LOCAL "PUBLIC" RADIO CUTS OFF NPR NATIONAL NEWS, SUBSTITUTES HOAKIE "LOCAL NEWS"

I have argued in the past against the practice of "public" radio stations truncating and curtailing NPR hourly and semi-hourly news in favor of "local news." For example, KCPW-FM broadcasting to Salt Lake City and environs regularly terminates NPR national news after only three minutes, then fills in the gap (up to another six minutes) with what it calls "local" news, supplemented with commercials. So a listener to KCPW gets three minutes of national news and then up to six minutes of fluff.

I object to the local news because in many cases it is just recycled news gotten off AP wires and then rewritten by radio staff. "Stale" is too kind a word for local public radio "news." Too often staff on local public stations are just re-write people, notwithstanding their desire for listeners to judge them "journalists."

Furthermore, a lot of this "news" is not news at all but hoakie community calendar stuff, like announcements of fund drives by community groups.

I argue: end all "local news" on public radio stations. Stop eliminating NPR national news. Allow the listener and public to hear the full NPR news bulletins on the hour and half-hour.

PERFORMANCE TODAY REFERS TO PLAYERS IN VENEZUELAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA AS "KIDS"

I was listening to Fred Child's Performance Today on KBYU-FM in Salt Lake City this morning, and the discussion centered about the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra conducted by the sensation Gustavo Dudamel, new music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Julie Amacher, one of PT's commentators, was effusive in her praise of the Youth Orchestra players. However, I took umbrage at her use of the word, "kids." We are talking about teenagers and players in their early twenties. What makes them "kids?"

I argue that the "kids" is derogatory and a put down of young adults and teens. I find it used by condescending adults who fear competition from persons younger than themselves.

Besides, I argue that the use of "kids" is unworthy slang, and should not be used in educated discussions. How about "children?" Or "youth?" Or "young adults?" There are plenty of acceptable terms that express respect for the youthful person and comport with an educated use of the English language. But "kids" is not one of them.

STILL NO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES FROM KRCL-FM FOR 2008

KRCL-FM broadcasts a mixture of music and avant-garde programming to the Salt Lake City area. It is owned by the non-profit Listeners' Community Radio of Utah and engages in periodic fund drives as a "public" radio station.

But we are still waiting for KRCL to release its financial disclosures and its IRS Form 990 showing income and expenses for tax year ending December 31, 2008. Consider that we are in the 11th month of 2009, and still no disclosures from KRCL about 2008.

This is not acceptable. Yet it is the norm for several "public" stations in Utah. Why do these station resist making their financials available to the public? Why the excessive delay in releasing their income and expenses? Specifically, the public has a right to know how much they took in from their fund drives, how much they spent, and how much their managers received in salaries, bonuses, perks and travel expenses.

DON'T TRUST NPR OR PBS FOR CORRECT ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

PBS and NPR are supposed to represent quality TV and radio, not only in intelligent programming but in serious news presentation and in the correct pronunciation of English.

Why then must the public suffer through announcers, hosts and news readers on both PBS and NPR who speak lazy and sloppy English?

As an example, consider how PBS and NPR personalities deal with the name "Clinton." Too often, what we get is "Clin-on," as if the name of a former president and the current secretary of state had no "t."

The same thing happens with all words where an "n" precedes a "t." Consider "international," "internet," "twenty" and so on.

It seems as if no one on PBS or NPR can say the words without dropping the "t." Listen to Judy Woodruff of The NewsHour the next time she does a story on the Clintons. What you will hear is lazy, imprecise and sloppy English pronunciation. No wonder CNN terminated her contract.

Or listen to Jim Lehrer. He is just as bad, maybe worse, when it comes to crisp and accurate English pronunciation. These are but two examples. But take anyone on NPR's Morning Edition or All Things Considered, and you get the same lazy imprecise articulation.

Is this the way we want our children speaking English? NPR and PBS should offer role models in correct pronunciation of the English language. Unfortunately, what PBS and NPR offer fails to live up to their promise.

CHILDREN ARE "KIDS" ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

Why must stories on NPR talk about children as "kids? I expect the substitute on our local low-class eye-witness news, but I argue that it is not proper on National Public Radio. What's wrong with the word "children" that reporters feel obligated to substitute "kids?"

NO MORE FUND DRIVES BY "PUBLIC" STATIONS UNLESS PUBLIC GETS FULL AND TIMELY FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

Public radio and TV stations in Utah are quick to run fund and pledge drives, but slow to make full public disclosure of what they do with the monies taken in from listeners/viewers.

Until and unless these "public" stations make full and timely financial disclosures, including revealing the salaries for the top five paid employees, I argue that such stations should be barred from any additional pleas for monies over public air waves. By "timely," I mean within 90 days after the end of a station's fiscal year.

