What a dilemma...

[misanthrope]

...I work in public radio as an announcer. I arrived at the station today to find a directive that we are to announce an hourly notice about Reagan's death, the nat'l day of mourning on Friday, and where listeners can go for blow-by-blow coverage. While we are at least foregoing NPR's coverage of Friday's events, we have been instructed to program a "reflective, respectful piece by an American composer" into each hour of our programming on Friday to honor the departed criminal.

I don't want to do it. Were it syndicated coverage, or something coming in via satellite, I would just let it play and mind my own business. However, when an announcer programs his show, the selections he chooses are as much part of "who he is" as his voice. I think it's hypocritical for me to act as if I'm respecting someone I loathed.

So, I'm left with several choices, among which are: ignore the directive altogether; program the shortest possible "memorial" piece (down to 10 or 15 seconds, if possible); program upbeat music; program things that focus in some fashion on minorities and the rest of Reagan's unwanted citizenry; program things whose titles stress negative images about character; or any combination of the above.

Anyone know of any public radio stations in the civilized world that needs a good jazz deejay?

[LittleApple81]

1. So sorry... I feel for you. n/t

[seabeyond]

2. gosh if you could take your week vacation

why wouldnt management understand your disdain for such, if you are respected appreciated. this is a tough one. yuk

[seabeyond]

3. there is a horrible flu going on in your neck of the woods

i heard about today, wink. last til sunday

[mwar]

4. Shades of the USSR

Where do your "directives" come from? Is there also a resident political commissar at the station?

[AP]

7. Seriously. Isn't public radio about devolving cultural power out to the...

...people? Isn't it all about decentralization? Who's telling you -- the second last guy in the chain of information -- how to connect with your listeners?

[mwar]

12. I didn't realize ClearChannel

had anything to do with public radio!
:puke:

[misanthrope]

17. It comes from...

...our Program Director, who, quite frankly, is a decent person but is just very gullible.

For instance, she popped her head into the room a while ago and was saying it just hit her that "poor Nancy Reagan has dedicated the last ten years of her life to taking care of this man, staying by his side, and now that poor woman's probably going to just feel lost without anything to do."

When she left, the other employee and I looked at each other with matching flabbergasted expressions. We started discussing the Reagans' availability of resources, and the difference between the way they are able to absorb the ordeal as opposed to their prey, er, constituents. You could tell this woman just didn't even consider that.

[AP]

20. That's sad.

[dusty64]

32. Thats what I

was thinking.

[Cheswick2.0]

5. be very subtly sarcastic

I don't know how else you could stand it.

[AP]

6. Play "Happy Days are Here Again"

It was FDR's campaign theme in '32 and I think it would confuse people.

Everyone says reagan was such an optimist and he started off as an FDR fan, so it's sort of appropriate. It also says what I feel when I think Reagan's gone and Bush is soon to go.

[MallRat]

8. Find the most dissonant, atonal classical music in your collection.

Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Cage, Ives, Milhaud, etc.

Give it a try.

-MR

[misanthrope]

22. I think they're...

...trying to hide that stuff from me as it is. I've received some impassioned complaints from usage of all those composers you list. It's been "suggested" they might not be best between 10am and Noon. Sucks because I really like minimalist stuff and am dying to play some Steve Reich during the day.

[MallRat]

24. 10am to Noon?

What's so special about that timeslot? Is afternoon drive time a better audience for "Rite of Spring?"

:shrug:

[misanthrope]

26. Hey man, I'm just tellin' ya'...

...what I've been told and what I've experienced. You play some Charles Ives or Phillip Glass at 10:30am in this market, and you get people calling the station bitchin'.

People here are very, very conservative in so many ways.

And, surprise, surprise, the educational system is terrible, too. Gee, whiz...

[MallRat]

27. Can you tell us where you are, or is that too much info?

n/t

[misanthrope]

30. Mobile AL

What Branson MO is to Las Vegas, Mobile is to New Orleans.

[crossroads]

52. Oh boy, my friend teaches there at the local community college...

...haha... that is where the judge had the tablets of the 10 commandments on display in his courtroom! Man I feel for you! But of course lots of people there (IMO) wouldn't care a thing about Reagan... those at the college anyway.
:eyes:

[rastignac5]

9. Take the day off

Your radio show ahouldn't be about your personal beliefs. That's what makes public radio great- it's not personality-based.

