MPR's tentacles grasp onto WCAL/St. Olaf

[LTR]

How soon will it be until MPR controls everything left of the dial?

On the positive side, perhaps MPR could sell 99.5 to a commercial concern that would do something decent with it.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/459/4921343.html

With two classical music stations, the Twin Cities area has long worn a cultural badge of honor that few metro areas can claim.

That is likely to change with the news Tuesday that WCAL (89.3 FM), St. Olaf College's 82-year-old classical station, will be sold for an estimated $10.5 million to Minnesota Public Radio, which owns rival station KSJN (99.5 FM).

WCAL will continue with its same format until the sale is finalized in December, but a change appears likely after that.

"We will review other options, such as programming not currently available to the 2.6 million people within the range of this signal," MPR President Bill Kling said in a statement. "We will work with the community to develop the best plan."

[StClone]

1. Is MPR really that bad?

What up with that?

[LTR]

2. The programming's good

But their business practices resemble a non-commercial Clear Channel.

I like their product, but have always been a bit wary of them.

[truthspeaker]

4. MPR's classical music programming sucks - very repetitive and familiar

They're like the KQRS of classical music. WCAL was better for classical because they had more variety.

[LTR]

5. Their talk format is much better

Garrison Keiller is an MPR product.

[Krupskaya]

3. As an Ole alum..

..with friends who worked at WCAL, I'm really sorry to hear this. 82 years is a lot to be flushing down the toilet; I'd like to know what the college is thinking.

[GRocky]

6. As an Ole alum...

I'm not surprised -- St. Olaf has been going to hell in a Republican-stickered handbasket. This is just another step in their transition toward full mediocrity.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. This is sad

I've been back in MN only a year, but I've already learned that WCAL is much better at promoting local classical musicians than KSJN is.

With one music station and one news-talk station, I can't think of any type of programming that MPR doesn't have, except possibly Afro Pop Worldwide (whose territory is already covered by the ethnic music shows on KFAI).

[GAspnes]

8. As a WCAL-FM alumnus

I'm really sorry to hear this. WCAL-FM was started as a senior physics project by Ole student Milford Jensen. At that time it was the first FM station assigned call letters. It was shut down when he graduated (thus screwing it out of the 'oldest FM station in the U.S.' honors), but he restarted it about a year later and he was still the station manager when I worked there.

He did a daily half-hour show, "Book Talk" I think it was. He would read an entire book in half-hour segments over a period of weeks.

Not that I have anything against MPR per se, but Bill Kling has been building a radio empire here for the past 30 years, acquiring small stations and broadening the statewide coverage for MPR. We always took great pride in being "the other classical radio station". I suppose change is inevitable but I'm sorry to see WCAL become part of the undifferentiated MPR family.

[Krupskaya]

9. Here's a site...

...a friend of mine put together, if anyone's interested:

www.savewcal.org