Are you listening KBYU-TV, KBYU-FM, KCPW-FM, KRCL-FM, KUED-TV and KUER-FM?

WHERE ARE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES OF PUBLIC STATION KCPW- FM FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2009?

I wrote yesterday how KCPW-FM, a public station broadcasting to Salt Lake City and its environs, is now engaged in an auction all this week so that it can raise more monies. KCPW has just come off its Fall fund drive that lasted nearly two months. Now KCPW saddles its listeners with yet another promotion to raise monies.

Some of my readers defended this practice.

But where are KCPW's financial disclosures and Form 990 for tax year ending June 30, 2009? If the past is any indicator, we the public will be forced to wait some 11 or 12 months, all the way to June 2010, before we can see and examine what KCPW has done with its income from its many 2009 fund drives. This should not stand.

A non-profit "public" radio station, like KCPW, so ardently desirous of receiving checks from listeners, seems reluctant to make full and adequate disclosure of its financial position in a timely manner. I call upon KCPW, and its management, Wasatch Public Media, to release KCPW's end-of-the-year financial disclosures within 90 days of the end of its fiscal year.

STOP PERPETUAL FUND DRIVES ON PUBLIC RADIO & TV

The system of public radio and TV stations coming to the public over public air waves asking for money and donations is broken. The whole system should be replaced.

Why? Because public stations now exist not primarily for their programming but for raising monies from listeners and viewers. The programs, such as those provided by NPR or PBS, are only bait to catch the gullible. Stations like to say that every dime goes for "programming," but this is highly misleading and without basis. I argue that every dime goes for salaries, bonuses, perks and travel expenses for station personnel, especially for top management.

Here's a good example on how the system is broken. KCPW-FM, a "public" radio station broadcasting to Salt Lake City and its environs, begins a week-long "auction" tomorrow. In effect, this auction is the second fund drive of KCPW within two months. The station ran a two-month long drive from August through September. (KCPW trumpeted its "September" fund drive all through the month of August and then thanked everyone who contributed. This lasted through the end of September.) Since the middle of October, KCPW's announcers and management have been promoting KCPW's "first annual" auction which begins tomorrow and lasts until the following Monday. So what we have is a public station in perpetual fund-drive mode. This is an abuse of public air waves.

I argue that KCPW's desire to raise monies in what constitutes an "eternal" drive shows how the system is broken. I don't know what "public" radio and TV stations will do without public donations, or even if they would survive. But that's not the point. I do know that we must stop permitting such stations from asking for viewer and listener donations the way they now do, running fund drives without end.

THE NEWS HOUR INTERVIEWS ITS OWN REPORTER FOR "NEWS"

Why does KUED-TV owned and operated by the University of Utah continue to allow a substandard news product from The News Hour? I heard one of KUED's shills during its last fund raising drive assert totally without any basis that The NewsHour was the finest news program on television. That's total bull.

Consider tonight the segment of Gwen Ifill interviewing The NewsHour's own Margaret Warner. True, Margaret Warner is in Kabul, but why couldn't The NewsHour arrange for Margaret Warner to interview Hamid Karzai or even his opponent Dr. Abdullah Abdullah? Does The NewsHour have so little clout that it could not arrange a Margaret Warner interview of any of the big shots in Afghanistan?

Instead, we had The NewsHour's own Margaret Warner giving her opinion. This was far from satisfactory.

Would we ever see BBC World News try a stunt of this type? Or how about France 24 or RT News from Russia. I don't think so.

KUED uses The NewsHour to solicit funds during pledge drives. So does KBYU-TV, owned and operated by Brigham Young University. "If you appreciate the quality of The NewsHour, please call us right now!" But the emperor has no clothes. The NewsHour is woefully inadequate as far as news delivery.

If viewers stopped all contribution to public TV stations, there would be a change and fast!

ANNOUNCER ON KBYU-FM SURPRISED THAT WHITE HOUSE WILL HOST CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT

Occasionally announcers on public radio and TV make stupid and offensive comments. An example occurred today on KBYU-FM, "Classical 89," owned and operated by Brigham Young University.

The offending announcer, Mark Wait, made note of the White House inviting several classical musicians, including Joshua Bell, to perform next week in front of Pres. and Mrs. Obama and their guests. Mark Wait then added, "Classical music at the White House! Who would have thought?"

Mark Wait's comment is condescending at best and racist at worst. Mark Wait apparently believes that the Obamas have no interest in classical music. Perhaps he thinks they enjoy only soul music or jazz.

And why would Mark Wait think that? Why should he express surprise at the cultural depth of the Obamas' musical interests? Could it be because the Obamas are black and he is white?

For whatever reason, Mark Wait's comments were inappropriate and offensive. I call upon KBYU and its general manager Walter Rudolph to take steps directing the retraction of Mark Wait's seemingly racist comments.