Imperialist Radio: A Hostile Takeover of NCPR?
by Editorial Staff
By now you may have heard. Albany based WAMC is attempting to take over North Country Public Radio's 91.7 fm frequency in Lake Placid. The whole thing stems from the exceedingly rare decision according to NCPR's page on the subject (apparently WAMC could care less about answering questions we in the Adirondacks might have about the situation - they have nothing about it on their page):
After 10 years of refusing to accept new applications for transmitters in the non-commercial section of the FM radio band, the FCC opened a brief 'window' in October.WAMC applied for a the frequency that is being used by NCPR. You should also know that there are no other full-power frequencies available in Lake Placid,there may not be another opportunity for another frequency for years to come, if ever, and NCPR has been serving this community for a long, long time:
NCPR has used a translator (a low power transmitter) in Lake Placid for 20 years. Translators are NOT protected by the FCC under the rules of the current application period. Therefore, we applied for a full-power transmitter at the same frequency we've used for two decades, 91.7 FM.It is Imperialist Radio, plain and simple, and here's why:
WAMC does not cover the Adirondacks in any significant way. Go to their webpage and search for Adirondacks - you'll find nothing about the important issues that face the Adirondacks - their coverage is limited to the "big" southern oriented stories - nearly all based on press releases from politicians and advocacy groups. Have they seriously covered North Creek's recent boom and bust in development? How about border issues? How about Potsdam food-coop story? The recent property tax decision? How about the increasingly vibrant blogging community? Local elections? NCPR is an important part of the Adirondacks - does "NCPR" ever show up on their webpage? No. Does "WAMC" ever show up on NCPR's - sure does.
WAMC has hundreds of thousands of people of color in their backyard and yet not a single program oriented to their community needs. Until WAMC hires some people of color (or even offers relevant programming) to cover the neighborhoods (some of which are literally a block or two away from the offices) they have no business marketing to the wealthy in Lake Placid. It's no accident that WAMC broadcast outside it's natural environmental and cultural region into the wealthy lower Hudson Valley and the Berkshires - now they want the wealthiest community in the Adirondacks too. Look at their supposed coverage area - do they really think they can serve Worcester, MA, Sussex, NJ and Lake Placid equally?
WAMC is obviously attempting to take the economic resources from our region to their offices in Albany without returning services to our community. In fact, they will be reducing local news coverage in Lake Placid. They've already done this in Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga. Search for Ticonderoga on the WAMC website - in all of 2007 they've reported just twice about Ticonderoga -both stories about International Paper. Take a look at their events calendar - not a single event in either Plattsburgh or Ticonderoga, or anywhere in the Adirondacks for that matter. Now take a look at NCPR's events calendar.
What should we do? Here is what NCPR says we should do:
We know that NCPR listeners are concerned about this conflict and want to help the station. We appreciate your support and encouragement. At this time, the best thing for you to do is stay informed about the issue--read the information provided here and follow the story as it develops. Share accurate information with others you know.Here is what I think we should do:
1 - Be informed and inform others. Write about this issue: blog about it, write to local newspapers and media outlets.
2 - Contact WAMC (if you can, they only have one all-encompassing e-mail) and tell them that you know what they're doing and it's wrong - plain and simple. Tell them that you value NCPR and do not want WAMC to damage your LOCAL NPR station. Ask them to withdraw their attempt to take over NCPR's frequency in Lake Placid.
3 - If you have a business from the Mohawk River to the Canadian border, or from the Vermont line to the St. Lawrence / Great Lakes and you advertise with WAMC - contact Dona Frank at 518-465-5233 ext. 167 and ask her to pull your advertisements and start supporting your local NPR station instead. Remember to tell WAMC why.
4 - If you live in the NCPR region now is the time to send some support their way - advertise your business by becoming an underwriter or become a member of the station.
5 - Leave a comment here to let NCPR know that you're thinking about them and wishing them well. When your supposed allies turn on you, hearing form your friends and community makes a difference.
6 - Begin advocating for the removal of Alan Chartock as head of WAMC. He's been unaccountable for far too long.
Good luck NCPR and let us know when and if there is anything we can do to support our best local radio station.
15 Comments:
Whoa! Comments....Cool.
Funny thing, the only time I ever tune in WAMC is when Garrison Keillor comes on. That guy puts me to sleep even in the morning. Morning radio is just not the same since Howard went satellite.
Come on... obviously you have never really heard Garrison Keillor (check out the annual joke show) - for one, he's not (and has neve been) on in the morning.
I used to love Howard too, but frankly, he hadn't been really funny since the mid-1990s.
I was going to blog about this after I heard that story last week and may still. All I can say is that you are 100 percent spot on.
