I have to put my "not worth more than any others" 2 cents in. Since Ron has mentioned WFUV here, I must add that they have basically become almost a commercial station --or NPR station at this point. Paid staff, proscribed playlists, and mostly mainstream "folk" music--for want of a better word. Weekends there, I guess, are a bit different. I don't really know.

Thankfully our(WFDU) station has the independence (and the mgmt) that is not subscribing to national services and can offer the varied programming Ron mentioned earlier. His analysis there is quite apt---the numbers count since all the programs have a different listenership and demographic. But, is that not what radio should be about? Hell, you can hear the same-o ,same-o on commercial radio and soon on NPR outlets --including the aforementioned "college" station with the paid staff.

Which brings us back to numbers and dollars. In the case of WFDU each program---as Ron has pointed out---has to pull its weight. Many are gone---ours---Ron's and mine (Traditions---which I credit Ron, surely, for initiating over 24 yrs ago) also still have to show its financial viability.   If nostalgia and history could win the day I would be delighted.   But dollars and listenership (based on dollars) seem to be the coin of the realm. The only saving grace is that we are not the financial league of the larger NPR stations that drop programs loved by the public---so there is that leeway


Bill Hahn