WUNC (but not affiliated in any way with WUNC)

North Carolina Public Radio WUNC — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-12-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

I heard a story this morning about a new dye that NC State has developed to make capturing solar energy more efficient, or something along those lines. So I came here to the WUNC website in pursuit of learning more. There is zero on the home page and a search of "solar" reveals nothing. Either WUNC "news" people are asleep at the switch or WUNC listeners are just profoundly not curious for more.

After Officer’s Killing, a Focus on a North Carolina Warrant - NYTimes.com

2011-12-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

I'll look forward to WUNC's extensive coverage of this story.

Thousands Sterilized, North Carolina Weighs Restitution - NYTimes.com

2011-12-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

I searched on the WUNC site for the word "eugenics". Here is what I got. How about linking them together with the NYT story - and perhaps others - as I have done in this post?

5 items matching your criteria.
Eugenics in America [100%]
by Author,
Modification Date

A look at new information about the state-sponsored sterilization program that operated in North Carolina through the 1970s.
Task Force: Eugenics Victims Should Get Paid [99%]
by Author,
Modification Date

A preliminary state report recommends financial compensation for victims of North Carolina's eugenics program.
Task Force Discusses Eugenics Compensation [99%]
by Author,
Modification Date

A state task force is considering compensation for survivors of North Carolina's eugenics program, which ended in 1977.
Labeled [90%]
by Author,
Modification Date

A short film by photographer Dan Currier, “Labeled” examines the legacy of North Carolina’s Eugenics program and the story of Elaine Riddick.
Eugenics Victims Speak [70%]
by Author,
Modification Date

Victims of the state's eugenics program testified at a hearing in Raleigh yesterday. Rose Hoban reports.

Lowe's announces new Albuquerque support center - Yahoo! News

2011-12-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

I wonder if WUNC realized, in reporting this yesterday, that it is in New Mexico? It seemed odd, other than the NC base of Lowes, to be repeating it so often. Lots of NC-based businesses do things in other states and that seldome gets mentioned.

"At Radio and TV Outlets, a Little-Known Trove of Kudos and Complaints" - NYTimes.com

2011-12-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

What a great opportunity for WUNC - to post online the contents of the station's public files!

Reboot | Rose Hoban – Health Journalist

2011-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

I wondered what happened to her and then heard her mentioned as a guest on the State of Things today.

"Historian Taylor Branch Delivers a Critical View of the N.C.A.A." - NYTimes.com

2011-10-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

Will this get prominent coverage on WUNC?

"Art Pope: The Multimillionaire Helping Republicans Win NC" - NPR

2011-10-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

What WUNC-created programming is planned to follow-up on this NPR story?

"Samir Khan, Killed by Drone, Spun Out of the American Middle Class" - NYTimes.com

2011-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

One might think that "North Carolina Public Radio" would be focusing now on the NC component of this person's story, but I think their NC map is different than mine.

Food North Carolina: NC wine study

2011-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

As best I can tell, it took WUNC at least three days to discover this. They presented it today as though it had just been released, but it actually was released on Tuesday, as best I can tell. Does this merit "news" coverage?

The NCAA And The So-Called Student-Athlete : NPR

2011-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

I would think this should have gotten a lot more attention on WUNC than just with programming from NPR, including this and another Morning Edition piece. According to this, he is a UNC graduate.

"Rebuilding Haiti" -The Diane Rehm Show

2011-09-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see this show back-to-back with this one on the State of Things but too bad no one noted it either in advance or following with these links for anyone interested in seeing a somewhat local and more global look at Haiti.

North Carolina Public Radio Association

2011-09-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

This looks a tad inactive.

