I know, I know: I have a computer and I can listen to any NPR station in the whole world so I shouldn’t gripe. But I’m lazy and stupid and snap on KUOW because I do, because I always have, because I listen to a little portable radio and the dial is set to KUOW and it’s mostly on for the background noise and blah blah blah.
Anyway: more and more of KUOW’s programming in the afternoons and evenings is just minced up bits of old KUOW programs. Chunks of “Weekday” are rebroadcast in the afternoons and evenings on “KUOW Presents,” locally reported pieces that we’ve already heard two or three times during “Morning Edition” turn up again on “The Conversation” (I can recite from memory that story about the college scholarships Washington State promised to low-income students after hearing it for a fifth time on “The Conversation” today), the same repurposed chunks of local content we heard a second or third time on “KUOW Presents” at 2 and 9 PM during the week turn up again during a two-hour-long “KUOW Presents” on Saturday afternoon.
Anyway. I can get WNYC on my computer. Maybe I’ll give them a shot and retire my little black plastic radio.
There’s some kind of a rule of the universe that whenever you turn on NPR, you’ll be hearing the exact same clip you heard the last time you turned it on, no matter how briefly, or different the time.
WBEZ and KQED are both much better than KUOW. I wish we had decent local reporting…
Also annoying is BBC News at 1pm, The World at 3pm and BBC News (again) at 7pm. How many “global perspectives” do I need?
I’m sure other npr stations are hurting too. You think that they’d get together and swap stories.
Quick, somebody declare radio dead, a relic of the 20th century.
Radio. It’s the new book.
that sounds like an excellent idea, Dan
Er…that’s been going on for like ten years dude!
When I used to listen in the morning, I’d always switch to KCMU around 2:00 when they started repeating.
(And, yes: it’s still KCMU to me — I’m old skool like that!)
Not to mention that a large chunk of their Saturday afternoon programming is ALSO just repackaged crap that was played all week on the morning news, the Conversation, and/or Weekday. What is the point?
Kind of like blog posts that get recycled as print columns, huh Dan?
It’s the same with WFYI in Indy.
Maybe instead of posting this you might, I don’t know, call KUOW and ask them about this, and run a story about the interesting, difficult, maybe even annoying changes in radio with the rise of Internet streaming and podcasting and such. Your attitude about KUOW is that of an obsessive: you’re always speculating, and critiquing, and such, and rarely actually reporting on it.
(Disclosure: I’ve been a regular guest at the station for a few years on technology. Everybody there wants to talk about the future of radio and how KUOW is adopting all the time!)
Like Angelina Jolie?
I get the CBC, so I pity the fool who has to listen to anything else.
I seldom listen to KUOW these days (I do stream “Wait, wait, don’t tell me” every Saturday); I’m still pissed that they dumped their classical music format for this “all news” dullness. Of course I make a point of listening whenever a Stranger staffer appears on “The Conversation.” ;>)
I’ve lived in several cities and studied the programming of several NPR stations.
KUOW is without a doubt the worst.
My point isn’t to provide an evidence-based critique in the comments of a Slog post, just the conclusion. KUOW’s local programming is an unmitigated wreck. It’s also missing many of the best national/international shows. If the station relaxed its obsession with producing and rebroadcasting its terrible local shows, it would free up resources and scheduling to broadcast at least one or two fantastic programs.
One caveat: I do like its “speaker’s forum.”
I often choose silence rather than KUOW – anywhere else I would be a huge NPR fan.
you know what you could do instead? LISTEN TO MUSIC.
@12- That was very funny and very annoying.
@KUOW- The repackaging is annoying, but not nearly as annoying as Wire Tap. And that guy who does the interviews between 9-11am? He asks a question, interrupts the guest in the middle of an answer, speculates stupidly, asks a lot of yes/no questions that leave the interview dead. I hear guests just floored by how bad he his at interviewing people. I usually don’t listen, but occassionally he has someone on who over rides how bad he is.
I’m surprised you still get good enough reception to use it. It sounds to me like you got your moneys worth out of it though.
…and they rebroadcast the same stories on weekend afternoons too. Actually found myself listening to commercial radio the other day. *gasp*
OR, or, or, and hear me out, you could donate to them, so they had more money to buy programming, and wouldn’t have to stretch what little they can afford over the whole day.
It’s a downhill slope towards a *shudder* jazz and classical NPR station.
