FW: Miami Committee

We, here in Dayton, would really miss some wonderful programs...

Dianne Rehm, All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, and Terry Gross.   We also enjoy the locally produced programs (medical   call in as well as computer help for our Mac.   As   my husband is a Miami Grad School grad, we have a special place in our hearts for MU and Oxford.   We want to stay positive about "the center of the universe." Please don't stop broadcasting.

We must confess that as we are supporting WGUC and DPR we are not able to contribute to WMUB.

--Dick and Cynthia Robinson, Dayton

Re-transmit WMUB?

Why don’t you buy WYSO’s transmitter and retransmit WMUB on it?  I work in Dayton and your signal is usually weak here, but I would rather listen to your shows.

--Bryan Riddiford

Clearly identified with Miami

I urge Miami University to continue to provide full financial support to WMUB. The radio station provides the voice of the university to the community.

I know a little bit about public radio; between 1979 and 1982 I was a student staff member and eventually one of the first paid employees at WVXU . It was deeply offensive to me when Xavier University sold off the station to fund a new campus building. People worked for decades to transform WVXU from a closed-circuit operation to a medium-power station to the Midwestern public radio hub it became. The university's move was a slap in the face to the personnel, the listeners and the community alike. Now the buyers have taken the further step of breaching the spirit of the deal by selling off New Paris-Richmond's WVXR to create a religious station, in a needless duplication of programming already widely available in the region. So much for operating in what the Federal Communications Act calls the "public interest, convenience and necessity."
 
If the "old" WVXU management made any mistake, it was in failing to clearly associate itself with the university overall. This is a mistake WMUB has not made. The station is clearly and consistently identified as the voice of Miami University, and the relationship is beneficial both to the station and the university.
 
I have been a supporter of several public radio stations over the years, and became a member of WMUB last year. Keep a good thing going!

--Steve Gottlieb, Connersville, IN

A great career because of WMUB and Miami

At this very moment I am writing copy to put on a remastered CD that was originally produced on a 5" reel at WMUB circa 1969, when I was a radio/TV major at Miami.  You may or may not know, but about 30 radio/TV majors will be reuniting in Oxford, July 5-7, 2007.  This event is spearheaded by RIck Ludwin, Executive Vice President for Late Night Entertainment at NBC.  Most of the attendees, myself included, still make our living in the business in one fashion or another.  I own an advertising agency; my roommate and sorority sister, Sanki Link is CFO of an ad agency, Grant Hill heads up production for DDB Worldwide, Rick Sellers has a station in Iowa, and many other people are still broadcasters of the highest rank.

I came to Miami with no skills and by the end of sophomore year, got a summer job at WFMJ radio and WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, as a writer/producer.  I continued to work there summers and Christmases until graduation, and actually went back for several month after graduation.  I have had a great career because of WMUB and Miami.

Rick Ludwin, Rick Sellers, Grant Hill and I endow a scholarship in William Utter's name for mass comm students.  I don't think I'd feel like doing that anymore if there were no WMUB.  It is so sad that students no longer operate the station, but to have no station at all would be a shame. A colleague of mine in St. Louis, Jim Schnurbusch, has twin sons.  One is a Miami student.  The other wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting, so he was forced to choose another school that had a decent program. That broke my heart.

What can I do to prevent the demise of WMUB?

--Sallie Ervin, Ervin Marketing Creative Communications, St. Louis, MO

Integral part of the day

WMUB in all its programming is an integral part of my every day.  The quality and variety of programs enrich my radio listening. Please keep it up!!

--Susan Oertel

Wonderful opportunity to take a leadership role

I wanted to add my two cents worth to your discussions about the future of WMUB.  First, I love the programming and hope that you all can find a way to keep WMUB intact.  I listen mornings and evenings during the week and Saturday mornings on the weekend.  I try to contribute what I can to help keep WMUB viable and have managed to be a dollar a day member for the past few years.

That isn't why I am writing you today.  This weekend I heard several stories about Antioch College making the decision to close in 2008.  While WYSO is part of Antioch University and theoretically not impacted, this is a wonderful opportunity to take a leadership role in Miami Valley Public Radio.  I believe that WMUB could easily be the single voice of public radio for the combined WMUB/ WYSO listening area.  With the unrest surrounding Antioch's decision, helping WYSO survive becomes a positive reinforcement to the WMUB name (versus a negative for ultimately removing WYSO as a stand alone entity).  If WYSO was set up as a repeater station with a few of their local programs intact, you could bring many of the current WYSO members into the WMUB family.  I don't know the details of radio program purchasing, but my hunch is that you could manage to keep the same program costs while adding the WYSO membership to your pledge lists.  

