Air waves
Boston's public radio scene gets interesting
(Correction: Because of a reporting error, the Observer column in the July 17 edition of the Globe incorrectly said that archival material used in ''Moments of America" was from National Public Radio. It came from WGBH.)
The earth moved last week in the strange and wondrous world of public radio in the Hub. On Friday, the Day of the Long Knives at WBUR, interim general manager Peter Fiedler killed ''The Connection," the morning talk show, and replaced it with ''On Point," the steroidal evening gabfest hosted by Tom Ashbrook. Fiedler poleaxed eight staffers, including ''Connection" host Dick Gordon.
The bloodletting at WBUR makes lurid news but obscures a larger moment for public radio here. What's happening is each of Boston's two competing National Public Radio stations, WGBH and WBUR, is burrowing deeper into its roots. The Montagues at 'BUR are beefing up their signature local news, while the Capulets at 'GBH are finally pursuing their mandate as our arts and culture station with some juice.
The growing distinctions are welcome because during most of NPR's ''Morning Edition" and ''All Things Considered" in the late afternoon, both exist in perfect synch in parallel galaxies. Each station plays at the margins with its own contributions, but the duplication of the national feed is appalling. Fiedler and Marita Rivero at WGBH Radio should play ''rock paper scissors" to divide up the time and then run ''The Green Hornet" reruns and Tom Waits ballads in the open slots.
''The Connection," which costs the station about a million dollars a year, is toast because of flat ratings, soft topics, and perceived fatigue. Hard news is in. ''This has nothing to do with Dick Gordon," says Fiedler, but of course it has everything to do with him. Poor guy, he got the word Friday that it was his last day. August 5 will be the last ''Connection," but he's on vacation until then.
Ashbrook takes over the following Monday. NPR poobahs, says Fielder, are ''really high on Tom" for his edge and energy. I fear this ''energy" thing may simply be code for an exhausting, 78 rpm format that promotes sound and fury over thoughtful reflection. And, gosh, can this man step on answers.
Fiedler wants to improve the quality of local news coverage. With the money saved from the demise of ''The Connection," 'BUR will hire two new reporters, one for health issues and another for business, and an associate producer. While the amount of time devoted to local stuff will not increase, the focus on Boston's big stories will. The station will bank some savings and start to pay down some of its $13.5 million debt to owner Boston University.
And break out the bubbly. 'BUR will kill two of its most infuriating fund- raising jags -- the cloying Mother's Day campaign and the odious Valentine's Day torture. Fiedler calls the fund-raising machine ''a big lumbering beast that we're going to put on a treadmill."
The search for a new general manager, which began with a field of 30 candidates, is now down to two. BU expects to make a choice in early August, although neither can start until October.
Over at 'GBH, radio boss Marita Rivero is doing good things. Exhibit A was the addition on May 31 of ''The Writer's Almanac." Distributed by American Public Media, it arrives like a zephyr every weekday morning at 8:55 for five minutes. I'll take this respite from news in a heartbeat.
''Almanac" is a confection of poetry and history wrapped in the down comforter voice of producer and host Garrison Keillor that reminds you of a hypnotist intoning, ''You are getting sleepy now." The segment is neither effete nor public radio precious. It simply plays to our intelligence and curiosity.
Keillor notes the births of interesting people each day. On July 4, for example, he cited the critic Lionel Trilling, ''the man who said, 'Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.' "
He always reads a poem. On July 1, he chose ''The Dead" by Susan Mitchell that begins, ''At night, the dead come down to the river to drink." On July 5, he read ''Body Bags" by R.S. Gwynn, which opens: ''Let's hear it for Dwayne Coburn, who was small and mean without a single saving grace except for stealing home from second base or out of teammates' lockers, it was all the same to Dwayne."
We also hear morning sound bites from the NPR archives from the likes of Timothy Leary and James Baldwin. There are personal stories from different contributers on air. And on May 30, Chris Lydon returned to the Boston airwaves, on 'GBH, for an hour of talk radio at 7 p.m. called ''Open Source."
The first thing to say about Lydon, who ran high, wide, and handsome as the founding host of ''The Connection" before self-immolating, is that it's early. The second is that ''Open Source," funded by the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, is a rather incoherent New Media potpourri trumpeting podcasts, blogs, and e-mails.
All this amounts to a distinction without a difference. What matters is content, and it remains unclear whether Lydon will exploit his untouchable range of interests for a broad audience or sit tight in his own chat room. That said, Lydon belongs on the air -- challenging, irritating, and informing us. Welcome back.
So all in all, public radio here is good theater these days. 'BUR will be a good running story as it plays with its news muscle while 'GBH sings the arts in new colors. Your call.
Sam Allis's e-mail address is allis@globe.com 