License renewal

2011-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Just heard thte on-air announcement again about WUNC's license renewal applicaiton. The applicaiton contains, I imagine, all sorts of interesting stuff about the station's performance over the past 8 years. Is any of that posted online? No, it seems. Do they offer to mail a copy of what might be a big document? No. Instead, anyone who wishes is welcome to come to the station's offices and review it there. For a lot of people, that's a huge investment of time, and I bet they get very few takers. Perhaps it is time for at least one person to go to the station, take a bunch a notes and do what the station ought to have done, and share that with a larger community.
In the end, WUNC must show that it has operated in the "public interest".
Deadline for comments to the FCC is 1 Nov, so says the announcement on-air.
I wonder if any competing applications are being filed? WUNC is just a licensee and if someone puts together a better station proposal, the FCC can award the license to a different entity, as most people don't realize, I am pretty sure.

"At Colleges, the Marketers Are Everywhere" - NYTimes.com

2011-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Let's see - any chance that WUNC will mention this story?

Civil War

2011-09-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

With all the hoopla about creating stories of the Civil War from WUNC listeners, is this all they could do? I found 3 interesting ones here and no others.

Perhaps that is why the link to these appears not to be postable directly? You'll need to copy all in quotes to have a chance of accessing it....

"http://wunc.org/programs/voices/civil-war/your-civil-war-stories/?searchterm=civil war"

"Special 9/11 Coverage" — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-09-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

One might think, as I do, that some of the "special" programming for today might include North Carolina? Two people, plus others I imagine, are mentioned today in local papers - David SCHANZER and Samia SERAGDELIN - with personal accounts related to 10 years ago. Is there none of this in the WUNC "archive" so often mentioned on air? And tonight, the NC Symphony is doing a concert that will be televised. Is that not worth WUNC broadcast as well?

BBC News - Economic hard times in small town America

2011-09-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

It is not even worth a few seconds to check the WUNC website to find a link to a story they are rebroadcasing from the BBC as I type this. Why the station would not want to bring this story to more customers remains a great mystery to me. Not everyone is able - or chooses to be able - to listen the BBC Newshour broadcast at this time, or via the BBC website or podcast. Whatever the reason, a story on NC dealing with today's critical issue of employment deserves more from WUNC.

PRI| Public Radio International | Find Programs In Your Area

2011-09-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

How interesting. This allows you to search - as I did in this case for Bob Edwards Weekend program from PRI - to see which PRI programs are broadcast in NC by whom. With WUNC nauseatingly repeated "North Carolina Public Radio" all the time, it's easy to forget that it is only applicable to a portion of the state. And, most important, it has a lot of programming from which to choose, and WUNC never presents any of these choices to their listeners for comment and suggestions.

NCDOT: N.C. 12 Recovery Efforts

2011-09-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Is this linked from the WUNC home page? It does not seem to be here where one might expect to find it, no?

North Carolina Public Radio WUNC — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Heard a story, I think, this morning that came from another public radio station in NC, this time in Wilmington. No trace of it here.

North Carolina Public Radio WUNC — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-09-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

Search results seeking "broadcast license renewal".

Station Search Details

2011-09-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

FYI

North Carolina Picks Up After Hurricane Irene : NPR

2011-08-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

At least this story is linked on the WUNC website this evening; I wonder if it will be there tomorrow? We sure here Manteo mentioned often as a place where WUNC has a transmitter, if I recall correctly. Hmmmm.

Make a Difference — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-08-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

I wonder where WUNC lists all of the winners of their contests?

Weekend Edition Saturday : NPR

2011-06-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'd never focused precisely on how long the Weekend Editiion Saturday program runs, but I was aware that it did seem to repeat itself at some point.

It looks like WUNC runs the program from 8-10, and then repeats the first hour from 10-11.

How hard would it be to note this here?

All Things Considered : NPR

2011-05-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

It says here that the program is 2 hours and that sounds about right. Does that mean that WUNC repeats the first half hour then from 6 to 6:30? Why?

All Radio, All the Time, and Free (for Now) - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

2011-05-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hmm, does this mean Back Porch Music at a time other than when broadcast?

Farm labor: Children in the fields - CBS News

2011-05-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Note the part of this story that includes a tomato farmer in NC who says that he employs a lot of young teenagers to pick his crop.

