FRIENDLY FIRE - The Hippocratic oath is: First do no harm. The watchwords of KPCC must be: How can we alienate our listeners and wreck the most listened to Public Radio station in Southern California? To accomplish this deconstruction they brought in Russ Stanton the former and hugely unsuccessful LA Times editor.
Having been instrumental in doing his job of reaching out to LA's diverse communities by discontinuing regional and neighborhood weekly editions, he was selected to be in charge of KPCC's outreach. This week we learn that he has cancelled Pat Morrison's two-hour afternoon program and as part of community outreach will sub in an hour of BBC. The Dart Team at Ye Old King's Head is clearly being well served.
Trying to emulate this genius for deconstruction Bill Davis, the station's President and CEO, has wrecked Madeline Brand's show by adding A Martinez in order to reach out to the Latino Community. On what basis was this decided? Is there any particular connection that he has past his name? Maybe there is but what is it? Is there an actual strategy or does the name alone do it? Now Davis is doubling down on his error by expanding the new show to two hours.
Martinez seems like a likable and talented guy, but not a natural fit with Brand. Their styles, voices and instincts do not complement each other. Give him the second hour and give us, er, I mean Brand, her original program at her original time.
The most infuriating part of this change is the tone-deaf arrogant, condescending and elitist remarks of Bill Davis who, in response to the normal questioning, caviling and complaints, basically told his soon to be former patrons that he knows better than they/we do. Well, maybe, but we usually know what we like and seldom enjoy President/CEOs telling us how ignorant we are and how smart they are. This attitude is not a good fit with NPR listeners. We'll do the arrogance and condescension here and you CEOs pretend to humility.
You see the really big mistake is that during the pledge breaks, they constantly tell us that this is Public Radio and is owned and supported by the Public. That's us. It implies that they actually not only listen to us but take us both seriously and with respect. They have most egregiously failed to deal with us with respect. This is why we are annulling our** pledge.
**Yes in fact we are. Now when their fact checkers respond that they have no record of my pledge it is because my wife and I divide our radio support. I write the check for KUSC and she for KPCC.
(Jonathan Dobrer is an op-ed contributor to the Daily News and Friendly Fire and is a syndicated columnist. This column was posted first at Friendly Fire. More on Jonathan and his books at www.Dobrer.com) –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 70
Pub: Aug 31, 2012
