Three New Programs to Debut on WBHM!

As a valued WBHM listener, we want you to know about some upcoming changes to our program schedule.

Beginning Saturday October 1, 2016, for the first time, listeners in Birmingham and North Central Alabama will regularly hear Mountain Stage, Snap Judgment, and Reveal (see program descriptions below). WBHM will also rebroadcast other programs, expand two programs, and no longer carry other programs. In addition, we will be rearranging our weeknight and Sunday schedule. Please refer to our new program schedule.

With this change, Fresh Air will be rebroadcast in the evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and All Things Considered will be heard from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. on Fridays).

Additionally, Weekend Edition will be extended until 10 a.m., more jazz will be heard weeknights and Saturday nights, and the Sunday lineup will be slightly reshuffled.

We will no longer carry World Café, Conversations from The World Café, Car Talk, A Prairie Home Companion, and Marketplace.

These changes were made after reviewing our listener survey, discussions among the WBHM management team, and conversations with our program providers. They will allow WBHM to increase its public service while reallocating and reinvesting resources.

We encourage you to listen and are confident that you will find the programming to be substantive, enlightening, and entertaining – exactly the sort of quality public radio programming you have come to expect from WBHM.

If you have any additional questions or would like to make a comment about these changes feel free to contact Program Director Michael Krall at 205-934-2211 or 800-444-9246 or by email.

FAQ:

Q:  When will this change take place?
A:  The new schedule will launch Saturday, October 1st.

Q:  What is changing?
A:  WBHM is adding three new programs, rebroadcasting other programs, expanding three programs, and discontinuing other programs. In addition, we will be rearranging our weeknight and Sunday schedule.

Q:  What are you adding?
A:  We are adding Mountain Stage, Reveal, Snap Judgment, and more jazz to our schedule.

Mountain Stage (Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) offers you the best seat in the house for performances captured in front of a live audience by established stars and emerging artists. Hosted by Larry Groce, each two-hour episode features seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country to indie rock, pop, world music, alternative, and beyond. Listen to excerpts or look for full two-hour podcasts from your provider.

Reveal (Sundays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.) is the Peabody Award-winning investigative journalism program for public radio. The series won a 2014 Peabody award for an original investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ role in over-prescribing opioid drugs to returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The story put pressure on the VA and, as a result, the federal agency has reformed some of its most egregious prescription practices. Al Letson is the host. Here is a recent episode for you to sample.

Snap Judgment (Fridays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.) is a storytelling phenomenon electrifying audiences nationwide. Created by Glynn Washington, Snap Judgment delivers a raw, intimate, musical brand of narrative — daring audiences to see the world through the eyes of another. The program mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic, radio. It’s storytelling, with a beat. Give it a listen.

These new programs have been under consideration for some time. They represent some the best that public radio has to offer, and you may like some of them even more than the programs they are replacing.

Q:  What are you rebroadcasting?
A:   Fresh Air will now be rebroadcast Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Snap Judgment will initially be heard Fridays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a rebroadcast Sundays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Q:  What are you expanding?
A:  Weekend Edition (both Saturday and Sunday) will now be heard from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and All Things Considered will now be heard weeknights from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. on Fridays). Jazz will now be heard for an extra hour starting at 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday, and an extra hour starting at 7p.m. on Saturdays.

Q:  What programs are you no longer carrying and why?

A:  We will no longer carry World Café, Conversations from The World Café, Car Talk, A Prairie Home Companion, and Marketplace.

When we added World Café and Conversations from the World Café, the radio market did not have a local station that played this type of music on traditional FM radio. Now, Birmingham Mountain Radio can be heard on 107.3 FM.

Regarding Car Talk, after Tom’s death in 2014, the program became (and WBHM has since carried) The Best of Car Talk. No new episodes have been produced for nearly two years. While the  program has had a long tradition on WBHM and is still mostly a listener favorite, it feels odd to still hear it on WBHM when one of the hosts is no longer alive. Additionally, NPR has announced that after September 30, 2017, weekly production of The Best of Car Talk will end. Car Talk’s vast programming archives will continue to be available to listeners online and in podcast form.

A Prairie Home Companion has been a staple on WBHM for many years. As you may have heard, Garrison Keillor has retired, and new host Chris Thile will take over this fall. The program will, no doubt, undergo some significant changes, including the number of new episodes this upcoming season. We chose to discontinue the program at a time that the show’s creator and iconic host is stepping down. Additionally, it is one of the more expensive programs WBHM carries. You can still follow the program online.

Regarding Marketplace, airing the program at 6 p.m. when the radio audience is in transition, it not the best use of station resources. Moving the program is not a good option either. Additionally, we have had growing concerns regarding the style and substance of the program. Finally, with our discontinuation of A Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace was the only remaining program from American Public Media (APM). APM, as well as some other program providers, require stations to pay affiliation fees – a significant charge required for stations to then purchase the shows individually. Were we to retain Marketplace, it would’ve become one of the most expensive programs we carry.

Overall, we believe these program changes are in the best long-term interest of both listener satisfaction and fiscal stability as we look to reallocate and reinvest our resources.

Q:  Will you still air (business news such as) Marketplace Morning Report?
A:  Yes. WBHM has secured the broadcast of Marketplace Morning Report for FY17. It can be heard weekday mornings at 5:50 a.m. and 7:50 a.m. as part of Morning Edition. NPR will continue to cover business news within its news and talk programs as events warrant.

Q:  Is there any chance of getting some of these programs back?
A:  If we find the new programming does not resonate significantly with our listeners, we will consider other options. Likewise, if there is a program that garners significant traction in the public radio system that we do not carry, we will also consider our options. Having said that, it would be disingenuous to suggest that we see this as a temporary change.

Q:  Why have you moved programs around on Sunday?
A:  With the addition of Snap Judgment and Reveal, changing the order in which programs are broadcast became necessary in order to create a cohesive appeal. Wait Wait and Says You! are entertainment in nature, while Studio 360, Snap Judgment and This American Life are more arts and storytelling. Reveal (an investigative journalism program) was a natural fit next to All Things Considered.

Q:  Why should I continue to support WBHM when you just dropped programs I like?
A:  Financially supporting WBHM is a personal decision and we are aware this change may mean some of your favorite programs will no longer be on our airwaves. While every program is important to somebody, we hope you will give the new programming a chance and consider the value of the entire schedule and the public service WBHM provides to North Central Alabama.