No Subject

Subject: WUMB

A recent post suggests that next week (May 6th, I think), WUMB will announce
 some major programming changes to get enough listeners to get CPB matching
 funds.

This may mean (virtually) the death of folk-music radio in Boston.

When WADN went to Bloomberg a couple of years ago, there was a deafening
 cry from the folk-music community. But, WUMB (which has aired folk music
 every weekday since it signed-on in 1982) has done a great job keeping
 folk alive on the airwaves.

And in addition, Boston is probably the strongest folk-music scene in the
 country. If folk music radio can make it anywhere, it can make it in
 Boston.

Personally, I hope that WUMB will keep the daytime (5 A.M.-8 P.M.) folk
 block alive. 

But I fear that they won't. And I think they may end up airing going
 news/info, broadcasting much the same programming as WBUR (perhaps with
 NPR's Derek McGinty and Diane Rehm shows--which don't air on WBUR--
 included) but maybe some at different times (e.g. west coast feeds of
 "All Things Considered").

Although I am not much into folk music, you may know that I host and
 produce a talk/variety series seen on the local cable access channel in
 my hometown of Norwood, Massachusetts (the show is titled "Not Quite
 Live"; I've been doing the show since 1991 but I don't yet know if it
 will continue past June), and in that capacity, I've had some folk-
 singers on the show from time-to-time. They've told me that the loss of
 WADN still hurts the local folk scene. Were WUMB to drop folk, it would
 be an even bigger loss.

Derek <McGinty and Diane Rehm DO deserve to be heard in Boston--but WBUR
 should somehow find a way to squeeze them in. And who needs "ATC" on
 three stations? Didn't WUMB already drop the West Coast feed of it that
 ran at 7 P.M. for a couple of years? Why would they want (if that's
 what they're going to do) to pick it up again?

WUMB should stick to what they've successfully donw and not try to be
 an imitation of WBUR.

Joseph Gallant

<notquite@hotmail.com>

------------------------------