentation rather than being a forum for discussion and debate. The Annual Meeting conversation should be a genuine two-way process, initiated as much by stations as by NPR management. Here are two specific thoughts to help remedy this situation:

• Planning for the Annual Meeting should be led by the Board, in partnership with management.
• Lowering the quorum from one-half of the membership to one-third of the membership would make it easier for the membership to endorse specific actions at the Annual Meeting. In the present situation the lack of a quorum results in paralysis and frustration.

If we can institute both of these approaches, I have every confidence that member stations will want to attend the Annual Meeting, knowing that each of us will have the opportunity to play a meaningful role in determining our collective future.

What suggestions might you have to add diverse experience and opinions to the board and management deliberative process? Would the reimplementation of working advisory committees with station staff members and others for specific topics and issues serve as a way to expand knowledge and increase awareness of station’s needs, feelings and reactions?

As I see it, the NPR Board does not lack for diverse experience, expertise, and opinion; nor does it lack knowledge of station needs. What we have not been able to do effectively these past few years—particularly as the media environment changes around us—is develop mechanisms (beyond the production of exemplary news programming) through which NPR can effectively support station needs.

As an NPR Board member, how would you distinguish between the types of business you believe the Board should conduct in Executive Session versus the business that should be conducted in Open Session?

Our guidelines for open sessions and executive sessions are clear. Executive session should be reserved for items of a proprietary nature, and for personnel issues. All other items should be addressed in open session. Having said this, it is difficult to understand why the NPR Board would ever want to treat its member stations as anything other than members of the inner circle—a circle that should always be privy to information that might not be appropriate for external release.

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?

"Colorado Remembrances," by Bente Birkeland.

If you're not familiar with Bente Birkeland, she is the only broadcast journalist posted full time at the Colorado State Capitol Building. She covers the Colorado Legislature full time when it's in session.

KRCC-FM pays half of her salary, and the other half is funded collectively by Rocky Mountain Community Radio member stations, a project originally started by KGNU as the Capitol Coverage Project.

She provides daily updates during the legislative session; 2-5 times per week. Bente has been on the job a little over 18 months now. KRCC-FM and Rocky Mountain Community Radio should be very proud of her and her work.

Listen here to one of her recent stories which aired on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday. Thanks to a Colorado Public Radio Blog reader for this post.

Whad'ya Know? Bill Husted Mentions KCFR.

Too bad Bill Husted forgot to mention that Colorado Public Radio is a statewide network which also covers Boulder and Pueblo on the front range, some areas of the mountains, and the western slope. Maybe someone at CPR should give him a call to wake him up a bit. And, perhaps they can remind him that The Denver Post is read throughout the State of Colorado too?

Read his entire entertainment roundup in The Denver Post here. Bill reports that National Public Radio's "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me" will be taped Thursday night at Chautauqua, with scorekeeper Carl Kasell and panelists, but [that] this week's crew has not yet been announced."

Anyway, this show airs on KUNC-FM, Saturday, August 11th at 11:00 a.m. Or, you can Wait, Wait, Wait to hear it on KCFR-AM, Saturday, August 11th at 1:00 p.m. Tom Bodett, Kyrie O'Connor, and Paula Poundstone, are the panelist along with Carl Kasell and host Peter Sagal.

Eric Whitney of KRCC-FM on NPR.

Eric Whitney's report on Fort Carson soldiers from KRCC-FM ran on National Public Radio program Day to Day on August 3rd, 2007.

NPR Correspondent Speaks in Aspen.

Here is a link to the story by The Aspen Times. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is a correspondent for National Public Radio.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro at KAJX-FM, Aspen.

The Aspen Times reports here that National Public Radio's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro "is in town in support of Aspen Public Radio's Summer Fund Drive. She is replacing NPR's Liane Hansen and Neal Conan, who postponed their appearances."

Garcia-Navarro, just back from Jerusalem and Baghdad, will speak on politics and the military, social life and international relations of these two centers of turmoil. Born in London, Garcia-Navarro has lived and reported from the United States, Colombia, Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq and the United States. Her home now is Mexico City.

Tickets are $10 and are on sale at the Wheeler Opera House box office. They also will be available at the door the night of the talk.

--Press release provided by the The Aspen Times.

Wi-Fi Radio by Acoustic Energy.

Do you want to listen to your favorite public radio stations without using your standard home stereo or portable radio? Do you already have a broadband connection with wireless capability? How would you like to choose from among the thousands of stations you like most--ones that already stream content over the Internet--stations located in Colorado, in the United States, or throughout the world? Well, Wi-Fi Radio may be just want you need. Check out this link from National Public Radio (NPR). Be prepared though, these devices are not cheap!