I fail to see why people in Lake Placid need to know what's going on in Poughkipsse, NY, Litchfield, CT or Great Barrington, MA.
NCPR's coverage of the Adirondacks is quality. WAMC's is non-existent.
I think what tourpro meant is that Keillor does the brief (2-3 min) Writers' Almanac segment, which does air several times in the morning within Morning Edition and the Roundtable.
I agree - dead on comments. It will take ten minutes to do the call number roll call at the top of each hour.
Check this out:
http://www.wamcnet.blogspot.com/
And look at Tom Lewis of WAMC (a very silent force )..How much influence do the Phiels (big box developers in Saratoga and now Troy, and partners with Lewis.)
Isn't Alan Chartock the one always complaining about smaller media being gobbled-up by larger media? I'd say the NCPR takeover attempt is typical of the little man's hypocrisy.
Oh no not der Fuehrer Allan Chartock............radio only needs one show and that is the Imus in the Morning, which was ruined by the fat man Sharpton who hopefully will get his soon by the FBI
Scoop - it's Alan Chartock - not Allan.
I take it that you were just kidding about radio only needing one show - I think most intelligent folks prefer to have a variety of opinions.
I also think most of us probably don't make our minds up about someone's ideas based on their pant size.
Comments like yours are the reason I resisted having comments on this blog for so long - I'd prefer to not have to moderate the irrelevant and unintelligible out, so please just keep your comments to something close to what a reasonable adult would say in conversation with other adults.
Thanks for stopping in, but please keep the ranting and raving to a minimum.
Chartock's email is
alan@wamc.org
Feel free to send him an email. Don't expect a rational response. He's a tad hypersensitive to any criticism not from right wingers (which he eagerly laps up for use on the fund drive).
I apologize for spelling Alan wrong and for being "irrelevant and unintelligible".
Yes we do need a variety of good radio, kind of hard for me to believe you liked Howard and then say I was ranting.
As far as Sharpton he ruined the lives of some people I know in the bogus Tawana Brawley fiasco.
There will be two community forums this Thursday:
Lake Placid at 5:30 (Adirondack Community Church)
Saranac Lake at 3:30 (Adirondack Artists Guild)
There will be a Question and Answer session on air (NCPR) tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 8:30. Call toll free at 1-877-388-6277
NCPR's website on the WAMC-NCPR conflict now also includes a link to provide NCPR with your e-mail address in order for them to contact you if and when they need more and/or louder voices.
The NCPR page on the dispute (WAMC doesn't even acknowledge it) is very informative. It notes that NCPR offered its facilities to WAMC so that the Albany-station could broadcast on another frequency and avoid a costly FCC battle, but Chartock and company rejected it out of hand. Shows a lot about how power hungry he is.
Alan Chartock power hungry? Shame on you for thinking such things. How can you complain about someone so generous with his time that he is willing to do all that work at WAMC for only $165,000 per year (plus perqs, benefits, and God knows what other non-reported income). It's just a shame there aren't more selfless people like Alan in public radio. I know I'll be giving more next time WAMC puts out the call!
Don't forget self-effacing! (Alan is the most modest man I've ever met.)
Thank goodness for internet streaming radio! If I didn't have that, my move into the NY Catskills ten years ago would have been miserable. I've lived within signal range of at least a half dozen public radio stations in various parts of the country even before having streaming options, and before or since never found one as annoying as WAMC. It's idiosyncratic, schizophrenic, unfocused, and one personality dominates. Some people love Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh, while many others detest them. That's the situation at WAMC; you like Chartock or don't, but I'm used to judging the public radio stations I listen to by content, never knowing any single voice as pervasive in their programming. I can't tell you who's in charge of WBEZ (Chicago), or KCRW (Santa Monica) or even NCPR (Adirondacks) nor is there any single dominant personality -- it's just about the programming... my wife is a member of one of those three, I'm a member of a different one, and we're many states distant from either. We simply cannot support the "local" station, but will continue supporting public radio with our checks.
Now and then I'll tune in NCPR (via the stream) in the morning simply because it feels like the home-town NPR station I wish I had. It's in my state, it serves a mountain region such as I reside in, and I greatly appreciate hearing about school closings, lost dogs, and truly local happenings even if they're not my local things. WAMC can't begin to cover the four or more STATES their signal touches -- especially as their midday news hour wastes half its space on Alan's fawning interviews, national wire stories, and indulgent guest commentaries. Even the weather report takes serious conentration to pick out what might be relevant to your particular area.
As a public radio station, WAMC sucks. Sadly, Chartock has everything needed to make it good, but I don't see him taming his ego and making it something other than it is. Like Cuba, perhaps, we'll wait and see what the eventual successor decides to do.
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