I would thinkt that a station that calls itself "North Carolina Public Radio" would be doing several things.

One, reporting more about this practice so we can all understand it better.

Perhaps diverting resources to do this instead of asking listeners to tell the station what they think the Civil War legacy in NC is.

At the VERY least, I'd put a link to this story on the WUNC site and ask for comment about the story and about what WUNC might do to add to the coverage of the issue, again, so we all understand better.

Radio Station That Turned Hero Faces an Uncertain Future - NYTimes.com

2011-05-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Stations Consider Ending Contracts With PBS - NYTimes.com

2011-05-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

I wonder how this is working out at NPR?

From WUNC & NPR — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-05-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

The WUNC announcers have been talking about a Civil War project. I just came to the website and there is no mention of Civil War! Amazing, but not surprising. Using the search function on the page, I also come up with zero.
I heard them announce it again this morning (Monday) and so looked again. If you are into reading advertising banners, perhaps you would have caught it. I did not. Here it is.

Tanger Outlets Turns 30 — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

There sure is another side of this that WUNC seems to omit in promoting Tanger. I wonder if they give any money to the station? And why is it, exactly, the WUNC allows no comments on its own stories?

North Carolina Public Radio WUNC — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

The station said something about a site at NC State dealing with recipes and health. I did not catch the URL. They provide no apparent means to find it here.

More than 5,800

2011-05-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

I look forward to the full report on the fund drive to be posted on the WUNC website.

Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers Takes Heat at Company's Annual Meeting for Promoting President Obama's War on Fossil Fuels

2011-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

I missed this in the WUNC news report today. Maybe it was a different press release?

Bringing Animal – and Human – Medicine into the 21st Century :: North Carolina State University

2011-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

189,000 to go

2011-05-04T19:18:00.001-07:00

Heard this at some point mid-afternoon.

Why, exactly, does WUNC fail to say anything about amount raised til late in each fund drive?

--

It's fascinating to see that number go down to about 150,000 overnight, with 3,800 people contributing, and then a little later today, up to 4,100.

At one point, they said the drive would end tomorrow - they wait til near the end to say when it will end - and at another point they said it is "anitcipated" to end.

--

--

And now this morning 6 May, at 9 AM, they report that they have hit their target of 750,000.

2,300+ contributors

2011-05-02T19:15:00.001-07:00

Did I hear that correctly?

Which programs interrupted?

2011-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's curious to see that WUNC interrupts some programs during the fund drive and not others. I wonder if it is a function of the program supplier? It sure would be nice for WUNC to explain more, and more often, how they go about picking the programming they obtain and choose to carry on their frequencies. That represents about 90% of each 24 hour period, no? It probably even includes the news promos read by local announcers, at least the words, but I am only guessing at that.

From WUNC & NPR — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-05-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Compare the home page of WUNC right now with that of The New York Times. One might ask a bunch of questions about judgments on this morning of Bin Laden's death news, no?

Priorities

2011-05-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

One could argue, and I certainly would, that this is a day when WUNC should suspend its fund-raising and contest-sponsoring announcements so that we can listen to NPR and BBC coverage of the aftermath of Bin Laden's death. Their failure to do so in any meaningful way (ok, they may have done a little less this morning for a while) raises huge questions in my mind about what WUNC thinks its mission may be.

For those who want to listen to the full BBC Newshour, you can do so here.

Ireland

2011-05-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people with Irish knowledge and connections in the WUNC market and you'd think they would tap some of that in connection with their raffling off the trip to Ireland.

Explanations

2011-05-01T19:22:00.001-07:00

I looked everywhere I could think on the WUNC wesbite and could find no explanation about the pledge drive, any of the offers or premiums, etc. You'd think WUNC would want to explain more about this, but maybe they don't.

The State of Things — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Is the State of Things broadcast on any other NC public radio stations?

New Hampshire Public Radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2011-04-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Fund-raising expenses

2011-04-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

David BROWER of WUNC just told me that 23% of the WUNC budget goes to fund-raising. That's the cost, I am assuming, of employing and retaining people and the costs of the various "premiums" that they give away, including travel.