WMUB is a strong part of the Miami University brand in the Miami Valley.  A combined station preserves quality public radio with a focus on news for the greater Dayton, Oxford and Yellow Springs listening area.  Rather than looking at WMUB as an expense, I think the combined listening area would allow you to operate free of University funding after the purchase and consolidation was completed.  You might also start a separate funding campaign to help offset the acquisition costs. I'm sure that there are a few financially well off individuals or corporations that could help cover the cost of this acquisition for Miami University.  

I recognize that many of my comments are based on guesses without the benefit of actual operational conditions.  However looking at WMUB from a 50,000 foot vantage point, I believe that there is a clear opportunity for Public Radio leadership, a major enhancement to the WMUB brand and a strengthening of the Miami University reputation.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this suggestion.

--William Houghton, Springboro, WMUB member

Nothing to equal WMUB

I want to express my hope that Miami will continue to provide financial support for WMUB, a station that I think is truly unique.  Any time I travel by car, I hunt for public radio stations on the dial and I never find anything to equal the programming that our station has here at WMUB.  The university should brag about the excellence of this station!

We members will continue to lend our support and many of us will increase the level of our support as the institutional commitment declines.  But Miami's financial leadership is really crucial to continued excellent programming.

Thanks very much for considering my comments.

--Norma Pennock, Oxford

WMUB has local flavor

DO NOT REDUCE FUNDING TO THE BEST LOCAL PROGRAMMING AROUND. VXU ALREADY RUINED A GOOD STATION WITH NOTHING BUT NATIONAL NEWS AND ZERO LOCAL FLAVOR.  SINCE I'M NOT DIRECTLY "BEHOLDING" TO MIAMI UNIVERSITY , I CAN ASK THIS QUESTION.  WHAT MORON WOULD CONSIDER SUCH A MOVE?

--Herbert Hyde, Hamilton

WMUB bridges town/gown divide

I find it alarming that an educational institution of Miami's caliber is spending time and energy, both of which equate to $s being spent, to even consider eliminating the one program at Miami University that comes remotely close to bridging the town/gown divide; a program that allows Miami University to give back to the community that supports it; a program that, by its very nature, contributes to lifelong learning. The radio is one of the first communication instruments to begin to bring the world into homes, to "extend frontiers of knowledge" and "serve society."  Students deserve to have other outlets from which they can make informed decisions; be introduced to and come to appreciate and understand other cultures.  As a MU grad, I am saddened Miami seems to have forgotten its mission. Below is Miami's mission. It is my hope that it's importance has not been lost in the process.

The mission of Miami University is to preserve, add to, evaluate, and transmit the accumulated knowledge of the centuries; to develop critical thinking, extend the frontiers of knowledge, and serve society; and to provide an environment conducive to effective and inspired teaching and learning, promote professional development of faculty, and encourage scholarly research and creativity of faculty and students...

Miami is committed to serve the community, state, and nation. It offers access to higher education, including continuing education, for those who can benefit from it, at a reasonable cost, without regard for race, creed, sex, or age. It educates men and women for responsible, informed citizenship, as well as for meaningful employment. It provides both disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the pursuit of knowledge and to the solving of problems. It sponsors a wide range of cultural and educational activities which have significance beyond the campus and the local community.

I urge the committee to give serious thought to WMUB's value to Miami students, faculty and staff, and to the community in which Miami resides.

--Catherine, Miami ’90

Prefers WMUB

I have been a long-time subscriber to whatever public radio station was available in my area.  Primarily it was for the opportunity to support and listen to NPR.  Outside of NPR and other news-related programming I haven't typically listened to much else offered by any of the public radio stations.

However, I will say that I have been far more pleased with WMUB than other public radio stations in the past.  I think this is due mostly to your programming being mostly geared towards news and information (while many others played classical music outside the NPR time slots).  I have enjoyed WMUB and I enjoy it's current mix of programming and hope that the final outcome is that little if anything changes.

... I do prefer your station over any and all others on the radio dial.

--Mark Alfson, Dayton

Value Miami's role

Please do NOT  make any additional cuts to WMUB.  Being a resident of Indiana, and with limited reception from Cincy, we are totally dependent on WMUB for information and enlightened viewpoints.  It is incredibly difficult to get a balanced view in Richmond, IN.  We rely so heavily on NPR, specifically WMUB, that you are contributing in a very large sense to the education of the citizenry of Ohio and Indiana; not just educating the students at Miami.  Our son is a graduate of Miami and I just can't fathom  the universitynot caring about the educational qualities that WMUB provides to all of us. We are day sponsors annually and value the financial role Miami has given to support WMUB.  PLEASE continue your full support of the station, and find alternative ways to cut your expenses.

