Jazz fans may be mad, but I'm looking forward to more news.

[Divernan]

There's a nice, balanced article by Sally Kalson in today's Post-Gazette discussing the upcoming changes on the FM station formerly known as WDUQ.

Despite fund raising pitches, the public never owned WDUQ - Duquesne University did. And this was made clear in 2007, when Planned Parenthood of Western PA tried to purchase an innocuous on-air sponsorship announcement, but was refused, based on Catholic doctrine.

Kalson also points out there's a lot of good public radio programming that is not currently airing in Pittsburgh. I've noticed that for decades when I travel to major metropolitan areas, and even tiny cities like Juneau, Alaska, which have all news channels affiliated with NPR. I'm personally looking forward to the new station's partnership with PublicSource, a new web-based investigative journalism initiative. PublicSource follows the lead of ProPublica, another online investigative journalism project working on stories about banking/mortgage fraud, natural gas drilling practices, etc.

Kalson also reports: "(R)esearch shows that listenership drops precipitously when jazz comes on the air, not just in Pittsburgh but elsewhere. Jazz has a passionate audience, but a small one. Without the sponsorship of a large organization like Duquesne University, a new DUQ would have problems bringing in new members to sustain itself.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11177/1156024-149-0.stm#ixzz1QfN79XAg

I like some schools of jazz - I even took a university course in it at Pitt from Nelson Harrison. I generally liked the programs put on in the evenings by Tony Mowatt. But I don't like ALL forms of jazz - and found DUQ playing some rather extreme stuff during the daytime hours. Now I'll have the choice of playing my own CDs in my car, or listening to news/features on public radio.

[demodonkey]

1. Nice for you that you can afford a car new enough to have a CD player, to give you "choice".

A lot of us still have to drive 15 to 20 year-old vehicles. We don't have HD or XM radios, or even CD players. Best I can do right now is a broken cassette tape player and an almost worn out FM radio.

I only listen to the radio while in the car, and personally I don't care for talk while I am driving. I've got enough problems in my life and I really don't want to hear about banking/mortgage fraud, natural gas drilling practices, etc while I am on the road. Talk about distracted driving!

I used to love getting in the car and turning on the jazz. WDUQ was my favorite station.

WAS.

I'll be switching permanently to WQED for the classical, or just driving in silence.

:cry:

[Divernan]

2. I'm in the lap of luxury, driving a 10 yr. old car w/ 186,000 miles on it!

Take the money you contributed annually to WDUQ & buy a used CD player.

[Yellow Horse]

3. Snarky and condescending much?

A lot of people would consider themselves very lucky if they had a 10 year old car, or any car at all. I sincerely hope you are never in the same situation.

Take the money you contributed annually and buy a used CD player, indeed. Most people who can't afford more than a 20 year old car, can't afford to contribute to the radio stations they listen to. And I do not hold that against them. People are poor and or have financial troubles for a number of reasons and most of them are through no fault of their own. Especially these days.

I don't usually unrec threads but I just unrecced yours. There is a whole lot more important stuff going on in Pennsylvania right now such as Corbett on the verge of getting his budget passed that will set PA's public education system and our publicly-supported colleges back decades.

[Divernan]

4. And exactly because so much of import IS going on in PA,

we NEED an all news station broadcasting investigative journalism reports. The other potential purchasers for DUQ were a group of employees who would have kept the nearly all jazz format, but without being supported by a university - so they would have crashed in a year, or a fundamentalist religious group. Hallelujah, brother! The last thing Corbett wants is an all news station in Pennsylvania's second largest urban area broadcasting investigative journalism reports.

And I very much doubt there are many 20 year old cars on the roads, because they wouldn't pass the state inspections. So I think you exaggerated in a snarky way. I made the comment about annual contributions, because someone who doesn't foot the bill, in at least a small way, when it comes to NPR stations, doesn't have standing to call the shots. If someone can afford an internet connection & a computer, they can afford to donate $25 a year to a radio station they claim to listen to frequently. If they have an internet connection, they can listen to jazz online.

If you are a regular reader of this forum, you know that I put a lot of time into posting about the political goings on, and going after Corbett.

Snarky is as snarky does - you give it to me and I'll give it right back to you. Think I'll go pop some bonbons & tell my houseman to wax my 10 year old car!

[demodonkey]

5. The only car I own right now that runs is our 1976 Chevy farm truck.

Yes, You read that right -- 1976. It's 35 years old. The other vehicle I drive is a 1992 Chevy van -- yes 1992 -- that we borrow to transport my disabled mother in her wheelchair. Both pass inspection as required by law, but it is a worry every time that they will need some major repair we won't be able to afford. And living on a family farm, we have no public transportation to depend upon at any price.

People who know me know that I work extremely hard for fair and accurate elections, and otherwise for many progressive causes in our state -- including inside the PA Democratic Party. Among the many things I have lobbied for is funding for NPR and support for so-called public radio, including WDUQ.

Ah, but my contributions are not financial. I am not paying my full share, you say. Well, maybe if I spent less time on working hard to make our world a better place and more time on making money for me, me, meeeee (like so many do) then maybe I would have the spare $25 bucks that would make me worthy of "standing" in your eyes.

In the meantime I really don't appreciate you or anybody else telling me what I can and can't afford, or when and how I should listen to the music I enjoy. I've heard this "..if someone can afford an internet connection..." crap before. It is incredibly, unbelievably condescending. Frankly, I would rather listen to a bunch of Fundies than someone who claims to be a Democrat copping a holier-than-thou attitude like that.

And yes, there ARE more important things to discuss -- provided some of us actually get out there and DO something about these things rather than just riding around in cars listening to investigative reports about them.

Peace out.

[femmocrat]

6. I'm looking forward to the news format, too.

And I don't care who drives what kind of car. Sorry.