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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In follow-up of the wfcr issue. I agree with
Carolyn. We should do something. Marty</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=hbarrington@wfcr.org href="mailto:hbarrington@wfcr.org">Helen
Barrington</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=martygjf@comcast.net
href="mailto:martygjf@comcast.net">martygjf@comcast.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 16, 2007 9:28 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: Fwd: Valley Folk, Thistle and Shamrock and Afropop
Worldwide</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>My apologies for not getting back to you yesterday. <BR><BR>Thank
you for your e-mail and calls. I understand that you are upset.
<O:P></O:P><U1:P></U1:P>
<P class=MsoNormal><U1:P></U1:P><U1:P></U1:P><U2:P></U2:P><U2:P></U2:P>We are
sorry to lose Susan Forbes Hansen, and we know how deeply people feel about
<I>Valley Folk, Afropop and The Thistle and Shamrock</I>. We respect the
hosts of all of these programs and their work. We are also greatly
indebted to them for decades of service to and great programming at WFCR.
</P><U2:P></U2:P><U1:P></U1:P>
<P class=MsoNormal>You can still hear Susan Forbes Hansen hosting folk music on
WHUS, 91.7 FM, in <ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY>Storrs</ST1:CITY>,
<ST1:STATE>Connecticut</ST1:STATE></ST1:PLACE> on her program. There she hosts a
program called <I>Sunday Night Folk Festival</I>, Sunday nights from <ST1:TIME
hour="19" minute="0">7-10 PM</ST1:TIME> and online at <A
href="http://www.whus.org/">www.whus.org</A>. <SPAN> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>However, at the present time, we are under budget pressure,
due to an increase in programming fees from NPR and other national program
providers, increased employee benefits charges from the State, and the ever
present prospect of reduced federal funding through the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting
(<ST1:STOCKTICKER><ST1:STOCKTICKER><ST1:STOCKTICKER>CPB</ST1:STOCKTICKER></ST1:STOCKTICKER></ST1:STOCKTICKER>).
These factors mean that the station must now allocate its resources in a
different way.<O:P></O:P></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>WFCR is also now more than just 88.5FM. It is a media
organization operating on multiple platforms. It will continue to serve
all of the constituents it currently serves across its platforms: 88.5FM
WFCR; 88.5FM WFCR HD2; 1430AM WPNI; and wfcr.org where there will be multiple
links and where 88.5FM and HD2 are also streamed. This is the direction
that all media organizations are headed in. We are able to do things we haven’t
been able to do before. Yet cuts on one broadcast platform are required as
we pursue the station’s core mission and meet its strategic goals on multiple
platforms.<O:P></O:P></P><U1:P></U1:P>
<P class=MsoNormal>We are also committed to expanding the programming on 1430 AM
to
<ST1:CITY><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><ST1:PLACE>Springfield</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY>,
which is vitally important to serving listeners. If such an expansion becomes
possible, it would lead to additional operating expenses.
<O:P></O:P></P><U1:P></U1:P>
<P class=MsoNormal><U2:P></U2:P>In addition, the demography of WFCR’s listening
area has changed, so we are hiring a reporter who can speak Spanish. We are
committed to better serving WFCR’s audience by bringing more, diverse voices to
the airwaves. This increases WFCR’s ability to stay in touch with the
region at large, with more reporting in English on emerging and established
communities of color. <O:P></O:P></P><U1:P></U1:P>
<P class=MsoNormal><U2:P></U2:P><U2:P></U2:P>Part of the rationale behind these
changes, is to make the programming we offer more consistent, which is key to
audience growth and to the financial health of the station. Jazz can now be
heard 6 nights a week from <ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20"
minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0">8-11
PM</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME>: Jazz a la Mode, Monday-Friday from
<ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0"><ST1:TIME
hour="20" minute="0">8-11 PM</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME> and Jazz Safari on
Saturdays from <ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20"
minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0">8-11
PM</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME>. As you may know, <I>The Thistle
and Shamrock</I> and <I>Afropop</I> can be heard Sunday nights on WAMC, 90.3 FM,
between 7 & <ST1:TIME hour="21" minute="0">9 pm</ST1:TIME>.
<I>Afropop</I> also maintains a list of stations on its website,
afropop.org, where you can stream the program live. <O:P></O:P></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>WAMC also airs folk music at several times in its program
schedule. <I>The Hudson River Sampler</I> airs on Saturdays from <ST1:TIME
hour="20" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="20" minute="0">8-10:30
PM</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME>. <I><ST1:TIME hour="19"
minute="0"></ST1:TIME>Mountain Stage</I> features some folk groups (<I>Mountain
Stage</I> is a two-hour radio show recorded before a live audience in
<ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY>Charleston</ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE>,
<ST1:STATE><ST1:STATE>West
Virginia</ST1:STATE></ST1:STATE></ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE>. Now in its 20th year,
the show has established a long tradition of featuring national and
international acts in almost every style of music). <I>Mountain Stage</I> is on
Monday nights from <ST1:TIME hour="9" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="21"
minute="0">9-11 PM</ST1:TIME>.</ST1:TIME><U1:P> </U1:P>WRSI, 93.9 FM, also airs
folk music Saturdays from <ST1:TIME hour="9" minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="9"
minute="0">9 AM</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME> to <ST1:TIME hour="12"
minute="0"><ST1:TIME hour="12" minute="0">noon</ST1:TIME></ST1:TIME> on their
program, “The Backporch.”<U1:P></U1:P> In addition, WFCR is adding a link
on our website, <A href="http://www.wfrc.org/">www.wfcr.org</A>, to our sister
station, WUMB-FM, at UMass Boston, which has 5 on-demand folk streams
available.<O:P></O:P></P>
<P
class=MsoNormal><U1:P></U1:P><U2:P></U2:P><U1:P></U1:P><U1:P></U1:P><U1:P>Thanks
so much for writing. I'd be happy to talk with you in further depth about this
if you'd like to call me.<O:P></O:P></U1:P></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Helen Barrington<BR>Program Director, WFCR<BR>413 577
0541<BR>=============<O:P></O:P></P><BR><BR>WFCR 88.5 FM wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid1168874400.45ab9ba0293af@mail-www.oit.umass.edu type="cite"><PRE wrap="">----- Forwarded message from Marty Nathan <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E href="mailto:martygjf@comcast.net"><martygjf@comcast.net></A> -----
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 08:33:55 -0500
From: Marty Nathan <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E href="mailto:martygjf@comcast.net"><martygjf@comcast.net></A>
Reply-To: Marty Nathan <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E href="mailto:martygjf@comcast.net"><martygjf@comcast.net></A>
Subject: Valley Folk, Thistle and Shamrock and Afropop Worldwide
To: WFCR <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E href="mailto:radio@wfcr.org"><radio@wfcr.org></A>
There is a rumor circulating that you are planning to eliminate Valley Folk,
Thistle and Shamrock and/or Afropop Worldwide. Are you planning or even
thinking about doing any of these things? If so, I am a high-donor (dollar a
day) and have been for many years and would stop donating. If not, please
clarify.
Thank you.
Marty Nathan MD
Northampton, MA
----- End forwarded message -----
</PRE><BR>
<HR width="90%" SIZE=4>
<BR>
<DIV>There is a rumor circulating that you are planning to eliminate Valley
Folk, Thistle and Shamrock and/or Afropop Worldwide. Are you planning or even
thinking about doing any of these things? If so, I am a high-donor
(dollar a day) and have been for many years and would stop donating. If not,
please clarify. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thank you. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Marty Nathan MD </DIV>
<DIV>Northampton, MA </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BODY></HTML>