--Concerned WMUB supporter, JoAnne Sobol

Miami should be proud

I depend on WMUB for local and national news every day. Their national programs are excellent and informative. Please allow WMUB to continue their valuable service to the community. Miami should be proud of their public radio station.

--Bonne Brown, Oxford

Positive impact on my opinion of Miami

I am a resident of Ross Township and an avid listener and financial supporter of WMUB.  I just wanted to take a moment to convey to you the value that I see in WMUB and Miami University's continued support of the radio station.

* As a transplant from California, I very much appreciate the diverse perspectives and topics reported on by NPR in general and WMUB specifically.  In my opinion, they do a much better job at representing varying viewpoints than most other news organizations.  

* When I first moved to this area, I had heard of Miami U. but did not know much about it.  Knowing that Miami is a strong supporter of public radio has had an extremely positive impact on my opinion of the University.

*WMUB provides me with a unique link to the Miami University community and campus events.  I have attended several lectures and concerts on campus which I would never have known about had they not been publicized on WMUB.  Simply hearing about the variety of speakers and cultural events being sponsored by Miami U. has strongly influenced my perception of the University, and my regard for it as a first-class liberal arts University. 

I firmly believe that WMUB is a valuable asset to the local community, as well as an irreplaceable asset to Miami University.  I strongly encourage the Committee to recommend that the University continue its current level of financial support for WMUB.

--Heather, Ross Township

Educating Ohioans

How disappointing that Miami University would consider reducing support of WMUB/FM! 

 

For me WMUB is a lifeline to news with insight, background on current important issues, ideas and people, in-depth news and a variety of views and opinions which cause me to think and explore issues. It is also great information on topics I enjoy learning more about and a source of enjoyable jazz.  All this seems like providing education to Ohioans which I believe is the mission of Miami University.

 

If anything, Miami University should consider supporting a stronger signal for WMUB or repeater stations to cover the greater Dayton area more reliably.  Dayon enjoys only fair reception of WMUB and poor reception of WOSU/AM. The marginal reception of PBS in the Dayton area seems a missed opportunity.

 

Please consider that part of Miami University's mission  that can strengthened  through

Miami's strong support and involvement in WMUB. 

 

--Jim Getty, Centerville, a proud supporter of WMUB

WMUB is indispensable

I was extremely dismayed to learn that Miami University may be thinking of scaling back or eliminating it's support for WMUB. With the recent loss of WVXU in my listening area (Richmond, IN), WMUB is now indispensable. No other local outlet supplies the mix of thought-provoking programming, local news, and Momma Jazz. While no programming can be entirely unbiased, I believe that the station provides varying viewpoints with access to the airwaves. I will be increasing my support for WMUB in the future, since I will no longer be supporting WVXU. Perhaps other supporters will feel the same.

--Max Bailey, Richmond

WMUB's Jazz programming

I love Mama Jazz, so don't mistake my criticisms. I think she does an amazing job at delivering quality Jazz music from 1900-1940/1950. But that is not a complete representation of the music that changed the world through its influences in every art form in the US. What about these guys that I never hear but who are masters and legends of Jazz?

John Coltrane

Miles Davis

Dextor Gordan

Art Blakey

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis

Wayne Shorter

Herbie Hancock

The Modern Jazz Quartet/Quintet (MJQ)?

Pharoah Sanders

Eric Dolphy

Sun Ra

McCoy Tyner

Bobby Hutcherson

Freddie hubbard

Wes Montgomery

Bill Hollman

Pat Martino

Joe Henderson

Chick Corea

Bill Evans (piano OR sax)

Mahavishnu

John McLaughlin

Joe Lovano

Michelle Petruccianni

Jaco Pastorius

Art Pepper

Sonny Rollins

Lee Morgan

Branford Marsalis

Etc etc etc, the list of musicians NOT represented in the Mama jazz show is not only sad but reprehensible. It is our duty as Jazz musicians critics and fans to maintain a tradition of representing all eras of our beloved music equally. If she has not the knowledge on other parts then might I suggest hiring some new DJ's that do?

--Chris Alpiar

Vital component of learning

I consider news programming and featured shows broadcast by WMUB some of the best professional development I engage in and its on an almost daily basis as I commute to and from campus and during other driving hours.  This is an invaluable tool for me to learn and it helps me greatly in the classroom and my many other university and service roles.

 

I consider the support of MU as a vital component in the learning community we strive to be with faculty, students, and the greater community together.  This is a fine example of life-long learning.

