Thursday, June 17, 2010
NPR admirer makes a strange confessionation
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
In these days of bad political news, environment collapses and low forward movement on the jobs front, I have given up on being glued on CNN and listening to much of NPR, my news favorite. I will watch the old Law and Order; the new versions are bizarre and depressive; there are no funny comedies on TV and in movies (getting bored with old British series’ repeats). Modern mystery novels are equally depressing; I often close them midway, when a “feelbad” conclusion starts looming. Even the “Robin-Hood” heroes of writers as Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald’s Spencer and Travis McGee, who follow the standard that the good will prevail, no matter how illegally the result is accomplished, do not always fit the “feelgood” reading bill. Of the recent crop, Alexander McCall Smith and his tales of Mma Precious Ramotswe, of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana are the best, although considered by the fans of the hardboiled as too “girlie.” If girlie writing fits the bill, I will buy it, and will include Lisa Scottoline’s books about the plucky Italian lady lawyers of the Rosato firm, and maybe, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series.
But back to the theme. This article was going to be about my devotion to Public Radio, at least two of its stations.
My first NPR love has always been WNYC, particularly the two-hour discussion programs held from 10AM to 2PM by Brian Lehrer and Leonard Lopate, Brian on local politics and education, while Lennie expands to literature, movies, music and even sports, a nice person. I remember him coming to Union Square, on a Saturday years ago, to talk to the Greenmarket people, but willing to chat about anything. When I called my dearest to tell of the encounter, she asked me to beg him to wait. When I told him that it would take 20 minutes, he said it was no problem, and they had a long chat about his predecessors, Marty the railroad man (write to ally@ix.netcom.com if you remember the full name) and Pegeen Fitzgerald and her cats. Those two shows should have wider distribution; we cannot hear them at our shack in the woods, 40 miles south of Albany.
Which brings me to the other topic, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and the shocking revelation that for upbeat mood and feelgood emanations WAMC’ s fundraisers, in my book, are better entertainment than most radio fun programs, Garrison Keeler and the Car Boys not included. It seems to be all due to a diminutive dynamo of energy, Professor Alan Chartock, who founded the station chain (there are some 20 outlets in the tri-state area, NY, MA CT, and listeners in four more. It all started when Alan (Dr. Chartock, Professor Emeritus at the University in Albany, executive producer of the Legislative Report newspaper, and author of two weekly syndicated columns), helped an MD raise $5K he owed the financially pressed Albany Medical College to pay for electricity.
The professor started the fundraising technique of asking listeners for money, and eventually the college (AMC) turned over the station to him and the network spread, and spread.
Around June 1, early in the morning , we caught the fundraiser, with Alan proclaiming in effect, civilization will not be lost because WAMC will save it, and to call 1-800 323 9262. The storytelling began how the big radio stations with their canned programs are just waiting for the NPR stations to fail, so that they can swallow up the desirable wavelengths for commercial broadcasts of canned national messages. But we will not let them do that to a station that provides needed daily local condition reports. A call on our consciences was not all Alan offered; all donors were assured of valuable gifts from supporters, starting with a six CD set of Pete Seeger’s music, and when that ran low, recordings and interviews with Arlo Guthrie and Tommy Smothers. All this programming was interspersed with Alan’s calls on his telephone volunteers to keep the lines open, and threats of what seemed to be waterboarding, and other bad-cop imagery, and offers to listeners that he will play yodel music until they loosen their purses, and drumtolls by volunteers when particularly good contributors or matched fund donor offers came in. Donor names and locales are announced, unless they choose to remain anonymous.
As days rolled on, the tempo never dropped. Gifts changed, Tanglewood opening night tickets, Mahler’s 2nd, conducted by James Lewine, for the lawn (almost unlimited space but still a great experience, weather permitting) turned into a James Taylor concert, then $100 tickers for a John Pizzarelli concert at the Linda, WAMC’s own concert hall, a lottery for two days and nights of upscale treatment at the Kripalu health colony in the Berkshires, worth thousands.
Viewing objectively, it is salesmanship, but with a huge difference. You are not buying concrete objects, how to make money books nor God’s mercy, from canned presentations. You are responding to a palpable community pressure, you are buying peace of mind, participating in a communal involvement for community benefit, you feel good. Obstacles are announced, but no hatred is preached, only “we shall overcome,” and you are part of something beneficial for all. On Sunday the 13th of June, when Alan made his goal, $800K, and they played “America the Beautiful,” the old Kate Smith version, with the repeat at slow tempo, with low drum rolls in background, it felt like a great national victory that we were a part of.
The Chartock Fundraiser technique may nor be suitable for the huge WNYC which depends on foundations, but it would work in smaller locations. NPR guys, please take notes.
