I want my BBC!

[temporus]

It appears that the NPR station here in the greater NYC area that used to broadcast the BBC during my morning commute, has now changed formats, and is broadcasting some world music show during that time slot.

This pisses me off.

Not all that long ago, back in the fall, they did the same thing to me during my evening commute.  What had been daily, a different afternoon drive program, with selections ranging from Parents Journal, to Zorba Paster, to Justice Talking, etc.  Every day, a little something different.  I like that, then it changed to the Putamayo World Hour.  Okay, fine, people like music, and certainly cultural music from around the world has its appeal.

But I don't want to hear it.  I don't want to hear ANY music.  I don't care if it's neat cultural music from around the world, or american top 40.  I look forward to my commute as my time to catch up on news programs, and other interesting things.  If I'm no longer going to get it, I see no reason why I should bother with that station anymore.   Which is a bummer, because I like NPR in general.   I specifically liked their programming format.   Most important to me, was getting the BBC.  Why?  Because I want to hear opinions on news stories that aren't all told from the US point of view.   

I learned years ago, just how self centered US news can be, when my wife and I took an extended trip throughout Europe.  While in Europe, the news was covered with enormous flooding that devastated central Europe.  Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and a bunch of other countries I can't recall off the top of my head were hit bad.  The flooding certainly matched the kinds of flooding you saw in Hurricane Katrina.   Just before we headed back from our trip, we saw the reports of that calamity as it hit the US.  It seemed according to the European news, as if the world were just about to enter a second massive deluge.  But when we landed back in our own country, we were shocked that no one here knew the least bit about the flooding in Europe.  It hadn't been on the news.  It had no coverage.  Katrina had coverage in the foreign news.  But their tragedies meant nothing over here.  That's when I knew I needed some sources of news and information that weren't beholden to the US TV networks and media conglomerates.  That morning BBC broadcast was it.

Now how will I get my cricket scores?  :(
 

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

http://news.google.com. At the bottom of the page, you'll see links to various editions. There are ones in English for the UK, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

There's also a US Spanish-language edition.

[temporus.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the link. However, I don't need more time spent on the net. Why I liked getting the different programs on the radio, is because I am captive to my commute. It can take anywhere from 1/2 hour, to 1 1/2 hours depending on timing and the weather. Since I am stuck doing nothing during that time but drive, getting some quality programming, and news from far reaches filled a niche. I could go with books on tape, which would be a way to get an extra book consumed per month (or podcasts, etc, etc.) But I liked things the way they were.

[booksherpa.livejournal.com]

WNYC and WHYY's websites show BBC World Service at 9:00am. Are you listening to some other station, or am I behind the times? :) You could try podcasts - that's what I listen to on long trips. I know Ed H. swears by the Rachel Maddow podcast.

[temporus.livejournal.com]

WNYE, which came in at 91.5. Now it just appears to be music for morning and evening drive times. Funky, different kinds of music, but not what I want.

They had BBC going from I think 6 am through 9 am.

I would almost consider satellite radio, just for BBC/NPR, except I don't need more expenses right now. I'll be needing to put that cash to much better use.

[dqg-neal.livejournal.com]

Ah those wonderful radio stations. The past few years I've listened to wonderful radio stations that have just plain changed their format out from under me. It always makes me wonder why they make these changes.

As for news covered it always amazes me what we cover. Not just that we don't cover world news. But that news we hear doesn't even take into consider other regions of our own country most of the time. Ever since we got cable TV we've watched news stations from around the world. Sometimes hearing on a French news show about something happening over in Philadephia that I wasn't aware of because I had been watching news focused on New York.