Bring back Deborah Brandt and Ken Vincent.
call me weird but i like kbcs. wnyc’s the takeaway in the morning followed by democracy now, worker rights, black rights, etc. then music.
the djs are all ‘new’ and the music sometimes sucks (way too many coffee shop one man guitar ‘i gave my love a cherry’ rejects) but saturday nights are latino nights, and i learned who melody gardot was from listening to jazz alley. so you know, try it out.
They should replay “Weekday” with Steve Scherr edited out.
My memory’s a little fuzzy, but isn’t this one of the reasons Ken Vincent left (the station manager was changing things up and not for the better)?
@24 yes. And @3: amen. God bless the Beeb, but we don’t need to have them take over our local radio stations. I hate going home from work later than 7 on Monday-Thursday because then I’m going to be subjected to some boring report on cricket or how the Queen’s former colonies are organizing some jubilee. Go ahead and call me provincial (I don’t read that fancy pink newspaper or The Economist either).
Try KPLU instead. You only have to listen to “Morning Edition” once (well, technically they run it twice back-to-back, but it only counts as twice if you’re awake at 5:00 a.m.), they have way better local reporting, like, actual reporting, plus that crazy jazz music.
@20- You assume I have money beyond rent, food, and cell phone bill.
I’m so lucky that I live in the NW corner of the city where I can pick up CBC Radio 2. But unfortunately its taken its hit also, as it recently transitioned from a “mature adult” format to a quasi-contempo “adult children” format; or perhaps more appropriately “grandchildren of the hippie commune” format. Sort of an analogy for the entire planet, I suppose…
KUOW sucks and almost always has. Too many tired old lezzies and stupid dopey dudes. I gave up on them years ago. Like anything else, they have lasted beyond their due date. Not sure what those ugly people would do for work if the station just quit, but I certainly would not miss it.
And the only time it was worse when it was playing classical music.
KUOW is awesome. Weekday with Steve Scher is great. I listen almost every morning. And I doubly make sure to tune in Fridays at 10 to listen to the cranky local pundits, Stranger staffers included!
Pluses: Weekday. To the Point. Wiretap. Wait Wait. Splendid Table. Alternative Radio. Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Minuses: Two airings of Prairie Home Companion per weekend. No Fresh Air.
KUOW is pretty good, but yeah, they seem to be slipping in a lot of ways. I had definitely noticed the recycled content.
I’m not sure why, either, since they seem to not only make but beat their fund-raising goals every pledge drive.
I kinda want to punch Ross Reynolds, though. That guy is such a dick. Every single thing that comes out of his mouth is a smug logical fallacy. I know he’s doing it on purpose and I just don’t care.
KUOW should just dump all their local programming entirely. Or start over. I like a lot of the national NPR/PRI/BBC shows, but I turn it off for most of the local shows. There are bits of the local broadcasts that are good, but 90% it is boring junk. Ross Reynolds’ voice makes my ears bleed.
‘Weekday’ is tolerable, but not good. ‘The Conversation’ and ‘KUOW Presents’ are completely unbearable.
You guys don’t know sucky radio until you’ve heard Spokane Public Radio. They really only have one decent reporter on staff – Amanda Loder – and their programming choices seem like they’re made by geriatric Lawrence Welk fans. It’s shiteous.
I have been giving up on NPR for the last couple of years after noticing how often they were running audio of people breaking down and sobbing–all over the schedule, in news items, interviews, etc., they seem to be aiming at the weepie crowd. Terry Gross seems to be the best at getting guests to break on-microphone. And fuck that “in their own words” feature that’s aways the interview with the crying survivor if a brave cancer victim. I can’t even remember the name of it ’cause my hand snaps for the dial as soon as I hear the margarine commercial intro. Sorry, NPR. I’m gone after 25 years or so…
You could always try other stations. KRCC was a bastion of sanity and good music when I lived in Colorado Springs.
KXOT (91.7 KUOW2) is pretty good. I switch over to that once Morning Edition is over.
If you think the radio programming is bad, look at what passes for TV with public broadcasting. How many fucking Lawrence Welks and Brain Health infomercials can they possibly have? They’ve run so much of that shit that they’ve chased off anyone who’d even think of giving them money. Now they’re phasing out the This Old House type of shows and Frontline to be left with what? More Lawrence Welk?
How much did you pledge last time, Dan?
Minus: They don’t carry Michael Feldman anymore, the Jewish antidote to that intolerable Lutheran corn on Prairie HC.
Also Marketplace: The informational part of it isn’t bad but the snarkiness in Kai Risdol’s (who knows how to spell that correctly) voice is really irritating.
