[Drango]

Diversity of viewpoints

Did you know that MPR/NPR doesn't have one, full time, conservative on-air talent? Not one. So they can stick the diversity in a drawer or anywhere else the sun don't shine.

[nothingnew]

Pappy O'Daniels Flour Bisquit Hour

FMCDH(BITS)

[hershey]

Sounds like NPR redux...giddy with glee over their merger with California's Pacifica Radio. Just as disgusting and sad. Well, they can sit around, suck their thumbs, and talk to themselves. Nobody else in his right mind would bother to listen.

[Army Air Corps]

This must be driving the lefties nuts. On the one hand, there is a burgeoning monopoly. On the other hand the perpetrator is state funded "public radio." Oh, the hissyfit that this must cause in the minds of lefties...

[Cooltouch]

"Public Radio" -- what a misnomer . . . unless one inserts "Peoples Re-" in front of it.

[wideminded]

I was shocked to hear recently that WCAL has been sold to MPR. My son went to St. Olaf college, where WCAL is located. As he is interested in radio, we went on a tour of the station. The situation was sadly similar to that at many campus radio stations. WCAL was one of the earliest radio stations in the country. Years ago college radio stations were places where students could participate and learn about radio. But as with many other college (and even high school) radio stations, over the years things at WCAL had become "professionalized" to the point that all work at the station was done by a staff and there was no room for students to participate in any way in the station operation.

Nevertheless, WCAL played marvelous classical music which could be heard very well in Minneapolis. They also broadcast services from the St. Olaf College chapel and some campus musical programs. The station manager (who got his start as at student before the "professionalization"), told us that WCAL had resisted becoming a full MPR station because MPR had the following demands:

1. The college would have to surrender the station's FCC license to MPR.

2. The college would have to deed the building in which the station was located to MPR, despite the fact that this building is located in the middle of the St. Olaf campus.

Apparently the college eventually decided to give in on these points. I haven't heard St. Olaf's side of this yet, so perhaps there are some advantages to the college and they didn't completely give away the farm. It's a great college with a Lutheran focus. It's true that the station wasn't offering much to the students, although it did give the college more of a presence in Minnesota.