Thursday, November 16, 2006

"To the NEA, News-Laden NPR is Making a Classical Mistake" - The Washington Post

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The State of Things guest host

David CRABTREE is the "guest host". He may not be the David CRABTREE of WRAL (WUNC does not say), but if he is, it is worth noting that the David CRABTREE of WRAL works for the honorary co-chair listed here.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

"Day to Day for Thursday, March 23, 2006" - National Public Radio

For anyone interested, you can still listen to the Day to Day Thursday program despite its premption by the Dick GORDON program.....on the NPR website. If WUNC were on its toes, it would point this out on the air and in the website. They have only to gain the respect of listeners and contributors in doing so.

"Capitol, Que Pasa to team up" - News & Observer

What exactly is the relationship between WUNC and Capitol Broadcasting? WUNC is owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and because that makes it a part of the North Carolina state government, it is required to disclose such things under NC's open records law. It should not require a lawsuit to do so.

This is quite a "puff" piece from WUNC today. Here you will find GOODMON (of Capitol) listed as co-chair of WUNC's big fund-raising effort. Listeners ought to have been reminded of that connection in listening to the story, or at least on the website.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

75,000/day

WUNC occasionally announces this week that for each $75,000 raised now, the station will reduce the spring fund drive by a day. Wouldn't it be nice to see the station use the website to explain that in slightly more detail? How many days are programmed? How much does the station want to raise? When will the fund drive begin? Has the station gotten the first $75,000 yet?

If the station does not tell us where "we" are going, we'll never get there.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

StoryCorps

WUNC's words on its home page about the coming visit of the StoryCorps mobile unit are, as all too often is the case, both a little deceptive and incomplete. The words are deceptive because this is a lottery-type choice and no one is guaranteed a chance to record. The words are incomplete in that they do not give the full dates:
Fort Bragg, NC Mar 29 - Apr 2, 2006
Durham, NC Apr 6 - Apr 24, 2006
Chapel Hill, NC Apr 28 - Apr 30, 2006
Here is the site and more information.

Friday, March 17, 2006

"Scandal shakes public radio" - The Detroit Free Press

"As Sponsorship Sales Blossom, Public Radio Walks a Fine Line" - The Wall Street Journal (paid site)

I would be happy to e-mail this story to anyone interested in reading it. As a Wall Street Journal subscriber, I am able to do that, but am not permitted to post the article, or access to it, here.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

"Bill Moyers in Greensboro" - WUNC

Once the audio is posted here, and if you missed hearing it today, listen. A great radio hour!

Saturday, February 25, 2006

"Business Sponsors List"

WUNC persists in maintaining a long laundry list of sponsors, organized alphabetically and limited to sponsors who commit to a minimum of 13 weeks. If the station were thinking about its listeners - people who hear a credit line and are interested in knowing more about the sponsor - this list would be constantly updated with the most recently mentioned sponsors, of all kinds, listed first.....this in addition to an alphabeitcal list. Doing the "most recent first" list helps everyone concerned, even if it means a little extra work for all those people working at WUNC. Maybe there is even someone who would volunteer to do this?

"Dick Gordon connects with the Triangle" - The Independent

"Decades Later, Simmering Debate on a Road Heats Up" - The New York Times

Is "North Carolina Public Radio" covering this? When you search the WUNC news "archive" on "National Park Service", nothing comes up.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Local news

This is the only local news - i.e., produced by WUNC other than the State of Things, etc. - available on the WUNC site. Why is it so hard for WUNC to understand the importance of adding what little additoinal local news the station broadcasts? Here you find just one several minute story a day. What a price WUNC contributors pay to get only that, however good the individual stories are.

"The Story with Dick Gordon"

What a pity WUNC has not decided to offer this program in its archives. There are only a certain number of people able to listen to a program broadcast whenever that is, and far fewer able to listen precisely at 1 PM on Thursdays. At the very least, WUNC owes everyone an explanation of this very odd approach in not making past shows accessible on the website.

"Public podcasters uneasy"- MarketWatch

WUNC is probably not going to link to this from its website.....as important as it is for WUNC supporters who have entered into the podcast world.

Monday, February 20, 2006

"Jobs@WUNC"

WUNC seems to have a number of jobs advertised on the station's website - for those interested or who know people who might wish to apply.....

Thursday, February 16, 2006

WUNC: The People's Pharmacy

Someone at WUNC ought to be reading their own website. It has been quite some time since the People's Pharmacy had a Friday program as it says here.

This list of stations where the People's Pharmacy is supposed to be carried is quite impressive. What does this "success" say about distribution potential for Dick Gordon's show? Anything?

