For
a dose of cold water, check out Paul Riismandel’s take on the “retirement” of
“Car Talk” hosts
Tom and Ray Magliozzi over at the Radio Survivor blog.
Riismandel feels the duo’s program was the leading edge of “the vanguard of consolidation and
homogenization in public radio” that has taken place over the last 15 or so
years.
He acknowledges that “in many ways consolidation
is desired by listeners, who want to be able to find ‘Morning Edition’ or ‘All
Things Considered’ on their radio dial, whether they’re in New York, North
Dakota or Texas.”
But he counters that “as syndicated programming has
taken over the programming schedule of public stations, local news, information
and culture is pushed off.”
Riismandel takes local
public stations to task for using syndicated program, has especially harsh
words for Wisconsin Public Radio and works in a shot at commercial radio’s
Premiere Networks and Rush Limbaugh.
Radio Survivor
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