The BBC announcer’s voice is snarky also and the theme music makes it sound like Fox News. Can’t they just be British? But that’s not KUOW’s fault.
And then there are the commercials on King FM. How can anyone who listens to classical stand those commercials?
Um, Dan sweetie, the “Andy Rooney Moment” thing was funny but when did you suddenly become Andy Rooney for real. First there’s too much sugar in food these days, then those damn punk kids are ruining your halloween, and now you’re bitching about NPR? what’s next a slog post about fiber? or how you’re pretty sure the orderlies are stealing from you? please slow it down, you can’t be that old
Dan,
You are correct, we are rebroadcasting certain local stories and interviews. The goal is to have more listeners hear the selected stories. As it is now, when a story airs once or twice, only a small percentage of our total audience hears it. Listening to radio is based upon a person’s lifestyle, meaning a person only listens at certain times of the day/week. In addition, listening to radio usually happens with another activity (driving, cooking, etc.). By repeating a story on different days and in different dayparts, more listeners will hear the story or interview. We do have guidelines for spacing out the rebroadcasts. We have made adjustments to the spacing based upon listener feedback. Frequent listeners are more likely to hear a story more than once.
We also air excerpts of national programs that air once a week on KUOW and KUOW2 on KUOW Presents in the 2 p.m. weekday time slot. This allows for more people to hear interviews from programs like Studio 360 and specials like Radiolab and the Moth. It also allows us to air more work from independent producers that otherwise would not be broadcast.
Thanks,
Arvid Hokanson
Assistant Program Director
94.9 KUOW and 91.7 KUOW2
@40 bwahaha
@41 thanks for commenting on this blog post. though the replays annoy me, too, it’s nice to hear the reasoning at least. this thread would be a decent exception for ya’all who have your anon posters blocked, 41 is the assistant program director.
Lots to agree and disagree with in this comment thread.
Here goes:
Steve Scher is one of the best interviewers in the country, on radio and TV. He’s up there with Charlie Rose and Warren Olney.
Eli Sanders does a great job on the “Your Take on the News” segment.
Ross Reynolds painfully annoying voice and personality should be retired. Immediately.
Rebroadcasts made sense before podcasts became prevalent. Long live original local content.
To the Point kicks ass.
Pick the World or BBC. We don’t need both.
Fuck WNYC– WBUR all the way!
@41 It’s a stupid plan and it sounds really bad. Management thinks they’re pioneers. Sure are, pioneers of crap.
I like all of the BBC shows because otherwise I don’t hear much news about countries beyond the US’ sphere of interest. I do wish KUOW would stop airing Prairie Home Companion twice. Am I the only curmudgeon who hates that show?
@22 is right.
Try KBCS. Listen to WNYC’s The Takeaway and Democracy Now with Amy Goodman. You never know what kind of strange but interesting music they’ll play, which is soo much better than Stef Sure and the other talking heads that parrot DC establishment-think.
KUOW is like skinny jeans: a trend that should die.
@47- Certainly not. PHC is a plague. What’s amazing is how some Canadian guy takes the same format and makes it so much better on The Vinyl Cafe. Truly, Garrison Keillor is a dull man.
Arvid @41 is a big Wire Tap fan, so you know his judgement is flawed.
Arvid, there is diversity in these comments. But one thing is represented in pretty much every voice: GET RID OF THE LOCAL SHIT. It’s clear that KUOW has failed in the production realm – get rid of it, and the people who are responsible for it.
@50- It’s not that I don’t want local news broadcasting. I just want it done better.
Dan’s right, KUOW isn’t very good. I moved a year and a half ago from Portland and really miss TOTN, as well as Fresh Air and World Have Your Say. When I’m in the car, I have to listen to KUOW or KUOW2 (sometimes I can get TOTN then) but when I’m at home or on my iPhone, I stream KOPB.
Steve Scher is one of the worst interviewers ever. He rarely introduces his guests, he doesn’t mention who is speaking, he doesn’t direct the conversation, he doesn’t include the listening audience. Often times interviewees come and go, it’s so disorienting . It’s completely a regular experience to be listening to an interview for 45 minutes and then suddenly somebody starts speaking.. out of nowhere, and I’m thinking, “Who the heck is this person, where did they come from?”
On the plus side, he knows his shit about gardening. But, on almost any other matter, he’s completely useless. I will never give money to KUOW until he’s gone. And that program director they have, also.
Until then, I give money to many other public radio stations around the country, including WNYC. But, I don’t have streaming radio in my bathroom, so I’m often forced to listen to this idiot.