Why do we need so many NPR stations? (You won't believe how many Southern New England has.)

2025-07-16 | dangus

[dangus]

NPR is warning that without federal money, some stations might even close down. Even from the point of a person who liked NPR, why would that be a bad thing?

The three states of Southern New England have a combined area of about 14,000 square miles, considerably smaller than several counties, like San Bernadino, California. Back in the days of VHF and UHF TV, you could cover the area with a single TV station, but the networks would put two TV stations in the region. If you wanted to splurge on radio stations, you could make the case for as many as four: one for Connecticut, one so that Rhode Island could have its own for state news and strictly in-state businesses, and if gave Connecticut and Rhode Island stations exclusively for their own state, you might want to put another station in Western Massachusetts.

But Southern New England has more than four NPR stations. Way more. It has 45. Four in Rhode Island alone. 12 in Connecticut. And 29 in Massachusetts. And none of them are AM versions of FM stations. Even though public radio basically quit playing music, they blanket the lower end of the FM dial.

It's pointless and absurd enough that just within the city limits of Boston, there's not one but three NPR stations, playing the same content. But there's also three NPR stations in the tiny town of Sharon, Connecticut, population 2,680.

College radio used to be so students can learn journalism, station management and DJ skills. It was the incubator of alternative movements in music. Now, most college radio is nothing but leftist propaganda produced hundreds or thousands of miles away. How does hosting NPR shows 24-hours-a-day help any communications students? "You'll lose local news!" the NPR supporters say... but "local news" means three minutes just before the top of the hour during certain, select news shows. Wouldn't you get far more if local universities actually produced their own content?

Let's look at more sparsely populated states. Shouldn't someone have to make the case that Vermont radio stations in Sunderland, Manchester (yes, VT), Battleboro, Randolph and Bennington couldn't provide the news that Rutland, Vermont residents need?

These stations get a lot of money from the federal government, but they also get money from the various states. Why are red states' governments shelling out to provide the Democrats 24-7 advertising?

(All station data comes from Wikipedia)

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: funding; npr

[Frank Drebin]

Because the socialists must ensure that the faithful hear the call to prayer everyday.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Just thinking about it gives me that heebie-jeebies. Thank God that's one place I'll never visit.

[SuperLuminal]

Absolutely!

[Revel]

The less NPR we have in the world then a better place the world will be.

[No name given]

So they can follow their most holiest of prophets Karl Marx (pigs be upon him).

[albie]

It’s brain washing on an epic scale. New England’s find NPR as necessary as a goose down coat.

[Veto!]

My vegan neighbor gets all her news on NPR. You should have heard her yelling at. my friend Sean when Trump won. “Women’s rights,” etc.

[real saxophonist]

Know what I hate about NPR stations? Theyll play one movement of a Symphony, then announce, that was (for example) the 5th Symphony by Beethoven.

NO! That was the First Movement! Yeah, it is the most recognized , but that's only one.

The Symphony has four movements.

[Dr. Sivana]

Back in the days of VHF and UHF TV, you could cover the area with a single TV station, but the networks would put two TV stations in the region.

That is NOT true. For one thing, if you are in New Haven, CT and your antenna is pointed to New York to get Mets games on WOR-TV Channel 9 or Yankees games on WPIX Channel 11, you will certainly not be able to get Channel 30 (NBC) WHNB/WVIT New Britain (most used their low wattage repeater Channel 59 in West Haven). Even a VHF station like Channel 3 (WTIC/WFSB) in Hartford, would get snow, even with a rotor depending on elevation.

Massachusetts is one of the three southern New England states, and you wouldn't have a dream of getting WSBK TV 38 for Red Sox/Bruins games without cable, even in central Connecticut. In my home town of Wallingford, you had to do gymnastics to get Channel 22 (NBC)/Channel 40 (ABC) (Springfield, MA). I wanted to watch Burns and Allen, and they were broadcast regularly on Channel 57 (PBS) in Springfield. Higher frequencies means less distance, and even though he custom built me a Channel 57 YAGI antenna, I still could not get it in. Channels 6, 10, and 12 in Providence, RI were also impossible.

That said, even though they were all on UHF, the several PBS stations were pretty clear (Channel 24, Hartford; Channel 49, Bridgeport; there was a repeater at channel 71, in New Haven)

Keep in mind not everyone had a high gain roof antenna, and some people lived on the bottom of a hill, which can impede reception. Few had rotors, which was useful in Connecticut because of stations in all directions.

[Flatus I. Maximus]

It’s a jobs program for otherwise unemployable Journalism (broadcast emphasis) majors. At least Journalism (print emphasis) majors usually can type quickly and construct coherent sentences well enough to be useful in office jobs.

[UnwashedPeasant]

They are flush with free money from us deplorable workers.

[real saxophonist]

I went to two colleges. One radio station was student-run, I Had a Jazz show every week.

The other is an NPR station.

[crusty old prospector]

Let the libtards there pay for their own propaganda. Why should I subsidize them?

[Dr. Sivana]

If you wanted to splurge on radio stations, you could make the case for as many as four: one for Connecticut

An FM radio station in Hartford (central location) would not come in clearly in Stamford. I am doubtful about Salisbury, New London, and Stafford Springs.

You could have repeaters, but several of the "NPR" stations are actually college stations (e.g. WSHU-Bridgeport, Sacred Heart University), and would exist whether they were formally NPR or not.

[11th_VA]

Here’s why Alaska voted against the bill. In rural parts of Alaska, NPR is the only radio station around and internet/cell service is limited. They provide real time coverage of weather, high school sports, local government, fish forecasts etc. unfortunately, NPR bundles their LGBTQ + national news with the local service they provide.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Eliminate NPR’s “non-commercial” status and make it pay for all the FM spectrum it uses on the low side of the band.

[kaktuskid]

Why can’t Alaska pay for its own “state radio”? With all of the profits from oil?

[Sirius Lee]

I used to listen to NPR in the car because they played classical music, but then the local station switched to a 24/7 spew marxist propaganda format.

Sirius XM 078 is the preset now

[Seaplaner]

Perhaps similar to union featherbedding, more stations than needed to provide easy, high paying positions, albeit duplicative ones, for fellow traveling leftists?

As an aside, one wonders what this news might do for their annoying $$ drives.