Thursday, June 14, 2007

Open Source closed?

I noted last month that Christopher Lydon's show "Radio Open Source," which airs locally on WGBH-FM, 89.7, Monday-Thursday, 7 p.m., was seeking sufficient funding, from listeners, to get them through the summer. Things were looking grim: They needed $76,000, and at that point they'd only raised $17,000.

But last Thursday, the Globe reported that Lydon's fundraiser was a success. Two days earlier, an anonymous donor had made a gift of $125,000. However, the Globe also reported that Public Radio International, which distributes the program to 33 stations nationally, had announced that it will cease to do so as of July 1. Lydon's producer, Mary McGrath, told the Globe that "Open Source" would do just fine without PRI, so I was cautiously optimistic.

Yesterday, however, Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix reported that -- starting in July -- WGBH will no longer carry "Open Source."

Why, 'GBH? (There's nothing about this on the ROS website so far this morning.) I hope the Globe will put Geoff Edgers on the case. If anyone can get answers, he can. (Did you catch his POPSearch scandal coverage?)

PS: Here's a telling exchange from a Q&A that Ideas did with Lydon about "Open Source" in February 2006:

IDEAS: But what's the business model for an Emersonian New York Times?

LYDON: I'm not a techie or a businessman. I'm a fan of the space and its possibilities.

Sounds like Lydon knew it was a quixotic -- meaning, nearly impossible, but worth doing anyway -- venture from the start. Good for him!

Posted by Joshua Glenn at 08:07 AM

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