Ending my relationship with WMUB

I am ending a long-term relationship WMUB, both in terms of listening and donating.

First, I have found the time between NPR broadcasts (local breaks) to be jejune, repetitive and completely scripted. I hear the same words at the same time every day. I can mouth the words the "announcer" is going to say. (Okay, maybe the "sponsor" names for the traffic may change.) At 11:00 p.m., for example, exactly the same thing is uttered every weekday.

Second, if I hear the pre-recorded announcement beginning with, "This is so-and-so from NPR news. You are listening to WMUB, NPR at 88.5, a listener-supported radio...blah, blah, blah. And how many times each hour do I have to hear the call letters "WMUB"? Have you ever counted?

Third, the technical guffaws are becoming all too numerous--dead air time, outdated weather forecasts (see below), and programs starting late, for example. I am tired of hearing the excuse that you are aware of the problem. (Why doesn't WVXU have the same problems?)

Next, the traffic reports are less than useful. A few weeks ago, I was driving to the Blue Rock Rd. area. I heard a report that there was an accident at I-275 and Blue Rock Rd. Completely useless. Was it on I-275? Blue Rock? Which direction? I have mentioned this before, and I receive the excuse that the announcer is simply reporting what s/he receives. Geeesh.

Additionally, your weather forecasts are often outdated. At 11:00 p.m., a forecast is delivered; at 11:06 p.m., there is typically a different forecast, often given by John. The same thing is true at 6:00 a.m...

How many times a day do we have to hear the same story during the time you "steal" away useful minutes from NPR news? (I switch to WVXU, as I am far from interested in Dayton news.) Also, your failure to cover events in Oxford is shameful. I well understand your need to appeal to your financial base, but you have forgotten about a major source of funding--Miami University which is in Oxford.

…The programming on WVXU is much more appealing to me. The midday weekday line-up is exactly what I prefer (e.g., Day to Day). Suddenly, you dropped the live broadcast of Michael Feldman's show, and replaced it with Whad'ya Know? Was this announced?

…My membership with WMUB ends in June, and I will begin my donation to WVXU at that time. It is a shame.

--Jerry Miller, Oxford