"WUNC: The Story with Dick Gordon"

So, what is the business plan for this show? How much does it cost now? How much is committed? How much is dependent upon syndication? How many stations need to buy it in order to be "successful"? How will supporters of WUNC know what is happening?

"Dick Gordon show to premiere Feb. 16 - News & Observer

"Dick Gordon debuts today on WUNC-FM after hiatus" - News & Observer

"The Story with Dick Gordon: Archive and Podcasts"

The first half of the first program today was gripping radio. Equally gripping is the frustration at not finding it archived here so that those of us who could not listen to the whole program can do so at our convenience as opposed to WUNC's.

Monday, February 13, 2006

BBC Newshour

This is the link to the webpage of the BBC Newshour program heard on WUNC at 9 AM weekdays. The link from the WUNC program schedule page is to something else. This is the correct one. Occasionally, it is useful to followup on broadcast stories and this is one place to do that.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Pledge drive....

This page says that "As of 9:15 AM on Friday Feb 10 - the totals raised tallied $169,010 from 2,564 listeners."

The first question that prompts is how does this compare with money raised and number of contributors during similar "drives" in the past?

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

"Innovations Desk"

These search results will give you some of the stories prepared by the "Innovations Desk" person at WUNC, Janet BABIN. There is still no explanation of the relationship between Marketplace and WUNC.

Dick GORDON

One might think that WUNC would provide more information on their website about the new show that the station says Dick GORDON will host, starting next week. How much does it cost? Who pays for it? What is the plan? There is only a date on the home page of the station without further details. If this were a commercial station, perhaps that approach of secrecy would be warranted. But this station is owned by the people of North Carolina and some of us would like to know more!

"Marketplace from American Public Media"

WUNC keeps talking on air about its "innovations desk" for Marketplace. Marketplace, however, does not list this "desk" on its site. WUNC could do a much better job of explaining all this.

WUNC: The State of Things

I wonder if WUNC has prepared any analysis of the State of Things - stories covered, people interviewed, costs, coverage, etc.? On air today, the station says something to the effect that the program covers "all things relevant to you in North Carolina". It would be helpful to potential contributors and others to know more about the performance of the program. How successful has it been and how does WUNC measure success?

BBC

How much did it cost WUNC to have the BBC broadcast from WUNC? What was the full cost to the station? It would be nice for WUNC to share this with people the station is asking today to contribute. On air, WUNC keeps saying "we" did this only because of "your support". How much of that "support" went to pay for this?

Monday, February 06, 2006

Judiciary Committee hearings

WUNC announced several times yesterday that it would carry the hearing this morning before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington. The hearing has now started, and it is disappointing that WUNC is not carrying it, at least yet.

What is more disturbing however is WUNC's failure on its website, and perhaps on air as well, to alert the station's listeners to WUNC's apparent change in plans, for whatever reason.

Friday, February 03, 2006

"Next Generation Radio"

Local news

WUNC seems to have about a dozen fulltime people with titles that appear to put them in the "news" arena at the station. In January, 2006, they produced a total of 15 stories that are archived on the website. Does that seem like what one would expect from that number of people? Matt DEES of the Chapel Hill News had about dozen stories all by himself in Janauary, Jennifer FERRIS of the Herald-Sun seems to have had more than a dozen.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

WUNC Community Advisory Board

It is interesting to note this list of members of the "community advisory board" for WUNC. Of special note is that the chairman, who is also a former mayor of Chapel Hill, works for the licensee of WUNC - UNC. One might have expected this group to be led by someone a bit more independent of the station ownership. Here is the chairman's CV www.unc.edu/depts/pubpol/documents/howes_cv_june03.doc - 2005-04-18.

Local news

WUNC holds itself out to be a news and information format radio station. Most of that news comes from NPR and a few other sources, of course.

It is remarkable that the station has chosen to bury the local news content in the website. Contributions to the station are paying for some number of local reporters and one would think that their stories would have some prominence on the station's website. They do not.

New web page design

WUNC ought to have whoever oversees their new home page figure out how to get the typeface larger - automatically - when one accesses the site on a laptop or other smaller screen device. It is unreadable -without adjusting the type size - on my laptop.

Distinguished?

WUNC broadcast a news item today from its capitol correspondent, Laura LESLIE, concerning discussions about the NC state tax imposed on gasoline. In that report, LESLIE referred to Kenneth MEHLMAN, chairman of the Republican National Committee, as a "distinguished guest" at a meeting in Raleigh on this subject. In my dictionary, "distinguished" means "celebrated; eminent" or "having an air of distinction".

"North Carolina Public Radio"

WUNC seems to have a new design for its website.