Day Parting Model

[goldfinger]

Leftover Biscuits doesn't cater to jazz fans or rock fans or classical fans (the "cume") because it pulls in absolutely everybody who likes old-time country (the "niche"). if that isn't "WTJU identity," what is?

Exactly. Pure, unfiltered Emmit and Peter Jones, unencumbered by playlists and backed up with encyclopedic knowledge of music. For instance, I heard a Patsy Cline song that I had never ever, heard, before, first thing in the morning on their show... the product of someone who really LISTENS to what they play, and digs deep into the music. Not a bad "wake up call".

Yes... that's "WTJU identity".

What I think we need to do is find a way to make it flow from one show to the next, better. Thematically.

[billtetzeli]

What are the shows that don't necessarily fit any genre and risk being squeezed out in a homogenization scenario? I know Eclectic Woman and World Turning are two, are there others? There's got to be some kind of a way to find them a home.

I don't particularly have a problem with day-parting, but if it does lead to homogenization, as Tyler suggests, obviously that's catastrophic for the station. If we can have day-parting while making room for the less easy to categorize shows it'd actually be nice to go to radio people really, really love occasionally and like the rest of the time from radio people really, really love for their favorite program and switch off the rest of the time. At least in the former scenario they get to know the programming better and will likely find other shows to love. But keep the quirkiness.

[lob]

In response to robbsheff's comment on Leftover Biscuits, I just want to point out as one of the co-hosts (and now sole host) that blues and jazz are also heard on the program. To categorize Leftover Biscuits as only being old-time country is simply wrong. The only rule I adhere to is the music be almost all acoustic (occasionally folks like Lightning Hopkins get played), and pre-1965 (so I can sneak in some Country Gentlemen, but mostly 1960 and earlier).

I realize that you were speaking to the "niche" audience, but we get calls from listeners of all types. I did a 13 month series with musicologist Joe Ayers on Blind Lemon Jefferson, and we had folks listening on-line from all over the world, as Jefferson influenced a lot more than just blues artists.

[mandoman]

As a listener particularly of folk progamming but also rock and jazz and the early music show. I would not like it if a particular genre was all piled up at only one part of the week. I like it spread out through different days and times of the week and day.

[mandoman]

I am not sure a flow is needed. I know when the shows I like to listen to are on.

[listenersince72]

I love what WTJU's output has been: diverse, deep, specialized, questing, authoritative, expressive, free. WTJU has taught at a high level because it freed the dj's artistic expression, and protected it against corrupting compromises. Sadly, it's just such attributes that grey-souled bureaucratic functionaries are either unable or unwilling to feel. A poster on wtjuincrisis is right: WTJU should trim its overhead, and continue to be precisely what it is: a freewheeling college radio station. It is crass folly to dumb down and try to 'compete' in the sordid marketplace of ratings and money. How dare an elite public university radically betray its unequaled classical music specialists and listeners. The vast bulk of undergrads here arrive having survived an arid, debased world of formulaic, mind-numbing aural dreck. It's incumbent upon WTJU's specialists and UVa's professoriat to open, expand and deepen undergrads' musical experience, and decidedly not to coddle their, in the main, blameless but nevertheless rather unfortunate preexisting shallowness and narrowness. The thrust of the djs' fight, I feel, is precisely in who will be allowed to write and interpret the mission statement: the mechanical entity known as BeardAnderfurenWoodSweeney, or the irreplaceably beautiful tapestry of scores of music-loving dj's? The dj's must unite across all the genres to resist this ugly coup.

[goldfinger]

I love what WTJU's output has been: diverse, deep, specialized, questing, authoritative, expressive, free. WTJU has taught at a high level because it freed the dj's artistic expression, and protected it against corrupting compromises. Sadly, it's just such attributes that grey-souled bureaucratic functionaries are either unable or unwilling to feel.

Oofah! I've weighed in on this thread, previously... but a well thought-out "screed" gets me going. Good One.

My two cents: get rid of the one-half week Classical (and all afternoon, Sunday?)/one half Folk. No disrespect to any department... but a casual listener has to get whiplash if they tune in haphazardly. There has to be a better way to accommodate the scheduling the genres, logically, through the week.

Now... off-thread: I'm starting to get more than a little insulted everytime I read admin/offsite emails and comments that intimate that WTJU DJs are on some kind of ego-trip, and play shows that only they want to hear: regardless of the fact that the "New" drawers in the Air studio get a work-out; that a lot of us download new music that doesn't make it to the departments, to keep the music "fresh"; that we study what we listen to, and share; that some of us travel long, unsubsidized distances to keep our side of the "bargain". The other intimation that somehow the barrage of phone calls for requests aren't honored, or shape how a show progresses, is particularly galling.

Now, if there's a way we could pirate the broadcast onto a Satellite radio signal....