That means 25 cents of every contributed dollar goes to pay for something other than programming.

To put that in context, this is from here on the Charity Navigator site:

"Fundraising Expenses
Percent of total functional expenses spent on fundraising (lower is better)
Public Broadcasting and Media:

These charities use expensive air time to raise money, requiring a higher investment in their fundraising efforts and thus raising fundraising costs. Among these charities, the median fundraising expenses percentage is 15.3%, as compared to a median of 7.3% among all charities."

BROWER contends, by the way, that saying on air that "all" contributions go "right back into programming" is only misleading and not false.

For the 2009-10 fiscal year, this document (which is on the WUNC site after you click through a half dozen pages or so starting with "About") says that fund-raising expenses amounted to over $1,700,000. (That, interestingly, is more than 3 times the amount of money the station says it would lose if the station received no federal funds.)

The way this works - 25 cents of every dollar contributed goes into a kind of office pool for the trips and and the rest pays for the "gifts" that contributors receive.

When WUNC says that the trip to Italy is "made possible" by Panera Bread, I wonder what that means exactly and how it is counted if it is a contribution.

Not enough people dive into high-risk pools | Marketplace From American Public Media

2011-04-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Given the North Carolina part of this story, you'd think someone at WUNC would have the 30 seconds required to link it from the WUNC home page? Or the few minutes needed to decide which of these search results would help explain more of the story? http://www.bing.com/search?q=high+risk+pool+insurance+north+carolina&FORM=Z7FD

WHDD Radio in Sharon, Conn., Is an NPR Minnow - NYTimes.com

2011-04-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

What a thought-provoking contrast with WUNC. What do you imagine....is their budget a bit smaller than WUNC's? With the exception of the State of Things, and maybe Back Porch Music, does this one sound like any other public radio station? In other words, what's North Carolina or more local about WUNC other than those two programs? Agricultural extension agents? Don't think so.

Help save federal funding for public broadcasting — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-03-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

6,000 - 800,000

2011-02-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

On one level, it's impressive that they miraculously claim to have gotten about 6,000 people to pay or pledge about 800,000 or about 125-150 each. Think about how many people subscribe to the News & Observer - that's about 175,000 paying about 200/year.

More from WUNC & NPR — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2011-02-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

With cable television networks focusing attention on events today in Egypt, a quick look at the WUNC website would make wonder if there was anything going in the world other than a "Deadly Bat Fungus Found in NC", however important to the bats that may be.

750,000

2011-02-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

Not sure if this appears as the goal of their current travel and event auction on the wunc website. They claim they have under 300,000 to raise by Friday, and it always quite amazing that they seem to reach their number, or exceed it. 3,500 pledges so far? Again, another figure that I don't recall seeing on the WUNC website.

Stories

2011-02-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Where are the stories on the WUNC website about the people who have won trips and rewards, and about the events to which people have purchased expensive access? Did I miss them? Is that all make believe?

Montreux pronunciation: How to pronounce Montreux in French, English

2011-02-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

You would think that WUNC would learn how to pronounce Montreux. It's embarrassing.

Charity Navigator - Your Search Results

2011-02-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

I wonder why WUNC is not here (list goes two pages), and yet WFAE in Charlotte is?

7%

2011-02-05T14:43:00.002-08:00

I think they said that 7% of the budget comes from the federal government. How much is that in dollars?

Sustainer for free?

2011-02-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

This suggests that you must give $5/mo to be a sustainer. I wonder how the station gets around federal law on lotteries? It strikes me that there may need to be an offer of being a sustainer with no money contributed in order not to be seen as requiring payment in order to "play" in their "lotteries".

Superficiality

2011-02-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

By its nature, a lot of radio reporting is prerry superficial. It simply takes a lot of time to speak a few words and depth usually requires more.

The same goes for the fund drive.

