Media Synergy and the NEW WYPR
October 16, 2008 at 9:16 pm 4 comments
I caught the Dan Rodericks show for a bit on Tuesday, October 14, and it was refreshing that his first-hour guest had fallen through and he took the public’s calls. He should do that more often. So should WYPR overall. Both WYPR and NPR are guilty of excluding the public and–let me hypothesize–have created slick programming formats that are too expensive. This leads to an over-reliance on show sponsors–advertisers–which in turn dilutes honest news and limits debate. Public radio debate should be more reflective of the diversity of society.
The “Save WYPR” blog is here to think outloud about these issues. What is happening at WYPR is part of a national trend, as public radio and television increasingly look to advertisers. (They call them “underwriters”). The Take Back YPR Movement will be meeting at Gecko’s restaurant on October 26, 2008, a Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is an open meeting, so anyone concerned about WYPR is invited to drop in. The group is separate from this blog, though the blog reports on what they do.
Back to Rodericks’ October 14 show, the second hour featured a Baltimore Sun columnist and a Kiplinger’s expert. WYPR and The Baltimore Sun certainly have created synergy–the industry term for cross-marketing and cross-promotion. It really has ramped up since WYPR fired Marc Steiner and hired Dan Rodericks. The Baltimore Sun is mentioned much more. Should taxpayer funds and public donations be used to support media synergy, rather than diversity? The Sun is okay, but predictable.
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Save WYPR 
1.
Steiner in the News | October 20, 2008 at 5:09 pm
“Who will give Marc Steiner that second job?”
By Gregory Kane
The Baltimore Examiner (October 17, 2008)
http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/opinion/columns/gregory_kane/Who_will_give_Marc_Steiner_that_second_job_.html
2.
david eberhardt | October 20, 2008 at 6:25 pm
i also heard dan r when his guest didn’t show up- it’s fascinating to me how dan, a person i used to respect- and still do to a degree- handled it- compared to marc- he does not want to engage, in a way….
i like dan- he has done well on the issue of ex offenders and on obama in general
he finds kieth olbermann “over the top”- which- i think- illustrateds the difference between the liberal- him- and me- the radical
it’s like he will go only so far- and I DON”T THINK IT’s INTENTIONAL- he truly has not been educated to the point where he can see it- is this tragic- or just to tay that he needs more education? but it’s fascinating
i know he doesn’t like me becuz i disrupted his program early on and i never liked that he did not apologise for bumping marc- he could have easily done it- some say, he was told not to…who knows?
Anyway- here’s what I send re the recent fund drive:
From: Eberhardt, David
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 1:59 PM
To: ‘web@thislife.org’
Subject: Could you pass to Ira Glass (This american life host
to save wypr members- i sent this 10/20
This is from your home town of Baltimore- where WYPR is not public, not your, not representative of Baltimore. Most of its money comes from underwriting. It still does not support a Community Advisory Board, except in a perfunctory way. I’m sure you are aware of the controversy that surrounds the firing of a truly representative talk show host- Marc Steiner.
If not, please check it out- you grew up here.
NPR- in its coverage of the war, of the economy increasingly represents a corporate, bland, shallow, untruthful approach. As long as the management of this station does not report what is relevant to the city of Baltimore- it is NOT public and not your. The station has had ample time to respond to protestors and, frankly, it has not.
Programming relevant to Baltimore, or the state of Maryland, really, has not increased.
There are many good, but I assume, scared people on its staff. One can only wonder….
For Ira Glass to shill by threatening persons- does not strike me as funny, cute or helpful.
Sincerely,
David Eberhardt
Baltimore poet and activist
an ex member
3.
Stu | October 26, 2008 at 4:59 am
David– you think Dan Rodericks should apologize for “bumping Marc”??
4.
david eberhardt | October 27, 2008 at 8:20 pm
stu- he could have said-i respect marc a lot as a talk show host- his will be big shoes to fill- he said as much in a written column before he took the job
it would have stemmed a lot of protest, i think- but maybe he’s arrogant
i assume brandon told him- you will not talk about this in this way- you cannot get personal- in other words ordered him not to b a human being
remember- brendann walsh- a cab member and bona fide saint of baltimore- called dan a scab at the bma meeting where brandon and his board were excoriated
how far would you go in describing this-? if you were a big marc fan- you wondered who would take his place-
dan- had he the cojones, the duend, the moxie- would have said something- it would have been human to do so
as it was- the station- sheila kast, tom hall, aaron henkin- all highly respected members of our baltimore community- basically said nothing- they were submissive, creepy ciphers-
probably not a high point in their careers- or- since they are very intelligent humans- they have feelings thy’ll vent in their memoirs
who will say anything if they- tom, sheila or aaron are fired?
marc only helped start and build the station in a major way and was beloved
we all make compromises in our jobs- i do working at the jail where the upper class chooses certain members of the lower as examples to reassure us that some one is being pun ished for crimes when persons who commit the big crimes are let go-quite frankly i should quit- i will soon- but
stu, i like the money
let’s get real- could we?
naw, let’s just b average, unsaintly humans
maybe some day dan will explain and redeem himself- and aaron, and tom and sheila
don’t get me wrong- i still respect them- but less
dave eberhardt