[misanthrope]

19. First of all,...

...I can't afford to take the day off. Radio pays poorly and public radio moreso than commercial versions.

Secondly, it normally isn't about personal beliefs, but when you allow announcers complete reign over their playlists, then, yes, it does become an extension of your tastes and therefore, your personality.

Thirdly, they (my bosses) are the ones making it about personal beliefs since they are telling us to each conduct a form of personal eulogy. Wouldn't the "appropriate response" be completely subjective?

What if I were a devout Christian and they asked me to do that for Madelyn Murray O'Hare?

[demnan]

10. Use your imagination

to think of the artist and work you think Reagan would hate the most (for subtle reasons, of course) and play that for your memorial slot. I was thinking classical when I first started reading and the piece that came to mind was "The River" by Virgil Thompson, a piece about what industrialization does to a bucolic theme.

A very few of your most perceptive listeners will get what you're doing. The rest are in bozo land anyway.

[misanthrope]

21. Well, it is classical in that slot...

...the station only pays cursory attention to jazz (that's a whole 'nother set of problems there), but I kind of got sucked into the station via that route and branched out into the other programming. This show is in the middle of the day and the listenership is so vociferously right-wing, the slightest thing is likely to elicit public ire.

It certainly has to be delicate. I've already got Thomson's "The River" earmarked, thanks for the tip.

Were this my jazz show we were talking about, I would just skip it altogether (since hardly anyone there--especially not the Program Director and Station Manager--listens to the jazz segments). Of course, forced to play something from the jazz collection, I would likely play Miles Davis' "So What?" specifically for Ray-gun, then follow it up with Orbert Davis' "Block Party," Coleman Hawkins' "Driva' Man," Charles Mingus' "Fabulous Faubus Fables," Lady Day's "Strange Fruit," Brubeck and Pops' "The Real Ambassador," Pops singing Fats Waller's "Black and Blue," Branford Marsalis' rendition of Sonny Rollins' "Freedom Suite," Coltrane's "Alabama," Fletcher Henderson's "Hotter than Hell," and so on.

[displacedtexan]

11. Try this.

No mention of jazz, but there are some jobs:

http://www.current.org/jobs/

[misanthrope]

40. Thanks...

...there's a couple on there that sound interesting.

[FleshCartoon]

13. Say this:

"Just a reminder--Ronald Reagan is dead. Tune into any (as much sarcasm as you can get away it!) news channel for coverage." Then launch right into a Wagner selection.

[Vickers]

18. "Then launch right into a Wagner selection."

:thumbsup:

[Eloriel]

23. Haha. Wagner. Good one.

Claire de Lune comes to mind too.

[lapfog_1]

14. Ignore the hourly notice

but play some soul wrenching sad jaz.

(and think not about Ronnies passing, but about his time as
our President and how sad the world is today as an outcome)

[kentuck]

15. It's all part of the "group think"

That John Kerry and most of the Democrats have been caught up in and also, most of the media are leading the parade. Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather have come out against the excess coverage I have heard. You would not want to be in the same boat as those two, would you?

[TrogL]

16. Have you considered veiled sarcasm

Do puff pieces just enough over the top so people "get it" but to which you can swear innocence?

[Gin]

25. Pick your fights....remember it's just a day....you can do it ...the next

day its back to business.....and he (RR) will be a distant memory...

Now...if the station really goes against your grain...you have decisions to make.

[misanthrope]

28. EUREKA!!...

Okay, here's the playlist for Friday;

I'm starting off with the dictated requiem, though it will be expressly stated as being played "in conjunction with our day of national observance," not "in mourning."

But here's what it is: A movement from "Memento Mori: An AIDS Requiem."

I'm following it up with Virgil Thomson's "The River" along with brief explanation of it's ecological themes.

Next is Duke Ellington's "Black, Brown & Beige Suite," a work designed to portray the history of Black Americans with a pride and elegance thereto for unseen.

Then Gershwin's "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin.'"

Which brings us to our next hour's commemorative selection, a dirge-like preBaroque piece from the Kronos Quartet entitled "Using the Apostate Tyrant as his Tool."

Then we have Erich Korngold's expanded work from the score of "Deception."

Then Richard Wagner's "Tannhauser Overture."

Then Leo Brouwer's "The Black Decameron."

We'll see what happens.

[unkachuck]

29. Would it be possible....

to also include a sound track of Reagan ranting, (over microphones or wealfare queens or something), to the background music of the Battle Hymm of the Republic?

....sort of like Moore did in Roger and Me when the lady and her family was getting evicted on Christmas Eve....

[Nihil]

33. Nice choices

I suspect any attentive listener will get the message.

It allows you to meet the letter of the "guidelines" whilst delivering
a more appropriate message for the day.

Hope it goes well for you!

[cmayer]

36. I think that's brilliant!

Do you all stream your program? If so, I'll see about tuning in tomorrow. I know some of the pieces, but not all of them. You can be respectful in your vocal tone and subtle in your explanation and some (but not all, thankfully) will know exactly what you are saying.

One note--it might put your job at jeopardy. Are you willing to relocate? There is a lot that's really heavy going on nationally (i.e, torture revelations), but if you lose your job over this it will be DU's duty to call this to national attention. My guess is, if we do this right, you will get plenty of job offers and a few talk show appearances.

It's your decision--but I hope you Go For It.

[misanthrope]

37. Regretfully...

...we have no web streaming right now. We have the technology for it, but the Station Manager says he just doesn't want to fool with the paper work. I can see why, after all, he would only be expanding the broadcast radius from just under a hundred miles to, oh say, THE ENTIRE PLANET! And what radio station would want that, right? Especially one that depends on listener support, huh?

Should anything hit the fan over this (which I doubt), it would get ugly for me really quickly if the details of the incident were made public. I would likely lose my other job writing for a local independent newspaper since one of the owners of that publication used to be an ass't press secretary for Trent Lott. I also would likely become the target of public harassment since this town is SO OVERWHELMINGLY conservative and has a nice track record of animosity. In fact, we had a lynching here around the time Reagan was stirring things up in Philadelphia MS.

All of my conversation in this thread reveals that I am fully aware of the directive, my intent, and the consequences of such. It could be damning. Legally, I don't think I would have a leg to stand on. I will say that my original intention, prior to being told to honor someone with whom I have strong ethical problems, was to not mention Reagan, or the Day of Mourning, whatsoever. "If you can't say anything good..." and the like. But, what do you do when you're told you have to address the issue?

"Job offers"? I'd believe that only if I saw it since I think that standing by your principles in this world is a sure ticket to spiritual peace-of-mind and material hardship. Ostracization and ordeal are the prices to be paid for "doin' the right thing."

But, I would love the light in which it would show this town.

[cmayer]

47. What I'm saying is...

I really like the set you have planned.

Good luck.

[buycitgo]

31. play the funeral dirge for Queen Elizabeth I

it's the opening music from Clockwork Orange

[misanthrope]

34. My only exception...

...to that choice (while I like the "Clockwork Orange" reference), is that Ray-gun couldn't begin to fill Elizabeth I's girdle. She was far more decisive, influential, and intelligent that Ronnie. She'd eat him for breakfast and hardly stop to think about it.

[Straight Shooter]

35. Listeners can't see you. Wear a chimp mask.

Don't know if your program director will be happy with it, but at least you'll be wearing a fake face to go along with the fake announcements that you'll have to fake any enthusiasm for.

Or maybe you can wear one of those eyeglasses with the springy eyeballs.

Get through it however you can. You're not the first person to have a piece of their soul chiseled away by the Repubs. Think how good you'll feel reporting bush's defeat in November. :)

[myrna minx]

38. Bach's Matthaus passion ...cuz we all know Reagan is Jesus.

;-). Good luck with your play list.

[Catherine Vincent]

39. Your situation should be broadcast everywhere especially to right wingers.

The right wingers continue to whine about reporters voting a majority for Democrats and liberals. They think it means the media is overwhelmingly liberal....which is BS. It depends on who owns the media and how they vote.

In your situation, you're a an announcer and a liberal but the owners sends the directive to praise RR every hour and more than likely they are conservative.

