Monday, April 11, 2011

NPR Dodges A Bullet...

NPR fans can exhale. Their favorite radio source is safe - for now. The six-month budget deal announced at the 11th hour Friday grants public radio a reprieve but it's a short one. Programmers at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio would be wise to spend the next 6 months figuring out how to position their stations once the plug is finally pulled. The Daily Caller reports that "The continuation of funding for public broadcasting is one of several significant victories for Democrats regarding the policy riders in the bill still emerging hours after Democratic and Republican leaders struck a deal to avert government shutdown." ...

While neither party should be taking bows for anything regarding decisions that affect our lives, the saving of public broadcasting stands out given the heavy criticism leveled at it over the last several months, dating back to the botched firing of Juan Williams for his racial comments. NPR fired Williams over the phone after his famous "I get worried. I get nervous." Williams was referring to seeing flight passengers "dressed in muslim garb." Some defended Williams' right to offer that opinion while others criticized the way Williams was fired - over the phone. Then there was NPR's charge that the Tea Party was "racist" because it was thought that a Muslim group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was contemplating the donation of $5 million. That episode was caught on an undercover video in which NPR executive Ron Schiller also said that NPR would be "better off" without federal funding...

I don't believe NPR would be better off without federal funding but public broadcasters better come up with a programming plan that doesn't require that funding in the next 6 months...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1924] Debuted on this date: WLS Chicago signs on...
2.1951] MacArthur canned: President Harry S. Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of his Far East command...
3.1961] Dylan debut: Bob Dylan makes his professional debut at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Dylan opens for John Lee Hooker. Prior to that Dylan lasted 3 weeks as a member of Bobby Vee's backup band, the Shadows before being fired...
4.1962] Meet the Mets: The New York Mets make their National League debut with an 11-4 loss in St. Louis. There would be 119 more losses before the end of the season.
5.1979] Amin is out: Idi Amin is deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seize control of the capital, Kampala...
6.1980] Ban on sexual harassment: The Equal Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors...
7.1981] Wedding Bells: Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli rock down the aisle. They separate in October, 2001 and Valerie drops Eddie, filing for divorce at the end of 2005...
8.1988] Oscar time: Cher wins the 'Best Actress' Oscar for her role in "Moonstruck"...
9.1996] Tragedy in the sky: 7-year old Jessica Dubroff, who was trying to become the youngest person to fly cross-country is killed with her father and flight instructor after taking off from Cheyenne (WY)...
10.2007] Charges dropped: Against 3 former Duke University lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape...

Music Memories:
Events:
The IBS-Spring Palooza will be held Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. For more information on the weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network, contact George Capalbo (gcapalbo@backbone.com) of Backbone Networks or Steve Theo (steve@piratepirate.com), Pirate! Promotions...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Joss Stone (24), Jason Varitek (39), Bill Irwin (61), Peter Riegert (64), Louise Lasser (72), Joel Grey (79), Ethel Kennedy (83) and former NY Gov. Hugh Carey (92)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until Passover, 13 days until Easter Sunday, 26 days until the Kentucky Derby & 27 days until Mother's Day...
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