We get really no in-depth understanding in what WUNC says, incessantly, on the air. There is no context for the assertion that they spend over 900,000 on programming that they rebroadcast. What percentage of the overall budget is that? How much does it cost to produce The Story? What percentage of the each dollar contributed goes to fund-raising expense?

There is an answer to not doing this over the air and something less than burying some of this somewhere on website.

Send out a rich e-mail regularly with links to answers to all of these questions so that anyone wanting to see the details can.

Why does WUNC not do this? Why do they not have an FAQ page on their website with these questions fully answered?

BBC World Service - News - Newshour

2011-02-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

If you want to listen to the full Newshour without the travel lottery interruptions......

WUNC's February Travel Bingo

2011-02-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

It is important for WUNC to raise money to continue its operation, of course.

But, I wonder if I am alone in simply turning off the radio for the most part while they try to get listeners to take a chacne on winning a trip somewhere. Instead, I find myself relying much more on varied internet sources, including many programs otherwise retransmitted by WUNC from NPR, PRI and the BBC, and suing podcasts more often plus an occasional check on news covered on various cable television channels.

It's good to be reminded how many alternative sources of quality information and insight there are.

It's too bad that WUNC's fundraising strategy is what leads me to do so.

"Specialty License Plates: Getting Out Of Hand?" - NPR

2010-12-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

I wonder what part WFAE in Charlotte plays in "North Carolina Public Radio"?

"Robin Rogers Dies: Blues Singer Felt Blessed" - NPR

2010-12-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

A very touching story.

I wonder what it was that WUNC contributed beyond rebroadcasting what NPR produced? I could find nothing.

Maybe "North Carolina Radio" does not include Charlotte? But if that is true, as others have asked, how can it be "North Carolina" Radio?

"Dives To Gulf Seafloor Turn Up Sea Life Near Well" - NPR

2010-12-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

When it comes to programming from NPR, WUNC is nothing more than a transmission tower. Sometimes I wonder if anyone at WUNC listens to what they broadcast from NPR.

If they were listening, this story which appears on the WUNC website might get - perhaps - a special mention in the small amount of time when WUNC is actually creating its own content and not the UNC mention. Or, at the very least, it could be noted on the website, which it is not.

"Staff" - WUNC

2010-12-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

I wonder why this page does not contain some profiles of at least the people who play the biggest role in the content of what we hear on WUNC?

"Public Broadcasters Face Bleak Budget Outlook" - NYTimes.com

2010-12-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

This, too.

Greensboro

2010-12-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

I'd sure love to know what stories WUNC has broadcast from its news "bureau" in Greensboro. Where do we look for them here?

"Triangle media groups seeking football records sue UNC" - NewsObserver.com

2010-10-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to note that the Daily Tar Heel is part of this lawsuit, but guess who is absent?

"The two McClatchy newspapers joined forces with the DTH Media Corp., which publishes the UNC-CH student newspaper the Daily Tar Heel; News 14 Carolina, a cable TV station operated by Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership; WTVD Television; Capital Broadcasting; the Associated Press; and, Media General Operations."

I can think of some reasons why WUNC would not join in the suit (but none to prevent them from reporting that the suit had been filed), but it would be nice to know what they are for sure, and it would also be nice to know if WUNC has at least asked UNC to release the documents? Or is this a story that WUNC's "news department" is not able to cover more than the several brief references they have made over the least several months?

"NPR's C.E.O. Issues Apology" - NYTimes.com

2010-10-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a novel idea....

What does WUNC think of this episode? WUNC buys the programming of NPR and can either broadcast, or not, someone like Juan WILLIAMS. My point is that they make a choice, made a choice, and should tell us what they - the licensee - thinks of all this.

Isn't that only fair?

So, WUNC, tell us.

""The State of Things" on WUNC" - Facebook

2010-10-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I guess at least one of the 3-4 "local" WUNC programs have their own presence on Facebook. Sure makes it efficient, or not, actually. Are they all cross-linked?

