From: bschlesinger@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Barry Schlesinger)
Subject: Re: Folk Music radio is in trouble
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 20:36:00 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.033025.13146@crd.ge.com>, kassover@rumsey.crd.ge.com (David Kassover) writes...
>In article <92322.154739TMH1@psuvm.psu.edu> TMH1@psuvm.psu.edu (Tina Hay) writes:
>>Does anyone have any ideas about *why* folk music programs on various radio
>>stations are being cancelled?
>>
>>
>>I honestly wonder why we're doing so well, and others are not -- and I
>>wonder whether I should be concerned about our fortunes changing in the
>>future.  That's why I'd be interested in hearing people's theories about
>>what's happening at other stations.  What are the pressures that are causing
>>stations to cancel Folk?  What is it being replaced with?  And so on....
> 
>Advertisers perceive that they reach a bigger listenership for
>other kinds of programming?
> 
>

Most of the cancellations are happening on public radio.  Advertisers 
aren't really relevant.  Underwriters might be.  There isn't that much 
folk music on commercial radio to begin with.

>Fans of folk and member supported stations are not as numerous or
>supportive as fans of other programming?
> 
>Sorry to be crass, people, but while it's love and folk music
>that makes the world go 'round, 'tis money that pays for the
>trip.
> 

Well, other people will have to supply anecdotal evidence from their 
own area, but here around DC...

Several years back, the word started going out that WETA station 
management was thinking about pulling "Traditions", with Mary Cliff, 
off the air.  The next pledge period, "Traditions" was second only to 
"Prairie Home Companion" in its success in raising money.  The show is 
still on.  It remains a strong fund-raiser.  The feeling is that the 
two are connected.

In January, WAMU suddenly and deliberately cancelled the Lee Michael 
Demsey folk, acoustic, and bluegrass show.  The program had been
developing an ever-increasing listenership in its time slot (noon - 3
p. m. Monday through Friday) and had never failed to meet its
fund-raising goals.  There is good reason to believe that the reason
for the lack of warning was to prevent a fund-raising campaign that
would have made it difficult for the station management to cancel the
show.   They replaced one hour of the show with "Talk of the Nation"
and the other two with a call-in talk show, moved from an evening 
slot.  In the evening slot, they now rerun the afternoon talk show.  
The individual at the station most responsible for the change has a 
background in news-talk radio, none in music.  The word on the street 
is that the station also was under pressure from national public radio 
to program "Talk of the Nation", as national was finding it 
embarrassing not to have an outlet in the nation's capital.  Similar 
pressure may have been exerted on other stations as well.  

The sudden cancellation did not prevent protests.  At the next 
fund-raising period, the Lee Michael Demsey radio campaign raised an 
amount in pledges at least comparable to what was being raised on the 
air during the comparable hours, pledges of money that would go to 
WAMU if he were returned to the air, or to any other public radio 
station that would revive his program with similar time slots.  It is 
reported that the consultants advising the station predicted there 
would be a large protest movement but that it would die down after 
three months.  However, the campaign was well represented at 
meetings of the station's community advisory board in May, July (a 
special meeting on just this subject) and September.  A benefit 
concert for the campaign was held in October.  While the station 
claims success in the new format (what else would they say), the 
feeling all along has been that this struggle is going to be a war of 
attrition.  

The willingness to contribute money and effort in these cases does not 
favor the notion of lack of support.  

				just my views