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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">This is a valid point. There has been
some replacement; my research indicates a net shift from local to
syndicated of 5.5 hours/week of public-affairs programming and 4
hrs/wk of music programming since 2009. I don't think this was a
management goal, so much as a series of ad-hoc decisions when
situations arose. Diane is undoubtedly correct that it has much
to do with the relative burden on staff of syndicated vs. local
production.<br>
<br>
Training and supervision of programmers - old and new - is
something I have been requesting more of for years. We got some
excellent pledge-drive training back in 2007, which made an
immediate and noticeable improvement. Vance Crowe and I held some
workshops the following year, but since then we've had the
financial crisis and lost 4 full-time staff members, so programmer
training (which takes a lot of time and effort) hasn't been a
priority. Rich has been training people when new equipment is
installed and whenever individuals have specific questions, but
it's a huge burden on him to try to improve the skills of 100+
programmers while keeping the equipment operating. Mary seems to
have her hands full just managing all those people and plugging
holes in the schedule when someone takes a vacation.<br>
<br>
I think it would be helpful for anyone who shares Diane's concerns
about local vs. syndication, and the value of training
programmers, to write letters expressing their concerns to station
management and the Board. It would be especially helpful if this
were done in a non-confrontational way, without accusing staff of
malfeasance etc. Simply make known your desire for more local
programming and better training for programmers.<br>
<br>
This is the kind of change I am wholeheartedly in favor of:
improving the quality of our product, especially of the parts we
produce locally. It's not easily done, in part because people get
pricklish when you ask them to improve - they often take that to
mean you think they aren't quite good enough already. Some
programmers have no desire to improve or do anything differently
than they are already doing. Change is always resisted. <br>
<br>
It's also quite difficult to find and develop talented local
programmers who will make the commitment to a regular radio
shift. In that regard, I think it is remarkable that we have so
many, given our population and demographics. From conversations
with station staff, I can say they are always looking for new
programmers and are frustrated by how difficult the search is. <br>
<br>
All the best,<br>
Tim<br>
-- <br>
<a href="http://oakandthorn.wordpress.com">Oak & Thorn</a><br>
Facebook: Oak and Thorn<br>
<br>
On 5/16/2014 5:48 PM, Diane Paget wrote:<br>
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<blockquote cite="mid:5376B1E0.8030309@mcn.org" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I would rather address the larger problem of the replacement of local
programming (due both to censorship and to the fact that it is easier to
slip a CD into the machine than to train and supervise new programmers)
with national programming and the deterioration of the quality of what I
can hear on KZYX.
</pre>
</blockquote>
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