 

My recommendation for MU - maintain substantial support of WMUB!  Our support enhances the image of MU near and far.

 

Thank you for asking my opinion.

 

--Dr. Karen Montgomery, Miami University, Dept. of Teacher Education, Visiting Assistant Professor

The best I've found

I've been a member ($250 level) for several years now, after "discovering" one of Miami's better-kept secrets. The station has come a long way since my undergrad days, when it was the more typical all-classical, all-the-time station (as I recall - 35 years is a long time ago!)

 

The station completely engages me with its NPR offerings as well as some of the highest quality local programming I've heard. (I travel frequently throughout Ohio on business, and get a chance to compare to the relatively few other public radio stations that develop local programming.) WMUB is the best I've found, followed closely by Ohio University's WOUB. (My diploma would have been recalled had I classified OU as equal!!) Were the programming to change significantly during the day (say, more music with NPR news on the hour) I would almost certainly terminate my financial support, and quit listening.

 

There is one aspect of WOUB's broadcasting that, to me, seems worth exploring as you discuss WMUB's future. WOUB has several affiliates throughout southeast Ohio, broadcasting the same programming over a large geographic area. Could WMUB form an affiliation (or outright merger) with other local public radio stations? (I believe there are stations at least in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Yellow Springs.)

 

This would offer them the advantage of expanded programming (most offer at best a few hours of NPR a day), and would seem to offer an economy of scale that might handle costs more effectively. Since the other stations would become, in effect, "repeaters," many costs (principally payroll) that are now duplicated could be reduced or eliminated. Also, the larger geographic area covered would offer a larger potential financial support base. In short, the whole may very well be greater than the sum of the parts.

 

I wish you well in your deliberations. On a lighter note, might I jokingly add that it wasn't that long ago that the Redskins became Redhawks - can MU really handle the loss of more than one tradition a decade?

 

--Glenn Roberts, Eaton

Keep 88.5 As Is!

Since beginning my forestry practice in 1970 I have been a guest on scads of call-in radio programs, on both commercial and public stations, in several states. By far the best of these programs is Free Advice.

 

I remain amazed at the quality of your audience and the intelligent, timely questions I'm asked. Although we take many calls during the hour, I still respond to a dozen emails at home from listeners who could not get on air.

 

On air I represent both the forestry/arborist professions and the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District that I've served as a Supervisor since 1985. After each show the SWCDs of Hamilton and Butler tell me how many listeners called them for soil testing kits, info on attending seminars, etc.

 

I urge you to leave WMUB as an integral, fully funded part of Miami U. as it is today. Without being associated with your fine university, I believe the quality of the programs and service to your listeners would certainly diminish.

 

--Steve Sandfort, RF, CA, Cincinnati

Treasure that needs more integration

I'm a long-time WMUB listener - and treasure its existence.

And - I've long wondered why the station isn't more integrated into the curriculum offerings at the university - giving students the opportunity for real-life experiencce in the broadcast field.  (I realize that we would occasionally have to endure charmingly bad pronunciation on the air, etc.  Not too high a price to pay!  Indeed, the adult staff announcers could occasionally use some help, too.)

--Wendy Richardson, Oxford

WMUB adds to the educational mission

WMUB is a valuable part of the academic community.  Most news casts on the radio and TV aren't much more than "sound bits" and slanted analysis.  I listen to WMUB each morning for in-depth news, objectively reported.  I listen to some of the afternoon programing, when I can.  Science Friday is one of my favorite programs.  As a Chemistry professor at Miami, some of this material has even been useful in my classes.  WMUB even promotes the principles of the Miami Plan, such as critical thinking and engaging other learners.

Miami University should continue to support WMUB because it adds so much to the educational mission of Miami.

--Thomas L. Riechel, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University

NPR helps me stay informed

I listen more to WMUB than any other station. I wake up to it now and enjoy Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation. The NPR programs help me stay informed and the commentary is very stimulating. The Saturday morning programming is very entertaining. It would seem to support Miami's educational mission, and it seems short-sighted to withdraw university support. I am a member, and contribute what I can. I hope it will be able to stay on the air.

--Name withheld by request, Oxford

Collabortion with WSU?

Since Miami provides major financial and other support, and since universities in general sponsor public radio, and since Miami helped birth what is now Wright State University, has collaboration with WSU been examined?

--Tom from Beavercreek

WMUB is "the Miami station"

Supporting a public radio station may, in the light of tight university budgets each year, seem to represent an area on the margins of the university's mission and therefore susceptible to cuts in funding—a move you are considering at the moment.

