Updated 3:30p...
I mentioned earlier about DC's alternative rock radio station, WHFS, suddenly dumping its format for the Spanish demo, becoming "El Zol -- Siepre de fiesta." (A side note: Apparently America Online has purchased the WHFS Web site and AOL is now pointing to AOL radio. Unusually smart!)
But now, the listen-at-work radio station, WETA-FM, which has played classical music during the day, has decided to go to a news talk format, the Washington Post reports this morning. Here is their new schedule and it sucks! Just what we need -- another talk station! The nice thing about WETA is that I could listen to classical music throughout the day but still get NPR news at the top of each hour. And WETA played better music then DC's commercial classicial music station, WGMS. WGMS also doesn't have play news. All of this means my XM radio boom box will have to make its way back to the office.
Meanwhile, even less noticed was a switch in DC AM radio -- WWRC 1260 AM , formerly a sports talk station, has become Progressive Talk 1260, part of Air America, a left-wing talk radio network featuring Al Franken and Jeneane Garofalo. I'm not sure how well they are doing given that the program manager has posted a letter on the station's Web site that one can forward to all your progressive friends enlisting grass roots support for the station. All I know is that they carry the Imus in the Morning radio program -- and it is better then the horrible WTNT 570 AM, which is conservative talk. They carry hacks such as Laura Ingram, Joe Scarborough, and the supreme hate monger Michael Savage.
I am not a talk radio listener generally -- Imus being the exception. I traveled to Hershey, Pa. in October for a conference, however, and I decided to take a listen just to see what all the rumble is about and it is no wonder we have the level of political discourse we have these days. It is really shocking! As I said at the time, there is a lot to argue and many differences of opinion, but talk radio debate has devolved into back biting, personal attacks.
So I just try to stay above the fray and watch programs like PBS's NewsHour, NBC's Meet the Press, and, to a lesser degree, CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown -- and I read! And I listen to my iPod. But I avoid like the plague the all-news cable networks any more -- they have become mirrors of talk radio -- and I avoid talk radio, including progressive talk! It helps maintain a level of sanity.
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