Comments for The Official Blog of Marc Steiner

Comment on 1/17/08 Mexico’s Southern Border, and Synesthesia by sam taggart

sam taggart — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:11:06 +0000

dear friends,
I am a family doctor in rural arkansas and I have
a fasciniation with the south and central american writers-Marquez, Allende, Amado, and Esquival. I loved Like Water for Chocolate and her recent book book about the female companion to Cortez. My feeling has always been that we in the South of the US have more in common with central and South Amercia than we do with with the New England northeast. The exceptions are Willian Kennedy, Anne Tyler, and Toni Morrison. I have written a novel about a cook in the Mississippi delta who has the gift of synesthesia. he has a fascination with the stockcar races; the problem is when he gets to much stimulation he hears angry hostile voices. When he takes medicine to make the voice go away he can no longer cook. All of the obsentiviley normal people in the story also hear voices. Would love to hear your reaction ot my stories (negative or positive).

Comment on Marc is guest blogging by Floroskop

Floroskop — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:53:25 +0000

Hello!
I think this try.

Comment on 1/29 Banished/Sundown Towns by Jessica Bennett

Jessica Bennett — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:54:31 +0000

Sherrilyn Ifill posted at Beacon Broadside, in part about Sundown Towns, but also about Obama's candidacy and the history of lynching and racial violence. The Relevance of Nooses and Lynching in the Age of Obama

Comment on UPDATE by John

John — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:42:35 +0000

Marc,

I am so disappointed at your show’s cancellation. When I used to listen to 88.5, your show was the reason I started listening to 88.1. Not that I don’t like Kojo (I’m a fan of his too), but your show kept me on the pulse on Baltimore, kept me aware of the city I live in. I really loved your interviewing style and most of all…your curiosity. I want to let you know that wherever you choose to go, I will be there to listen. Take care and hope to hear you on the air again…soon!

Best,

John

Comment on UPDATE by Steve

Steve — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:58:32 +0000

Marc,
I was not entirely surprised to hear the news. The minute I met Tony, I felt that his agenda was based entirely on the profit motive. I’d heard that he’d managed to reframe the not for profit public status of the station as a lucrative profit center. At least that’s how a prominent local media director saw it.
I tend to agree, I have never heard a public radio station with so many advertorial bits… One day I hope someone gets to tell the story of how a local bank sponsoring Anirban Bassou’s bit, cancelled their sponsorship when he made some sympathetic reference to gays and lesbians. Now that’s what I call..”our commitment to providing our community with a voice or to addressing the most important and pressing issues that affect all of us on a local, statewide or national level.” What bullshit.

Mr. Brandon i has done the station inestimable harm
He has defiled public radio. I always used to feel guilty for listening to 88.5. Now I urge listeners to switch. It’s another viable public radiosource. Without the Republican agenda. Heaven knows they’ve done enough to destroy freedom of speech by infiltrating every other media outlet.

I suspect your dedication to truly impartial reporting was somehow connected to your departure.

Good luck. I will search for you on the internet. Conventional radio as we know it is dying anyway.

I wish you luck. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know

Stephen

Comment on 02/02/08 a quick note… by Jeff Martens

Jeff Martens — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:07:51 +0000

The WYPR site accepts $0.01 donations. I wonder how much it costs them to process a donation.

Comment on 02/02/08 a quick note… by Tom Rose

Tom Rose — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:49:44 +0000

We do not know the inner workings of the board. For instance:
Did the board actually vote on this?
What was the attendance at the meeting when this vote was taken (unless,of course, the board acted privately).
What was the vote, yeas and nays? And by whom?
What was the discussion?
Or was this railroaded through?

The reason I raise these questions is that we don’t know if the board was apprised that there would be a COST to the station of this action.

There will be a COST. Has been already in the form of outrage and protest. Will be long term in a drop in donations. Will be long term in the form of reduced audience tuning in to the station. And reduction in the level of discourse affecting the entire listening area.

Don’t know if the station management understands the COST to the station of the loss of support – both monetarilly and psychologically. There sems to be a level of arrogance involved here. We can do what we want and we don’t care what anyone else thinks.

I personally don’t see Marc returning (unless the board were to dump management, which is highly unlikely).

I’ve been around long enough to have witnessed poor personnel decisions in numerous situations. They never take place without a COST to all parties. Marc will shake this off. I don’t expect the station to do as well, but that will never be admitted.

And Gerry: shame on you.

Tom Rose

Comment on 10/25 The Rothmans: Hollywood Insiders by Anna

Anna — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:04:59 +0000

The Maryland Film Festival is coming back May 1-4, 2008. Visit http://www.baltimore.org or http://www.md-filmfest.com for more info.

Comment on UPDATE by Emliy Willard

Emliy Willard — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:01:22 +0000

Marc,

We are going to miss the daily town hall meetings between 12 and 2 where real local issues get a real voice and real debate. I am looking forward to see where you will move onto next. Good luck and take care,

Emily

Comment on 02/02/08 a quick note… by Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:57:23 +0000

Dear Marc,

Have already written my irate letter to Brandon. I will be at the WYPR Board of Directors Meeting (unless they bar me), and I encourage others to do the same. “Your” Public Radio? Funny, I don’t feel like it’s mine right now.