Public radio rancor
The rancor playing out now in the press and online has raised fundamental questions about the role of public radio in the community, and how responsive it should be to the influence of ratings and corporate support. If Steiner's show was losing its luster and its audience - perhaps an inevitability after 15 years on the air - it would have been more than reasonable to make the appropriate changes.
However, a report in the News-Letter this week suggests that the station's emphasis on attracting corporate underwriters - to whom Steiner's notoriously progressive politics may have been an affront - played a factor in this.
That simply should not be the case. Ratings and corporate support are only two of the many yardsticks public radio stations should use to gauge public interest - the most important being direct feedback from the community. Public radio is nothing if not insulated from commercial pressures like ratings, and programming decisions should be steered by station members and community advisors. WYPR needs to engage its listeners and resolve internal discord - the station's legacy, in Charles Village and beyond, depends on it.
However, a report in the News-Letter this week suggests that the station's emphasis on attracting corporate underwriters - to whom Steiner's notoriously progressive politics may have been an affront - played a factor in this.
That simply should not be the case. Ratings and corporate support are only two of the many yardsticks public radio stations should use to gauge public interest - the most important being direct feedback from the community. Public radio is nothing if not insulated from commercial pressures like ratings, and programming decisions should be steered by station members and community advisors. WYPR needs to engage its listeners and resolve internal discord - the station's legacy, in Charles Village and beyond, depends on it.
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Ray
posted 2/12/08 @ 12:14 PM EST
Having volunteered at WYPR and known Marc from running into him when walking our dogs, I had to do some soul searching whether to continue to volunteer after his firing. (Continued…)
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