re: WJUL "Lowell SunRise"

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 09:36 PM 10/7/2003, Dave Faneuf wrote:
> >Aaron responded:
> >I will add a caveat first - I'm basing this speculation on what I've >read
> >on the official WJUL message boards at http://wjul.shoegaze.net
> >The resistance is in the form that the station management (all >students
> >AFAIK) has apparently been attempting to raise holy hell over this >entire
> >deal.
>         >snip to keep it short<
>Dave writes
>Aaron, even if everything you posted were true it does NOT explain how 
>student resistance contributed directly or indirectly to the fact that the 
>Sun was unprepared to go on the air and put a product on that was an 
>embarrassement! especially since there was NO STUDENT INVOLVEMENT in the 
>program!


I think I see the problem....let's make it clear, I do NOT think that 
student resistance was the ONLY reason the Lowell Sunrise got off to a very 
rocky start.  At worst it was, perhaps, 10% of the reason.  And, as I've 
tried to say, an indirect 10% at that.

I think the resistance diverted some measure of resources - mostly in staff 
time - towards placation and PR.   Remember, folks tried to get the Lowell 
City Council involved...while the Council has little real influence on the 
situation, neither the Sun nor UML could afford to simply blow the Council 
off.   I think it also shifted people at the Sun into a more "hedge your 
bets" stance and perhaps less money was spent?   Fewer staff members 
assigned to work on a project they suddenly thought was less likely to 
succeed?   Hell, for all I know, the Sun was originally COUNTING on student 
journalists to make up some of the staff and that idea fell through.   Is 
that possible?  I suppose, but I make no claims on how likely it was.

Still, just to be absolutely clear that I've thought this from the start: 
neither the students, nor really UML, were responsible for the Sun's being 
so unprepared the first week.  "The Sun" was unprepared, not WJUL.   I 
won't speculate on the other 90% of reasons why - we've already done that.

In the Sun's defense, they're doing a whole lot better this week and hasn't 
even been a month yet.  So I think we might've made much ado about nothing 
(something this list is oft-guilty of, no? :-)    Still feel a public radio 
model would've been better, though.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA