Lots of communications from our listeners to get to today. First was a question about one of our commentaries, where a listener wrote, “I was very impressed by Andy Wood's commentary today and would like to share it with friends and family. Is it available as a recording or in written form? Thank you for all you do for our community!” The answer is that all of our commentaries are archived on our website, as both text and audio, at whqr.org/commentaries.
We got this disturbing email last week, complaining about something this listener heard, saying, “This morning, I heard a diatribe that upset me greatly. I don't think I ever heard anything so one-sided on a public radio station.
The time was 9:10 am and I could only listen until 9:20. No one from the station or management spoke to introduce the speaker, converse, or explain what dribble was being touted.” 9:10 AM would have been during BBC World News, but when we got the email, the BBC had not yet posted the program rundown for that day. While we were trying to figure out what upset this listener, we heard back from her, saying, “I owe you such a big apology. A person who worked on my car must have changed the station. I could not believe what was being said OR that it is aired! I am so happy to listen to NPR anytime!” Whew!
We got this suggestion from a listener for a show to add to our schedule. She wrote, “my suggestion … is BBC’s Front Row….a cultural arts and entertainment program. Interviews with artists and authors, and a rundown of current theatre. Really interesting and entertaining. If it’s available to you, that would be great!” Program Director Ken Campbell responded, “We checked with BBC distribution on our side of the pond, and currently Front Row is not among their offerings. They have added a few shows to the list of those available for broadcast here, so maybe they will continue to expand those options in the coming months/years. I'll keep an eye out for Front Row.”
This reminds me that we’ve got a listener survey on our website where you can let us know your favorite programs and share your thoughts and suggestions for WHQR. Look for the link on our website at whqr.org.
As I’m sure you know, we just ended our Fall Pledge drive, and I wanted to share some of the emails we got during the drive. On Pet Day, we invited our listeners to tell us their pets' names, and one listener named all their pets, adding “and the chickens,” which led to Ken Campbell and I wondering on-air whether it was common practice not to name chickens. That listener wrote, “I was listening this morning and I chuckled at your conversation with Ken about chickens. When I was able to put info in about our pets, there wasn't enough room for their names. I also agree with Ken; we name them because they lay eggs and we don't eat our chickens.” So this city boy learned something that day.
We also heard from listeners who enjoy Ben Schachtman’s Sunday newsletter. One wrote to say, “Yes, I am one of those seniors on a limited budget. That said, I am so enjoying your Sunday posts that I am compelled to help pay for it. $15/month doesn’t pay for much, but it is recognition of the fine work you and your team are doing in the newsroom.” Another complimented Ben’s very accurate description of how all of us at WHQR feel at the start of every pledge drive, saying, “I loved this line in your newsletter, 'Every year we jump out of the financial airplane and hope we can afford a parachute before we hit the ground.'
Scary, but excellent communication.”
I’m happy to report that we did make our goal this drive, thanks to people like you generously donating to keep us going. Thanks to all of our listeners.
We love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments, and criticisms. You can email us at feedback@whqr.org. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thanks for your feedback, and we look forward to hearing from you.