Okay, I know, WNYC needs to raise money periodically and I pledge something most every time. I encourage you to support WNYC.
The thing is, after you pledge you still have to listen to all the endless shilling for cash. And worse, there seems to be a correlation between the annoyingness of an on air-personality and the number and frequency of pledge spots they do. The worst offenders:
1. Jad Abumrad: Oh God, not the science nerd! His show, "Radiolab" is bad enough, what with the wacky, elementary school science class humor and the quirky editing, but hearing him beg for money just reminds me of what I don't like about WNYC. Shut up, Jad.
2. Kurt Andersen: Where do you begin with a Kurt Andersen? He embodies everything irritating about supposedly urbane, witty, evolved Manhattanites, with his show's segments on "The recession's new creative class", the Klingon Language, They Might Be Giants and all things white, over-educated and bothersome. In one of his pledge segments, he compares necessary things and non-necessary things, saying, "a piece of chocololate...not necessary, a piece of really good, European chocolate...well, let's talk." I actually would rather have drinks with a McCain/Palin voter than this poncey douche.
3. Ira Glass: His pledge pitches have turned dark recently, with him calling up people who listen to WNYC but don't pledge and embarrassing them on the air. Why doesn't he just meet them in a dark alley and break their legs? Oh right, because he's Ira Glass.
Holding On
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Honey, not using nocotine ain't the reason you're so annoyed and irritable. It's really just...THEM! I've been around some of these folks on both coasts my whole life and, it's true, it seems to be only the most annoying, persistant, or mafia connected that wind up in the public eye. Either that, or they're wealthy or become wealthy and buy their way in, or they're born into it like my family. We're stuck with it - it really is genetic.
What's the take away from this post Nicfit?
At least they haven't enrolled Terry Gross of fffFFFFFRRResh Air to guilt trip us. Thank the lord jesus christ they shifted her to 8pm on AM, but is it really necessary to have two hours of REPEATED All Things Considered from 6 to 8? Do they have to double the 7K a day they pay NPR if they repeat it??
Pam Carter...public radio royalty?
I was so happy to find this post.
Jad Abumrad is truly a class D dweeb and the worst imitation Ira Glass to come out of public radio yet. At best he should have his own podcast, so his friends can snicker away unchecked. Why he's on the a public radio giant like WNYC boggles the mind.
And then there's Kurt Anderson. A wine and cheese train wreck every time he gets in front of an open mic. So sad.
Ira Glass is smarmy and ridiculous. But at least he's original. Amumrad and Dean Olsher are pale imitation of a pale talent. They make me ashamed to be a geek.
You didn't mention Jonathan Schwartz. Just the fact that they pay this smug puffball a salary is enough to stop me from ever ever sending them a cent. On The Media... great show. Lopate is very good. Lehrer, much less so. But too many advertisements and Schwartz makes it a bad deal. And all the high-pressure pledge drives are distasteful at best. Sordid might be a better description.
Yes, but you got it backwards with Lopate and Lehrer. Lopate is just really taken with himself. Lehrer is a true public treasure.
According to my calculations, less than 1% of the content of these programs is direct advertising of sponsors or requests for sponsorship.
Can anyone suggest a reasonable alternative?
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