"North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC" - Facebook

2010-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

First time I've looked at WUNC'c Facebook page. After skimming the postings that appear on the first page, it's really hard to figure out how this contributes to making the station better or improving listeners' ability to derive more value. Maybe I am missing something?

Goal?

2010-10-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

8,400+ people have pledged or contributed, they say. Up until now, they have talked about needing to make their goal of 1.2 million. That, now, is strangely absent. My guess is that they made that goal and don't want to discourage potential contributors by accurately reporting that they met their goal.

I find that offensive. This is a station that primarily brings us news and information. Holding back the logical continuing report on their fundraising levels simply is not something I associate with good journalism. Then again, this is the less than 2% of news, I think that actually comes from WUNC and I'd be hard-pressed to give that very high marks, and so am not really surprised by the failure to report that the goal has been reached.

Greedy, too? I don't know.

Ok, so I just heard them mention the 1.2 million, but without saying that this was their goal!

So, if they keep going above their goal, how will they use the money?????

6,800, 1,200,000 and logo

2010-10-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Why can't WUNC take two minutes to keep us updated on their pledge drive on their website? I just don't understand. I think I caught in passing that their goal for this fund drive has been 1,200,000 USD, and they are now 180,000 short of that. It's a little hard to tell how much of their effort is devoted to selling the trips v. the station. It's nice to see someone else picking up the bill for at least one of the trips instead of all of the other contributors....this time, Panera Bread for a trip to Italy. They also mumbled something about some outfit contributing the logo redesign, but I sure missed it and had not heard it before then, nor since.

About WUNC — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2010-10-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

It appears that WUNC has a new logo. Did someone donate the services to create that? If so, who? What other costs did WUNC assume in implementing the new design? If they paid for all of this, how much and to whom and selected through what process?

There is nothing on this site that I have ever found that keeps anyone interested mildly informed about such things after asking everyone for their money.

Contributing and chances of winning a trip

2010-10-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

WUNC is now running one of its periodic attempts - usually successful for them - to raise a lot of money by suggesting that someone who gives money to the station might win a trip to some interesting place. Those trips are paid, by the way, mostly by contributions from others. Look at the financials on the website to see the chilling details.

Recently they have said things like a WUNC supporter AND CONTRIBUTOR (their emphasis) will win this or that trip. Previously, they had bent over fairly backwards to emphasise as I think the law requires that no contribution was needed in order to enter. Just call and your name goes into the hat or whatever they use to do these drawings. Wouldn't it be nice how that works?

But what strikes me as really troubling is the innovation this drive to try to entice people to become sustainers and to have money contributed automatically every month. That's great for the station, I imagine.

What bothers me is that you only get the promised participation in every drawing if you become a "sustainer" and therefore if you contribute money. Whether this runs afoul of the law, I am not sure. It does seem pretty clear to me that they are coming close to doing so, and in the process depriving people who want a trip but cannot or choose not to contribute of a similar "every drawing" opportunity.

Money "pays" even for a public radio station.

How many listeners?

2010-10-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Did I hear that WUNC says it has 30,000 listeners?

"Jonathan Howes" - North Carolina Humanities Council

2010-10-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

I assume this is the fellow who recorded laudatory words about WUNC, broadcast this morning. Why aren't we told more about him, his role in advising the station and his role in working for the station's owner, UNC? If this is he, this is deceptive, in my view.

The Splendid Table

2010-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

This piece talks about Locopops here in this market. Does WUNC note it in any way? Does anyone there listen to anything they rebroadcast?

"William L. Roper, M.D., M.P.H. — UNC School of Medicine"

2010-09-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

He is one of those whose testimonials have been airing on WUNC. He says that his "source" for health news is WUNC, including local health news. Wow. He may be well-informed by the NPR programming on health issues, but how could a reasonable person assert that one could use WUNC as their "source" for news about health locally?

Testimonials reflect the market?

2010-09-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

We hear testimonials to the wonders of WUNC now and again by people with names that are largely unknown but who, in the end, don't strike me as reflecting very well the diversity of the geographic market that WUNC covers. I wonder why that is? It's pretty easy to figure out, and seems to reflect only a sense that the station is the preserve of a club of well-educated and often rich people who see it as their toy.

