My Public Radio Rant

Posted by Seth Kramer on Monday, April 2nd 2007 at 11:18pm


So last week was the pledge drive for my local public radio affiliate. If you don't already know I'm a public radio junkie. One of my few disappointments in moving from Angola to Kalamazoo was that the public radio is not really local here. When in Angola my local public radio affiliate, WBNI, didn't just carry brain dead feeds from NPR's Morning Edition they interjected local news and information. What movies were playing at Cinema Center, what the local philharmonic was doing, downtown festival information, a community calendar, etc. My new public radio stations WVGR and WMUK don't even seem to bother to read their own school delay information. Everything seems to come down from the almighty U of M radio station.

You'd think that if Jack Lessenberry (a Michigan Public Radio commentator) or Charity Nebbe farted it'd get public radio time, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what the hell is going on in my city. No for that I have to watch the local news...(don't even get me started on that).

Now WMUK, the Kalamazoo station, does have some local programming. No local news, just programming, and it's almost all classical music; I believe there is one Latin program. So I can hear 100,000 different versions of a scherzo by Mendelssohn but if I want to hear anything else I'm up shit creek sans paddle. Now there's nothing wrong with classical music, but my previous public radio station had (gasp) jazz, Gaelic, even gospel. SUCK!

While I'm at it I just have to let this out: I hate Diane fucking Rehm! Given the opportunity I would strangle her with my bare hands, and record it, so as to be played in place of her inane mumblings, and nonsense old-people topics. Also probably the Car Talk guys, so I wouldn't have to listen to their laughing, and the entire cast of A Prairie Home Companion, who irritate me only because every time they have a pledge drive someone wants to send me a copy of the goddamn "Guys All Star Shoe Band" CD. Now how the fuck do you explain that one on your CD Collection? "Oh I see you like Peter Gabriel, Gershwin, Greig, and Guys All Star Shoe Band?" File under that as well "No, I do not need any more damn tote bags, or mugs!"

Ahhhhhh! I'm so glad to have got that off my chest.

I'm feeling tired