In these days of bad political news, environment collapses and low forward movement on the jobs front, I have given up on being glued on CNN and listening to much of NPR, my news favorite. I will watch the old Law and Order; the new versions are bizarre and depressive; there are no funny comedies on TV and in movies (getting bored with old British series’ repeats). Modern mystery novels are equally depressing; I often close them midway, when a “feelbad” conclusion starts looming. Even the “Robin-Hood” heroes of writers as Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald’s Spencer and Travis McGee, who follow the standard that the good will prevail, no matter how illegally the result is accomplished, do not always fit the “feelgood” reading bill. Of the recent crop, Alexander McCall Smith and his tales of Mma Precious Ramotswe, of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana are the best, although considered by the fans of the hardboiled as too “girlie.” If girlie writing fits the bill, I will buy it, and will include Lisa Scottoline’s books about the plucky Italian lady lawyers of the Rosato firm, and maybe, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series.
But back to the theme. This article was going to be about my devotion to Public Radio, at least two of its stations.
My first NPR love has always been WNYC, particularly the two-hour discussion programs held from 10AM to 2PM by Brian Lehrer and Leonard Lopate, Brian on local politics and education, while Lennie expands to literature, movies, music and even sports, a nice person. I remember him coming to Union Square, on a Saturday years ago, to talk to the Greenmarket people, but willing to chat about anything. When I called my dearest to tell of the encounter, she asked me to beg him to wait. When I told him that it would take 20 minutes, he said it was no problem, and they had a long chat about his predecessors, Marty the railroad man (write to ally@ix.netcom.com if you remember the full name) and Pegeen Fitzgerald and her cats. Those two shows should have wider distribution; we cannot hear them at our shack in the woods, 40 miles south of Albany.
Which brings me to the other topic, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and the shocking revelation that for upbeat mood and feelgood emanations WAMC’ s fundraisers, in my book, are better entertainment than most radio fun programs, Garrison Keeler and the Car Boys not included. It seems to be all due to a diminutive dynamo of energy, Professor Alan Chartock, who founded the station chain (there are some 20 outlets in the tri-state area, NY, MA CT, and listeners in four more. It all started when Alan (Dr. Chartock, Professor Emeritus at the University in Albany, executive producer of the Legislative Report newspaper, and author of two weekly syndicated columns), helped an MD raise $5K he owed the financially pressed Albany Medical College to pay for electricity.
The professor started the fundraising technique of asking listeners for money, and eventually the college (AMC) turned over the station to him and the network spread, and spread.
Around June 1, early in the morning , we caught the fundraiser, with Alan proclaiming in effect, civilization will not be lost because WAMC will save it, and to call 1-800 323 9262. The storytelling began how the big radio stations with their canned programs are just waiting for the NPR stations to fail, so that they can swallow up the desirable wavelengths for commercial broadcasts of canned national messages. But we will not let them do that to a station that provides needed daily local condition reports. A call on our consciences was not all Alan offered; all donors were assured of valuable gifts from supporters, starting with a six CD set of Pete Seeger’s music, and when that ran low, recordings and interviews with Arlo Guthrie and Tommy Smothers. All this programming was interspersed with Alan’s calls on his telephone volunteers to keep the lines open, and threats of what seemed to be waterboarding, and other bad-cop imagery, and offers to listeners that he will play yodel music until they loosen their purses, and drumtolls by volunteers when particularly good contributors or matched fund donor offers came in. Donor names and locales are announced, unless they choose to remain anonymous.
As days rolled on, the tempo never dropped. Gifts changed, Tanglewood opening night tickets, Mahler’s 2nd, conducted by James Lewine, for the lawn (almost unlimited space but still a great experience, weather permitting) turned into a James Taylor concert, then $100 tickers for a John Pizzarelli concert at the Linda, WAMC’s own concert hall, a lottery for two days and nights of upscale treatment at the Kripalu health colony in the Berkshires, worth thousands.
Viewing objectively, it is salesmanship, but with a huge difference. You are not buying concrete objects, how to make money books nor God’s mercy, from canned presentations. You are responding to a palpable community pressure, you are buying peace of mind, participating in a communal involvement for community benefit, you feel good. Obstacles are announced, but no hatred is preached, only “we shall overcome,” and you are part of something beneficial for all. On Sunday the 13th of June, when Alan made his goal, $800K, and they played “America the Beautiful,” the old Kate Smith version, with the repeat at slow tempo, with low drum rolls in background, it felt like a great national victory that we were a part of.
The Chartock Fundraiser technique may nor be suitable for the huge WNYC which depends on foundations, but it would work in smaller locations. NPR guys, please take notes.
Labels: Alan Chartock
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 6:35 PM 
