I stream Smooth Landings almost every night here in Lenoir. -- Rankin Whittington
Last week I read the words of a voicemailwe had received, criticizing us in, shall we say, colorful language over public radio’s coverage of Donald Trump. One person wrote: “I suppose you must take the syndicated programs but your first anonymous listener's feedback this morning was right on! Many of us are similarly frustrated. . .Can NPR "journalists" not see their bias...and if they can see it, please get by it!. . . And you know, I don't really need a BBC program commenting on USA aspects.
Concerning WHQR, it seems that in the last year or so there has been training for WHQR moderators to raise and lower their voices at certain points and speak more quickly; it might just be me, but it is actually stressful to try and follow the unnatural lilting and pace of speech.
And another writer felt that it was a poor example of a critique that would have merit if it were more coherent, such as one he had sent earlier. He added some interesting comments but asked me not to use them. On the other hand, Robin Boucher wrote:
I will concede that NPR's reporting does sometimes lean a little lefty but I still consider NPR one of the best sources for news as regards accuracy. . . The anonymous caller, by remaining anonymous, does not have the courage of his/her convictions to reveal his/her identity. . . I contend that the anonymous caller's hate speech is un-American, is not useful for solving disagreements and will go down in American history as a period of shame for our country.
A couple of people from UNCW sent me private messages thanking me for the way the comment was handled. Thank you both for the affirmation.
We received inquiries about this past Monday’s State of Things at 1:00 pm. Yes, that was a repeat of the previous Monday’s show. The operations staff at WUNC, which provides the show, sent us a note of apology. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.
Sandy Evans, president of the North Carolina Jazz Festival, wrote:
The North Carolina Jazz Festival Board of Directors send their thanks for your continued support of our endeavor to bring world class jazz and the musicians who play it to the Wilmington area! Our musicians came from around the globe, and our attendees from all across the country to enjoy their favorite style of music in a city that is fast becoming a favorite of theirs also! They spend the weekend here, listening to music at night, but have time to explore the area during the days--thus giving a boost to the local economy in a usually quiet time of year. We took 7 musicians to Roland Grise Middle School and 7 to Snipes Academy of Arts & Design for free concert/workshops, reaching approximately 700 students. Thanks again for your continued support!
Rankin Whittington wrote to George Scheibner:
It took some 30 seconds of listening tonight to Gene Autry's "South of the Border" before I had the best belly laugh I've had since Trump was elected. Old Gene, singing about his Mexican girlfriend, back in 1939! . . I stream Smooth Landings almost every night here in Lenoir {North Carolina]. You are a gem! My favorite radio stations over the last 50 years have been WFDD, WHQR, WUNC, WDAV, and WNCW.
By the way, except for WFDD, where I used to work, George has worked at all the others.
We’d love to hear from you on Friday Feedback. You can send an email message to feedback-at-whqr-dot-org, or you can leave a call at 910-292-9477. And as always, thanks for your Feedback.