Liberal media my ass!

[misanthrope]

41. I disagree with your assessment...

...I don't think this is being done specifically to promote a Republican agenda.

For one, it's public radio, so there aren't any "owners," per se, in a big office sending down dictates. However, considering the average political bent around here, you could say the public's predilections are in that direction and it IS technically theirs.

I also think that it came from no higher up than the Program Director and she is not trying to promote any political motive. I believe her intentions are to honor the federal mandate in a moment she sees as historical. After all, she could have made the decision to carry NPR's all-day coverage and decided not to based upon the staff's advice. I'm quite sure her perspective on my conundrum would likely orbit philosophies of "professionalism" and "objectivity," and she has a point.

HOWEVER, I'm not being asked to file a journalistic report on the events, I'm being told to take a piece of music, a work of art (something, by it's very definition, intended as a medium of emotion, or complete subjectivity) and use it to honor someone's political choices.

When listeners bitch about my music selection, I catch the heat. When they like it, I get the praise. To me that seems indicative of the innately personal aspect of musical programming.

[mwar]

42. Listening to NPR programming in Chicago yesterday...

I was struck by the propagandist tone of the "news" feature describing the various stations of Ronnie's casket on it's trek to enshrinement. It was surreal. The reporter with his hushed, respectful tone and the warbling effect of digital sampling from his phone gave the impression he was on the verge of tears. This whole spectacle is bad theater at it's best and dangerous emotional brainwashing at it's worst. I'm dismayed that public radio is responding to a directive other than those of it's listeners, and I'm sorry that you have to comply.

On the lighter side, the description of the empty saddled horse with the backward facing boots reminded me of "F Troop."

[misanthrope]

43. Well, therein lies the rub...

...as the local public hereabouts is overwhelmingly conservative.

[mwar]

46. And the NPR mothership thinks the rest of the country is too. (n/t)

[takebackourjobs]

44. I had to turn off

WBEZ, it got so bad. Then I turn it on this morning and they're STILL AT IT!!!!!!! Not only that, they promise to bombard us with more of the same propaganda tomorrow. I thought BEZ was the best public broadcasting source in this area, but they're losing a lot of my respect over this. Most of it is NPR feed.

[mwar]

45. I know what you mean

There's little else to listen to on Chicago radio now that Air America got screwed over by that guy.

[lanparty]

49. NPR has been leaning right lately !!!

They are probably trying to protect their limited amount of funding from Washington. Altogether though, NPR is probably the most "fair and balanced" news source out there.

[mwar]

50. I'd still like to kick Cokie Roberts ass!

:evilgrin:

[ThomWV]

48. Cowboy Junkies - - - Sweet Jane

I swear to god, I'd put on Sweet Jane by the Cowboy Junkies and I'd let the damned thing run for an hour. I understand that you may play to a classical audience, but I'd still do it.

[crossroads]

51. You sound like a smart guy, be creative and do a little of all the above..

you thought of... just enuf to make it look like you are in compliance... Reagan ain't worth losing your job over!

Concentrate your efforts in getting the WH out of the hands of Busco...
Good luck dude!
:kick:

[gottaB]

53. Start with "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"

a tribute to Prez

then instead of the overtly political "Fables of Faubus" or "Meditations on Integration," fade into "What Love?" from Mingus at Antibes.

Let them eat Dolphy.

[librechik]

54. Get in touch with KUVO Denver

public jazz station you might enjoy.

It's somewhat civilized here--they allow democrats in the metro area! (iffy in the rest of Colorado, but hardly anybody cares , it's so rugged and beautiful, politics is not prime)

[Exgeneral]

55. don't forget my consistent comment

:SIGH: Only the good die young"

BY the time it sinks in, I'm long gone.

[keithyboy]

56. Play Ray Charles' "America the Beautiful"

eom

[JohnLocke]

57. Kick

[anotherenvirodude]

58. Were you posting at work?

Were you posting to DU at work? If you were, did you violate some company policy(ies)?

As I did not read the entire timeline of events, I may have missed this point.

[Sparkle]

59. I smell something and it sure does STINK!

[stickdog]

60. Two words: Ray Charles!

Hit the Road Jack