Monday, November 1, 2010

Local Public Radio Stations Wisely Distance Themselves From NPR...

Local Public Radio stations must feel like Charlie Sheen's agent. Defending NPR is the second hardest job in the country today. The flap of firing news analyst Juan Williams just won't go away. Williams admission of fearing Muslims when he goes airborne, caused his demise. Vivian Schiller, NPR CEO took full responsibility for firing Williams, suggesting that he should have kept his thoughts between himself and his psychiatrist. Schiller later sent a handwritten apology to Williams for the manner in which he was fired. While most NPR affiliates didn't feel Williams should have been fired, what's more upsetting to them is the timing of the firing. It came in the middle of a pledge drive, the very lifeblood of public radio...

According to NPR Ombudsman with Alicia Shepard, "My office was deluged. But so were dozens of public radio stations around the country that were deep into their pledge drives with volunteers answering phones and processing donations." Texas Public Radio felt like they had been "blindsided." Laverne Pitts, TPR's development director said this: "We should all stand together. Well, she (Schiller) didn't stand with us. We were in the middle of a pledge drive, and she handed us a huge mess which we were expected to handle locally with no information (on Williams' firing) until late on Thursday." Texas NPR stations and many others starting using disclaimers, distancing themselves from NPR. Typical disclaimers like this were used: "Local stations have no control over NPR's personnel decisions. Every public radio stations puts out 24 hours of programming - NPR is only a fraction of it." All stations were flooded with complaints when the news broke, but not all suffered financially...

The Ombudsman, NPR's public organ reports that: "In the hundreds of calls and over 22,000 emails, many said the same thing: 'NPR, you're fired." Or, "I'm never donating to NPR again." Some asked for pledge money back." NPR, as a matter of policy, said it wouldn't share how many emails asking for money back, it's received. While there were thousands upon thousands of complaints, stations in St. Louis, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Amherst (MA) and other areas broke records. Ombudsman claims that "In some areas, stations actually benefited from a backlash against the backlash." No one every said that Public Radio listeners are easy to predict...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1894] Number One with a bullet: Billboard Advertising is published for the first time. The trade publication will later be known as Billboard Magazine...
2.1938] The Match Game: Seabiscuit beats War Admiral in a match race at Pimlico Race Course. 40,000 fans and network radio are on hand when Seabiscuit breaks the track record for a mile and wins a purse of $15,000. Clem McCarthy with the call...
3.1946] WNNNNNBC: WEAF changes call letters to WNBC. This was the sad day that WNBC signed off...
4.1950] Washington attack fails: Two Puerto Rican nationalists try to force their way into Blair House to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. One of the assailants is killed...
5.1952] Get the 'H' out of here: The U.S. explodes the first Hydrogen bomb in a test at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands...
6.1959] An extended Halloween: Montreal's Jacques Plante becomes the first goalie to wear a mask after being hit in the face with a puck off the stick of the Rangers' Andy Bathgate in a game won by the Canadiens 3-1 at MSG...
7.1970] Premiered on this date: In their first regular season meeting, the Giants beat the Jets 22-10 at Shea Stadium...
8.1973] Musical prosecutors: Leon Jaworski is appointed the new Watergate special prosecutor...
9.1991] Putting on the robe: Clarence Thomas takes his place as a justice on the Supreme Court...
10.1999] Death of a Hall of Famer: Walter Payton, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, loses his battle with cancer at 45...

Music Memories:

Commentary:

An R&R Alumni Party will be held this Saturday, November 6 at the Cellar Bar & Grill in Century City (CA), starting at 7PM. Admission is $25 before November 5 - $30 at the door. The party will celebrate the 36 years the radio & records bible existed. For additional information contact NancyHoff20@yahoo.com . The bar is located at 1880 Century Park East...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jenny McCarthy (38), Lyle Lovett (53), Dan (America) Peek (60), David Foster (61), Jim Steinman (63), Arthur Katz (63), Larry Flynt (68), Marcia Wallace (68), Bill Anderson (73), Gary Player (75), Al Arbour (78) & Betsy Palmer (84)...

Timeline Countdown: Game 5 of the World Series is tonight in Arlington (TX), tomorrow is Election Day, 6 nights until standard time & 24 days until Thanksgiving...

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