I urge you to examine the broader impact of the station's connection to Miami University on the community. WMUB is referred to by those whom I know in Dayton as "the Miami station," distinguishing it from the "Yellow Springs station," for example, and tying it inexorably to the image of the university. In enlarging the community's knowledge of and appreciation for MU, the station does a service that cannot be measured—in many ways like any PR effort that the university may expend. 

Here's an example of its far-reaching touch. In last spring's fund drive (2006), I heard Cleve Callison announce that as a Medievalist, he would agree to recite part of the Prologue to Canterbury Tales in its original Middle English for a donation of a certain level. I took him at his word, and invited him to my classroom at Miami Valley School, Dayton, to do such a recitation. While his original intent had been to read the Prologue piece on the air, he nonetheless agreed to visit my class, and to provide an extraordinary session related to the development of our language. My students, though they knew he was the general manager of WMUB, saw him as a representative of the university, referring to him informally aftwerwards as "that guy from Miami." Their association clearly provided a positive view of MU, perhaps even inspiring some to consider applying for admission to a university with such stimulating people associated with it. 

It goes without saying that the programming provided by WMUB is the best in the area. We often brag to our son in Washington, DC that we have broader NPR programming than is available to him in that center of government. My husband and I listen almost exclusively to 88.5, although "the Yellow Springs station" may seem to be the most logical choice for someone living in Dayton. We appreciate the local programming and especially the wider reaches of Terry Gross, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Day to Day, and others. 

I hope that you will continue to provide the level of funding that has given us such outstanding programming. The mission of Miami University is one of education, and certainly bringing NPR to the wider community represents a key part of this mission. 

--Barbara A. Cleary, Ph.D., Miami Valley School, Dayton

Priceless addition to our culture

I am a proponent of Miami U. continuing to fund and provide support to WMUB!

THE station is my favorite, it is on my computor whenever I go on-line and in space #1 on my cars radio.

Last week, while on the way to visit my mother-in-law in Michigan, I listened to WMUB for as long as I could on my way North through Indiana.  When IT was no longer available, I searched in vain for a station as good as WMUB.  When returning 5 days later, I searched and searched until WMUB again became available in my vehicle.

THE station is a true priceless addition to our culture as a locality and I understand is listened to nationally.  IT really gives a good impression of Miami U. and that it cares about the community and the quality of radio that is available.

Please provide a report to the Miami U. Administration that promotes the continuation of this service.

Thank you,

--Richard, Okeana

Excellent outreach for Miami

I listen to WMUB daily at work and now have several additional co-workers who do the same.  The programming is excellent and is far superior to any other radio station I am able to receive either over the air or by streaming over the internet.  None of the other stations have the quantity or quality of talk programming that you offer.  I appreciate the balanced discussions of such a wide variety of topics.  The NPR programming including Diane Rehm, Fresh Air, and Talk of the Nation are truly exceptional.   The local programming is also excellent, especially the "Help Desk" and "Free Advice" segments.  I look forward to them and find that I'm actually able to better concentrate on my work tasks than I can with music programing and that, as an additional bonus, I'm now better informed about a wide variety of topics. 

 

I also feel that WMUB is an excellent outreach and public relations outlet for Miami University.  I've learned more about Miami and have a much more positive view of the school as a result of WMUB.  I became a member a year ago and will continue to renew my membership annually. 

 

Thank you for continuing to provide such excellent, reliable programming.  I am never surprised when I hear listeners calling in from across the country and around the world as they listen to the audio stream from your website.  Your station is truly one of the best in the country and deserves your continued support.

 

Thank you for making my work day much more interesting and informative.

 

--Marian, Trotwood

Don't follow CBC example

In a world of where consolidation and homogeneous product are considered efficient and cost effective, the individual is often overlooked.  To still have a local radio station, informing your area of local and university events and interests attracts me to listen frequently to your station.

Although I graduated from Miami, I am Canadian.  Our national radio, CBC, has had it's funding slashed in the last 10 years.  The result has been highly diluted, and non-specialized content.  The resulting diminished listenership is also apparent.  I felt Canada was much different from the US in that everyone listened to CBC.  Even farmers in their barns and fields!  I learned from CBC, and the stories from around the country tied the country together.  In fact, one of the reasons I immigrated to Canada was the insightful and intelligent programing I heard while listening to CBC while in the States. I thought Canada must be an interesting and open country.  It portrayed itself exquisitely. To me, that was radio at it's best.

I work here from April to Sept., and come back every month for the business.  I am a wmub listener.  If the format is altered to a homogeneous, right of centre product, I will find my radio from short-wave or internet.

Thank you for soliciting comment.

--Name withheld by request