Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Local WUNC news from August

Local WUNC news from August

Wouldn't it be nice if WUNC offered to send this list, with the links, every month to those who signed up to get it. What a great way a) to read a kind of audio magazine of local news and features, and b) to keep up to date on ways in which some of the dollars contributed to WUNC are being used.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Fund raiser

Fund raiser

The on-air announcement a moment ago said that 100,000 dollars, more or less, has been raised in the current fund-raising campaign. One would think this would appear on the WUNC website, along with some comparison of previous year's efforts, how much more WUNC needs to raise this year, etc.

Monday, August 29, 2005

CBS blog will keep eye on its coverage

CBS blog will keep eye on its coverage

Some say - and I am one of them - that there is no country too small or too poor to have a free press.

I wonder how this applies to blogs related to various media entities. There is value in using the technology to permit comments on virtually all media activities......from just outside.

Storm Surge

Storm Surge

This is the sort of content, drawn from reliable sources - in this case, the National Hurricane Center - that WUNC could make available on its website in connection with major news subjects.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors

The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors

This is a link to the book written by Peter FILENE, a UNC history professor interviewed on The State of Things on Friday. It was a fascinating interview, and you can listen to it here.

Frequently enough?

Frequently enough?

Does anyone else get a little tired of hearing "North Carolina public radio, WUNC"? Early this morning I bet I hear it a half dozen times within 10 minutes. Is anyone at the station paying attention to this?

Friday, August 26, 2005

How news organizations practice convergence

How news organizations practice convergence

With what news organizations does WUNC have a partnership? I am not aware of any, other than with respect to contributions to pay for new facilities in Durham, the contribution that paid for the WUNC building in Chapel Hill. The kind of partnership that seems to be missing is one, used often by NPR, to draw on other news organizations to supplement what WUNC does on its own and with the programs that it transmits from NPR and other program sources. What about a relationship with the Chapel Hill News? Or the Independent? Or the Herald-Sun? Other radio stations? Television stations? Websites?

Thursday, August 25, 2005

An Anchor by Evening, a Blogger Any Time

An Anchor by Evening, a Blogger Any Time

This is a NY Times story this morning about the blog started by Brian WILLIAMS at NBC. It talks about things related to the news and the NBC Nightly News. This will give you a feel for it.

Wouldn't it be nice to know more about how WUNC makes it decisions each day about what local news to cover and how it exercises any oversight, if it does, over what is fed to the station from NPR and other sources?

Monday, August 22, 2005

NPR journalist visits downtown to promote book

NPR journalist visits downtown to promote book

This is from the Herald-Sun. Nothing on the WUNC website. It is interesting and potentially troubling to read that only 125 "slightly graying" people showed up.

What is WUNC doing to attract young people to the station?

At the public broadcasting meeting in Chapel Hill, mentioned on the WUNC home page, a couple of weeks ago, the audience appeared to be "largely graying".

There is a link to SIMON's bio at the end of this story.

Live from Iraq

Live from Iraq

Here is the website for the group interviewed in a long story on On The Media this past weekend.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Status of fund drive?

Status of fund drive?

WUNC has announced, if I heard it correctly, that 1,000 people have contributed to the station during the summer fund drive. Wouldn't it be nice to know how much money has been raised so far?

UNC-TV Annual Report

UNC-TV Annual Report

This is a link to the 2004-2005 Annual Report from UNC-TV.

Where is the annual report, or any similar document from WUNC? It does not appear to be on this page.

Brazil: The Gentle Giant Awakes

Brazil: The Gentle Giant Awakes

This MAY be the program that WUNC intends to broadcast tomorrow evening at 6 PM. If you are interested and cannot listen tomorrow, you can click on the right of this page and listen at your convenience.

Redwoods Group

Redwoods Group

This appears to be the group that is supporting the "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" program in Chapel Hill, promoted on WUNC. (Requires free registration to access.) Quite bizarrely, when one goes to what appears to be the organization's website, there is a mandatory registration before one can learn ANYTHING about the company. Frankly, I'd like to know who and what this group is today, and exactly how much tthey are contributing to this event.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Clemency and Pardons

Clemency and Pardons

Will WUNC join in the N&O's lawsuit? Or explain why it cannot?

Why did the reporter - Rusty JACOBS - not ask the Governor's spokesperson why she believes it is the role of a jury to find a defendant innocent? In this country, we are all presumed innocent until proven guilty. Period. The Governor's spokesperson needs someone to ask her to explain that comment; it's highly offensive.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

CBC Negotiations

CBC Negotiations - Home

Quite an extraordinary site detailing the CBC "side" of the labor negotiations which have knocked many programs off the air, including As It Happens, formerly broadcast evenings by WUNC.