"The Old Granary Restaurant"

2010-09-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

I wonder if anyone has pointed out to the announcer at WUNC how to pronounce the word "granary"? My recollection is that I may have learned that word in about the 3rd grade. Maybe he skipped that class.

"mount airy north carolina bluegrass music, gospel music, wpaq am"

2010-09-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

WUNC has a story about this station that was aired on NPR a couple of weeks ago displayed on its home page. Do you suppose that there is a link in or next to the story to the radio station's website? Not a chance.

And if you do visit the WUNC site, be sure to note that there has been no news in the last two days except for the UNC football story which, as I look at it, is two days old. Ok, yes, you can click on a link and here whatever they are broadcasting now as "local news", but for a quick check of news, nothing. Did NC shut down all news-making for the weekend? I don't think so. But "North Carolina Public Radio" seems to have done so.

"FOXNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News"

2010-08-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Note the "Fair & Balanced" in the upper left corner. Then listen to WUNC promote its version of commercials by asking people to send them money...because?...... of the "fair, balanced and reliable" news that WUNC says it provides.

Think Global, Assign Local — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2010-08-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

How hard would it be for the person who did this report to add a link to the school's website? WUNC needs to get outside its cocoon.

I don't have time to rewrite what WUNC puts on its pages when posting them on a blog like this one - another thing they would learn and do better if they acted more as an interconnector than an island. The story is about a new school opening.

"More from WUNC & NPR — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC"

2010-08-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

I've never seen a report on any trip taken by a WUNC prize winner. Why is that?

The Story

2010-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

One might hope that there is a NC story to tell along the same line, no?

"Lisa McCarthy and her three sons Cole, Jude and Bennett started a recycling program at Mark Twain Elementary School in Long Beach, CA. Sounds much easier than it actually was. When Lisa first realized how much was being thrown out at lunch time, she approached school officials. They approved the creation of the recycling program - if Lisa did everything herself. She pulled together a group of volunteer parents and eventually kids. Lisa and her sons talk to Dick about the obstacles they overcame while helping their school go green."

"Calculating aid for Haiti" - PRI's The World

2010-06-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

I really do not understand why WUNC would not want to creat a link to this story that the station broadcast today from PRI's The World. It concerns a NC company and work it is doing in Haiti. Why does WUNC not collect whatever they have done relating to Haiti and put it all in one place on the site? One would think that a station that calls itself "North Carolina Public Radio" would want to be drawing on resources all over the state on issues of importance. Why they don't is a mystery to me.

"Malaria: A Student’s Firsthand Account" - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-06-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why WUNC does not grab something like this piece and link it from its website. Well, I suppose they need to have a decent website first and a real relationship with listeners and other customers. For the money they spend on soliciting contributions you would think that they would learn a lot of this, but it does not seem to happen.

President OBAMA's news conference

2010-05-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

The President is holding his first press conference in 10 months as I type this. ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and probably many others are carrying the conference live. Why is it that WUNC chooses not to do the same?

WUNC News — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2010-05-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

One of the quite incomprehensible aspects of WUNC management is their failure to recognize that most people who listen to the station's tiny amount of original news reporting also have computers and access to the internet. This morning, for example, WUNC has broadcast what I would call a "promo news" piece for Greesboro's sustainability efforts. One would think that they could have invested the 5 mins that I did to find a link to the report that will be released today in Greensboro....and put the link on their website. Right now, there is not even a mention of the story, let alone anything more. I just shake my head in non-comprehension of WUNC's organization and management.

"Community Advisory Board — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC"

2010-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

The next meeting....

More fund drive numbers

2010-05-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

At 7 AM today, the announcer said 7,800 had called. At 9 AM, the announcer said they only needed to raise 68,000 more by the end of the day.....

