Re: click and clack

["Aaron [Bishop] Read" <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 03:55 PM 6/26/2002, Cooper Fox wrote:

>I am out of the WBZ and WBUR marketso have never
>listened.  But, from what you say, I am guessing that
>she is very limited in her scope?  Is that the point?
>I think I am following but not sure...

Ah - didn't realize you hadn't listened.  To give the short explanation, 
Jane has been more open to new ideas than a lot of public radio stations, 
however, they've still followed a mindset of beating an idea to death 
before expanding with new ideas.

For example, WBUR expanded and squeezed every drop of money they could out 
of underwriting and fundraising before looking seriously to diversify their 
income sources.   The "Citizens of the World" tours (they get a small group 
of hardcore WBUR fans to pony up serious bucks for a vacation somewhere 
with an NPR star) started very slow and infrequent until suddenly the 
underwriting and fundraising dollars started to dry up in 2000-2001.   Now 
the concept of people paying to have an audience with NPR stars is being 
ridden for all its worth...but I don't see any indications that they're 
taking the concept of in-person promotions and expanding it to its logical 
limits.  Instead, they're taking one narrow focus of it and beating the 
hell out of it.

Or another idea I've never understood is why doesn't WBUR do something like 
WGBH does with the TV auctions?  Okay, I admit that a radio auction might 
not be quite as viable an idea but I suppose it could work.  It'd be more 
fun to listen to than those damn inane "blood donation" bits from Ira Glass 
that are run over and over and over and over and over during every fundraiser.

For that matter, WBUR has promised more local news at every turn and yet at 
every turn I see them gearing their programming for a national 
audience.  Anyone remember that Here & Now was supposed to be a LOCAL news 
program?   I'm sure it won't be long before OnPoint is up on the bird (if 
it isn't already).

____________________________________________
Aaron "Bishop" Read     aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels.com Technical Consulting
www.friedbagels.com   AOL-IM: ReadAaron
"I'm weird, but around here it's barely noticeable."