Scott Simon Book Reading

Scott Simon Book Reading

If you scroll down the WUNC home page, you will find this item:

"NPR’s Scott Simon, host of Weekend Edition, will be reading from his new book, “Pretty Birds” at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, at the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham. The reading will be held in Bay 7, next to the Lucky Strike water tower. The event is free and open to the public, and we hope to see you there!"

Is this to benefit Scott SIMON? WUNC? NPR? Who is paying for it? Who is selling the books? One would think WUNC would answer those questions without being asked, given how much on-air promotion they are giving this "event".

Paper Cuts

Paper Cuts

The story to go with today's The State of Things about newspaper competition in the Triangle.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

In the Hospital, a Degrading Shift From Person to Patient

In the Hospital, a Degrading Shift From Person to Patient

This might be a good story for WUNC's health reporter to pursue, as UNC Hospitals play an important role in this New York Times story on hospital patient care.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Community advisory board

Community advisory board

All meetings of the "community advisory board" for the NC Center for Public Television (the Board of Trustees of the Center) are open to the public. I have never seen an announced open meeting of WUNC's "community advisory board", whose members are selected on the basis of the sole judgment of the general manager and a willingness to give money. The public television "advisory board" is obliged to be far more represenative of the community (the state) it serves, and does not appear to depend on the preferences of a single individual. Which model sounds more appropriate for a publicly-owned public radio station?

In defense of public TV

In defense of public TV

Sunday, August 14, 2005

WUKY brings back 'Writer's Almanac'

WUKY brings back 'Writer's Almanac'

Here is the Herald-Leader story that led to the reversal by public radio station management in Lexington, KY.

Making way for real estate

Making way for real estate

This story was broadcast on Marketplace 9 Aug 2005, possibly on WUNC. In any case, it is odd that it is not made accessible - as a North Carolina story - on WUNC's "North Carolina Public Radio" website. The story comes from public radio station WMRA in Harrisonburg, VA. At least The New York Times is doing a good job of bringing the story to more people in North Carolina in the printed paper today and here on the NYT website.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Moldy Mansion and hydraulic fluid cleaning

Moldy Mansion and hydraulic fluid cleaning

Great story, plus this one today.......Surprised not to see the latter on the WUNC site.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Young Canadian Web surfers cut radio and TV use

Young Canadian Web surfers cut radio and TV use

One can imagine the same being true for WUNC listeners. What is WUNC's strategy to serve more of the internet-connected and radio-disconnected people?

Saturday, August 06, 2005

The Diane Rehm Show : This Week

The Diane Rehm Show : This Week

The first hour of the Diane Rehm Show on Monday includes the wife of an Army sergeant from Fort Bragg.

Dick Gordon/Raise Your Glass

Dick Gordon/Raise Your Glass

Capitol Broadcasting gives WUNC-FM gift of space, presence in Durham

Capitol Broadcasting gives WUNC-FM gift of space, presence in Durham

This is a release from February 2005, but I am adding it here as it is nowhere to be found on the WUNC site.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Public Broadcasting Funding Debate

Public Broadcasting Funding Debate

Dis-Connection

Dis-Connection

Disconnected

Disconnected

The column that Dick GORDON wrote for the Boston Globe today.

WBUR to Cancel Connection (from the WBUR Newsroom)

WBUR to Cancel Connection (from the WBUR Newsroom)

This provides a little more background from last month.

Forces join for public TV

Forces join for public TV

CPB in NC

CPB in NC

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Listener demand

Listener demand

I guess if you did not contact the station, you have to rely on others to have represented your interests. If WUNC broadcast a request on air for comments, I missed it.

Unidentified comments to WUNC....

Unidentified comments to WUNC....

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC makes changes to on-air schedule

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC makes changes to on-air schedule

This press release from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the licensee of WUNC, reports on upcoming program changes, including the arrival of the Diane Rehm Show to replace The Connection.
Link: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug05/wuncskedconnex.a05080205.htm

Monday, August 01, 2005

"Public Service Broadcasting: the BBC's performance measurement framework"

"Public Service Broadcasting: the BBC's performance measurement framework"

The Diane Rehm Show : Monday August 1, 2005

The Diane Rehm Show : Monday August 1, 2005

One of the optional programs WUNC may be onsidering to replace The Connection.

Now Playing on MP3: iSermons

Now Playing on MP3: iSermons

Any of these in North Carolina?

Teacher writes of 'Blessed Returns'

Teacher writes of 'Blessed Returns'

Nice companion for segment on The State of Things last week.

Darfur Violence Through the Eyes of Children

Darfur Violence Through the Eyes of Children

As usual, NPR does a superb job of providing more informaiton in connection with what it broadcasts. In this case, the amazing drawings of the children from Darfur described during the Morning Edition piece this morning.