And the announcers now - just before 6 PM - say that they have "heard from" 9,191 people who have contributed the 880,000 that was the goal. I look forward to seeing a breakdown of how much of that money winds up going to pay for all of the trips and other expenses, plus the people at the station who work on fundraising instead of programming. As I recall, that adds up to maybe a quarter or a third of this total and I bet most contributors don't realize this.

On Sunday evening, I heard the announcer say that over 9,000 people had contributed or pledged, and he said that it was the "most successful" fund drive in the station's history. (He might have inserted "spring" before fund drive.)

Even better - I see that the WUNC has added this note to its home page:

"Spring Fund Drive!

Thank you! With your help WUNC made goal ($880,000) in the 5 PM hour Friday and the phones kept ringing. Our previous record for a Spring Drive was $898,000--we are ending the night with $906,000 raised from more than 9,400 donors. You are the best listeners and supporters! Many thanks!"

More numbers....

2010-05-06T18:44:00.001-07:00

Late this afternoon, WUNC was saying that it had 128,000 yet to raise on a goal of 880,000. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day, thank goodness.

"More from WUNC & NPR — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC"

2010-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

I heard one of their on-air promos today say something about 6,500 people having called. Since no contribution is needed to participate in the continuous serious of travel and eating raffles that are at the core of the event, I wonder how many of them contribute or pledge to contribute v. just call to enter. They also announced that they have 235,000 or so to raise before what I think they said earlier is to be the end of this edition of win-a-trip-or-a-meal. What they do not announce or put on their website is how much has been contributed or committed. (I'd sure like to know what percentage of "pledges" get paid.)

"Distributors Slow To Embrace Local Food Movement" - NPR

2010-05-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

What a great opportunity for WUNC to pull together a story or at least a collection of resources to supplement this NPR story that WUNC broadcast this morning. Alas, their "mind" does not seem to work this way.

The Story - "The Story from American Public Media"

2010-03-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

It would be nice for WUNC to post a report on The Story. What has been the total investment, how good an investment has it been, what value has it delivered, and what are its prospects for the future - that sort of thing?

WUNC News — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

2010-03-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

It continues to astound me that there is so little North Carolina news on WUNC's site. What an opportunity, and what a loss!

This morning, I think I heard a promo for a state story about kids and obesity - eating snacks too often. I had heard about this nationally from NPR or another source, but the promo sounded as though it there might be a separate state-level story. So I have gone to the WUNC site and come up dry as usually always happens.

But in going to the news page, I am startled once again to find only two news items here.

They call themselves "North Carolina Public Radio". How can that be?

Pledges

2010-02-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

I wonder what percentage of pledged money actually gets paid to WUNC? Surely, there must be some loss between pledge and payment. What is that amount?

My request for Dick GORDON's compensation has been referred by the WUNC General Manager to her lawyer and she said I will hear "soon".

More fund raising

2010-02-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

It seems to me odd, possibly suspicious, that WUNC always seems to reach its fund-raising goal. I'd sure like to understand more about how that really works. I suspect we see only a part of what is really happening.

A little after 9, they are saying on air - but not online - that they have had 6,500 (up from "more than 6,000" earlier in the morning) people "call in" (not sure if they all contribute?), and that they have 52,000 left to raise to reach their goal.

Still no response from anyone there on Dick GORDON's salary. I will persist in asking.

Fund raising

2010-02-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

It continues to surprise me that they do not use their website as a way of updating the pledge drive numbers. For the first time that I can recall, they seem to be doing a good job of telling us two things on air. One is the goal - 650,000 - and the other is where they are in trying to reach that goal. A day or two ago it was at 283,000 left to raise. This morning they said they were down to 208,000.

Given all the references to times being financially tough for so many, I wonder if any of the people at the station have accepted pay cuts?

I am still waiting for an answer to my query about how much Dick GORDON is paid.

And, in keeping with the spirit of getting it right, I hope someone has explained the correct pronuniciation by now of two words - Montreux in Switzerland and the first word in Bonne Soiree. I cannot believe that others have not corrected them, or maybe they just don't listen?