Re: An argument for Class D

[Larry Weil <kc1ih@tiac.net>]

>Something else which frustrates me: A public (read: taxpayer-funded)
>college owning a station, yet not making it accessible to the community. Of
>course, a prime example is WUMB. Talk about a station which is isolated
>from the community. Does not keep in touch in all with all of the
>community, except of course for its "patrons". (Wouldn't it be nice if some
>of the kids who paid $6,000 to $12,000 per year to the state received some
>of the benefits from a radio station they are paying for?) And what I
>cannot understand are two stations - WGBH and WUMB - which are trying to do
>the same thing, one with the state's money. Ridiculous. It would be nice if
>WUMB actually went to South Boston, Dorchester, or Roxbury and did
>something constructive with its airwave space, as opposed to duplicating
>and triplicating the programming heard on Boston's other two NPR
>affiliates.
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Sean Smyth

Well, Sean, I really don't know where you got this.  WUMB is the only
station to program 13 hours a day of contemporary folk music, perhaps
something you don't care for, but which is quite popular with both college
age and many of us older folks (pun intended!).  There are probably more
places in New England playing live folk music than any other kind of live
music.  It seems nearly every town around has it's live folk music
coffeehouse, and you better show up early if you want to get a ticket!

As for WUMB duplicating the other stations by carrying ATC, at least they
do so at a later hour, so that someone can catch the program if they missed
it earlier on another station.

And, as for being a station that involves itself with it's listeners, I
believe that WUMB is the only major non-commercial station around here that
regularly invites listener comments, including giving their E-mail address
on the air.  And, if you do send an E-mail, you get a response from the
general manager, and one that is more than a general reply but rather one
that does address the issues you raised.

No one station can please everyone, that's why we have a variety of both
commercial and non-commercial stations.  I'm tired of the people who keep
sending messages thinking that no one listens to a particular station just
because the sender doesn't, and who thinks that all stations the sender
doesn't care for personally should be taken off the air.  Long live variety
and choice!!!

Larry Weil
Salem, NH

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