Pioneer Valley radio

["'A. Joseph Ross'" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

I was out in Amherst a couple of weeks ago and picked up a copy of the 27
August issue of the Valley Advocate, a free newspaper in the area. 
There's a letter to the editor concerning a feature story in the 2 July
issue on the growing homogenization of country music.  That feature had
generated a letter in the 20 July issue from Glenn Cardinal, president of
WPVQ-FM in South Deerfield. 

In his letter, Cardinal had stated that "The loss of 200 stations playing
country music across the U.S. is the result of several factors:  station
consolidation in the top 100 markets is one of them." 

The letter in the issue I picked up responds to Cardinal, pointing out
that WPVQ is on three frequencies, using a translator on top of Mt.
Lincoln in Pelham and another on Mt. Tom in Holyoke.  The letter writer
accuses Mr. Cardinal of practicing his own brand of "station
consolidation" and goes on to point out that since the area is already
served with two "hot country: stations (WWYZ 92.5 and WPKX 97.9) and not
one all-classical station, "the addition of three more frequencies
carrying country music seems to be a case of overkill."

The writer concludes by suggesting that Mr. Cardinal could fight the
homogenization in country music by choosing to play some of the older
artists that are locked out of the "hot country" format.

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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                                         617.367.0468
 15 Court Square                                      lawyer@world.std.com
 Boston, MA 02108-2503                       http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
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