[billtetzeli]

Scotty,

I know this wasn't aimed at me, especially since you posted this before my show, but I just wanted to make it clear that the comments I made on the air today about needing to be more accommodating to requests weren't aimed at anyone but myself. It's something that was weighing on me months before all this started - the comment on the UVA forum I mentioned when I started the show was just the nudge that got me thinking about it again. As I said, any criticism from me was directed solely back at myself and no one else.

Just so there's no misconception.

[listenersince72]

Thanks, Goldfinger. Glad you liked the earlier post.

The necessary outcome is to maintain the free format and all djs’ artistic freedom; a means to that end must be constructed. Djs (the most important elements of the station) must now placate the bureaucrats by greatly narrowing or closing entirely the yearly deficit. Therefore: 1) return, as Ms. Porotti has said at wtjuincrisis, to the four-marathon-a-year model, almost doubling yearly donations. 2) A competent non-paid underwriting-sales function, vigorously staffed by interns, is sure to exceed currently paid efforts. 3) Slash the station GM's salary immediately by 1/2, with no upgrades to subsequently be available (other than a cost-of-living adjustment). 4) John Ruscher is right: the Office of Public Affairs must be made to provide adequate or better PR to WTJU, expanding both listenership and donor pool. 5) All other currently paid positions (except that of Office Manager/Secretary) can be competently and even better performed by unpaid interns. Internships can be constructed to be rigorous in their expectations and required skills, and can draw from specialized and highly qualified pools of student applicants as well as community members. Moreover, rigorously drawn internship positions can be made so as to qualify successful candidates for academic credit, to create in them even stronger incentives. This internship cadre will expressly serve the station, and expressly serve to strengthen the station's identification with and responsiveness to the student body. (A permanent paid office manager/secretary is a necessity, and should continue, likely with expanded functions and authority, perhaps with a new title, though pay increases should be modest.) Summary: go to 4 marathons, downgrade the GM, and go to interns (except for the secretary): this will close the yearly deficit by approximately $90,000-a-year or more, fully covering UVa’s imposition of a funding decrease, and still leaving a $40,000-a-year or more surplus for long-deferred needs: for music purchases, for equipment, for web adverts, and, critically, for multiplying broadband capacity (which will greatly expand the listener/donor pool). This plan mollifies the bureaucrats, and will preserve the artistic integrity and high creative standards for which WTJU is famous and admired nationwide, and that is undeniably deserved by its dedicated, highly-specialized and expert corps of deejays. This plan increases student participation (10 to 20 interns/yearly for academic credit), increases the number of university/community listeners and multiplies greatly the number of web listeners, therefore increasing greatly the donor-base. If this more-than-utterly-reasonable compromise is unjustly denied WTJU’s djs, then they must stand up for their freedoms and integrity, band together in solidarity as djs across all genres, and collectively take their creative dj-ing talents into a nonprofit online streaming-radio venture, which can be done at quite minimal expense.

[listenersince72]

I can't believe that this University, with it's educational mission, is carrying-out slash and burn tactics against the brilliant Classical music department of WTJU. One can only conclude that BeardAnderfurenWood have failed to figure out that UVa is an instrument of teaching and learning.

In my first post, above, I agreed with a wtjuincrisis poster that WTJU should trim its payroll substantially; I then meant to say that this would return the station to the more sustainable template of 'university community station' (I erred in using the term 'college radio station', which could to some seem to exclude community mission and participation.

Does anyone know whether or not the other three departments, Rock, Jazz, and Folk, are supporting the Classical Dept.'s utterly principled resistance to massive cuts in their time allocation?

[billtetzeli]

listenersince72 - You're forgetting a couple of things. First, by getting rid of even one position, we lose the CPB grant money, about $70 K, so right there the savings are cut down to twenty thousand dollars. Also, even if the University could halve Burr's salary (he might have a contract which prevents that) it's doubtful if he'd stay and not look for greener pastures elsewhere. Yeah, I know, sounds great. Sort of like "Impeach George Bush" when he was president - until the next words, "President Dick Cheney" Except in this case, it would be "WTJU gets shut down". Marian said explicitly at the Advisory Board meeting the night before the all-station one Thursday before last, "This is the last roll of the dice." If Burr has to go, the station's going with him - sad, revolting but true.

[Walt Rodney]

Is that true -- no Burr, no TJU? At the very least, it's an untested assertion from Wood et al.

I'd like to see some highly-motivated folks give some shape to an alternative and to make it public. This would be programing, budgets, alumni development, etc.

About the $72K from the CPB. How much of that actually lands in TJU's hands, after overheard and whatnot to UVa? Also, the cost of professional staff need to be understood as not only salary but also benefits. Is professional staff compensation the primary cause of the current financial strain?

If the administration is getting serious about "return on investment" as a managerial principle and that's the what has TJU's head on the chopping block, then it's totally appropriate to point out other golden calves. Does the UVa Art Museum operate without subsidy from UVa? Does Men's Diving? (Don't get me started on the so-called revenue sports. The size of UVa's contribution to TJU is less than some peripheral assistant coach.) How about the German department or the sign language progam? And so on.