Evening Line up on WAMU

Does anyone else think WAMU can do better than the two PRE RECORDED call in shows on in the evening? I mean, what is the point if you can't call in. For a public radio addict, there really is nothing after the World and before As it Happens.

Now for some heresy, does anyone else think we have waaay too much Diane Rehm and Kojo. I like em in their place and I understand why we have em repeated on the HD channel but do we really need em replacing the World on Friday, and again on Sunday morning???

Any way, just looking for some input and hoping to provide some feed back to WAMU

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by csdiego on May 23, 2008 at 10:06am: The evening lineup is different than what I would choose, but it's not a huge stretch to imagine that in a town like DC there's probably more demand for public-affairs programming than for the shows I love like Fair Game or Living on Earth.

Whenever I answer the phones during pledge drives, I always hear lots of people express their appreciation and love for Kojo and Diane. Although I admire them personally, I don't enjoy listening to call-in shows. I figure one reason for the repeats of Kojo and Diane might be budget considerations related to keeping up the three streams, including all the bluegrass (which I don't listen to, but which I understand has a super-loyal following that just can't be shaken). So I end up going heavy on podcasts and catching as much as I can on WAMU. I've decided to put my money where my ears are and add to my support of WAMU by contributing to WBEZ and WNYC, two stations that produce a lot of shows I love.

I do love WAMU's local coverage, particularly Stephanie Kay's Artbeat. I listen to the news in the morning and evening (through The World--love that show) and most of Saturday, from Calling All Pets up through The Splendid Table. And I like the religion shows on Sunday.

Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on May 23, 2008 at 10:52am: Well that explains why they rerun Kojo and Diane on WAMU-3 but it sure doesn't explain Friday night or even Sunday morning. I mean after a relaxing ME-Sunday the next thing is a Diane rerun about killing and world problems, why not Prairie Home or Car Talk to ease us back into the travails of the world?

Permalink Reply by SarahB. on May 23, 2008 at 1:24pm: Generally I would agree (as I definitely do in the case of Friday nights and Sunday mornings), but On Point and To The Point are both such good shows that I really appreciate being able to hear them in the evenings. They aren't rebroadcasts, so even though they are pre-recorded, they are new content.

As for Sundays, I wrote a letter to WAMU about the Diane and Kojo and Car Talk re-runs. I actually turn off the radio for a few hours, which I hate to do since Sunday is my favorite listening time. I was told they were re-run for those who can't listen during the week. But isn't that what online streaming archives are for?

Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on May 23, 2008 at 2:37pm: Sarah, I think that is what streaming audio is for too. I just think the WAMU line up is disjointed with that Friday night thing. WAMU can't be saving any money on that as they still have to pay for the World.

Re Kojo and Diane, 4 hours of the day time line up is call in shows. Maybe a break is in order with maybe putting Day to Day in the middle between Diane and Kojo so its not all call in and then either cutting Tell Me More (I just don't like that program) or moving it to three and putting Fresh Air after the World at 9 PM again so its not all call in in the evening.

Permalink Reply by Jack on May 23, 2008 at 3:55pm: Sarah is on to something. Now that early shows can be stored, there is no longer as great a need for reruns.

I find myself enjoying the talk shows, but I am frustrated when guests use more demagoguery than reason. Though hosts like Kojo and Diane are quite effective at keeping guests from going completely off the rails, I still find myself wishing there were fact checkers and unbiased analysts on hand to expose some of the more specious arguments.

I would love to tune in to a late weekend week-in-review show that picks up a few of the more controversial or egregious statements from a selection of the preceeding week's shows and corrects or adds some objective context to these statements. Instead of political or corporate cronies with their own agendas debating each other ad nauseum, I would like to hear from relevant experts who can educate and entertain in a calmer format. I can't tell you how many times I've had phone in hand or written 99% of a an email in response to a call-in show when I hear the host tell us, "that's all the time we have." This week-in-review concept would allow closure or follow up for anyone else like me that did not have the time to challenge or clarify a guest's remarks. I am confident there is an audience for this format, and WAMU certainly has the quality on-air talent to handle the hosting job (if not, I am available). I wonder if budget is the real crux of the problem here.

Permalink Reply by Prisilla on May 23, 2008 at 8:59pm: I think both public radio and tv are unimaginative when it comes to raising money and thus improving programming.
I think the entire entity needs to centralize fund-raising. One website just like the presidential candidates and solicit corporate and individual funds periodically from this site.
I am not clever enough to weigh in on the allocation of funds, but a discussion on fund-raising with some 'outside the box' ideas couldn't hurt.

Permalink Reply by Christopher on May 23, 2008 at 10:20pm: I would love an evening call in show around 8 instead of reruns. I would even love to host it! However, I think the budget might be tight. I wouldn't mind hearing the National's or Orioles games too. some nights. Wishful thinking I know...

Permalink Reply by csdiego on May 24, 2008 at 6:46am: Baseball games: there's something I would listen to. Baseball isn't even my favorite sport, but a baseball game would be a good thing to have playing in the background as I watch my dinner dishes or whatever. Kind of brings back memories.

Permalink Reply by Jason Novak (WAMU 88.5) on May 27, 2008 at 9:42am: csdiego -- agreed. For me, baseball on radio is so much better than television ... and I'd have to flip a coin to decide whether it's better in person or on radio...I think it's because you have the added dimension of having to rely on your imagination to visualize the play-by-play.

Though I'd rather listen to BoSox games (sorry, Nats fans).

Permalink Reply by Mark McDonald WAMU 88.5 on May 27, 2008 at 10:46am: To try to provoke some further thoughts about our evening schedule:

Firstly, everyone obviously has their own personal tastes. But all programming decisions begin with a thorough analysis of available audience data going back several years (listening trends, listener demographics etc). In other words, thanks to Arbitron, we can be pretty sure we know when a program is very popular with our audience in a particular timeslot, or when one is failing. Of course, you have to factor in our mission to provide local, national and international news where appropriate, consider new programs available, consider ad-hoc feedback from members and listeners via phone calls and emails, etc, analyze trends and experiences of other public stations with particular programs, and at the very last - go with your gut and the gut-feelings of the programming experts at the station. In the case of the evenings we now air Diane on Channel Three in its entirety, with On Point and To The Point on Channel One. All of these programs are substantially for people who cannot listen during the regular workday and the audience statistics demonstrate their popularity. I'll agree, the call-in issue is a real problem, as is the fact that these programs occasionally become overtaken by events during the afternoon and evening. The ideal solution, as some suggest here, would be an evening public affairs call-in. Unfortunately, the public radio financial model doesn't support such a program (the audience at that time is too small for a high-quality show to be financially sustainable, even in a big city like Washington) which is why we "acquire" daytime public affairs shows from LA, Boston, Canada, etc.
I hope this addresses SOME of your thoughts and provokes more.

Mark
Program Director

Permalink Reply by Wendy on May 27, 2008 at 5:31pm: I LOVE On Point and was disappointed when it was no longer available live. Pre-recorded, it is still an excellent program in my opinion and I would hate to see it replaced, especially with baseball.