More Than Meets the Ear
As Program Director, an important part of my job is to field listener questions and, yes, answer complaints.
This week, I received a particular vitriolic message regarding the program Reveal – public radio’s weekly investigative journalism program. This listener was concerned the program missed crucial elements of the story and accused us of censoring the program.
There are two issues going on here.
First, it’s important to know that WBHM, like many public radio stations, offers a hybrid approach to programming. On the one hand, we purchase programming such as Reveal. But WBHM also produces its own content through our news department.
As a listener, I get it – you hear a program on WBHM so you contact WBHM! But there is an important distinction.
Unlike the news we produce in-house, we have no editorial control over purchased programs such as Reveal. Sharing this fact is not meant to dismiss your feedback or concerns. Just know that I cannot answer for a program we don’t produce. However, I often forward listener feedback to program producers who are almost always interested in genuine feedback.
Second, there were some special circumstances around this episode. It was produced as part of a larger series called Mississippi Goddam – The Ballad of Billey Joe, a seven-part series about a high school football player who dreamed of going to college and playing in the pros.
Last week’s broadcast was the third “chapter” in the series. If you didn’t hear the first two chapters or know there were additional documents online, I can see how you might have questions about the story or how this individual episode might sound a bit out of place. But that’s the nature of listening – sometimes listeners don’t realize there’s more to the reporting than just the bit they’ve heard. And it’s my job to help fill in the gaps.
(Through “Programming Notes,” we hope to keep you connected to what is happening at WBHM both internally and on-air. Have feedback you’d like to share? Or a programming question? Let me know!)
Incoming Transmission! Pt. 2
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Meeting You Where You Are
Last week, I attended the Public Radio Content Conference – the premier gathering for non-commercial programmers, content managers and leaders in the public media ecosystem. This was the first in-person conference in more than two years and, it was good to reconnect with my colleagues in person — not just because of the pandemic, but […]
Rise and Shine
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There’s Lots of Moth’s in the Air
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Welcome Back to Program Notes!
I spent a (mostly) restful two weeks off visiting with extended family – most of us hadn’t seen each other since before the pandemic. But even on vacation, I still listen to public radio wherever I am. Sure, I could (and often do) listen online, but there’s a part of me that’s also a fan […]
Deliberate Indifference – Inside Alabama’s Prison Crisis
You’ve probably heard of our new narrative podcast, Deliberate Indifference. And, given all the heavy news the past few months alone, you may think this is the last thing you want to listen to. I urge to reconsider. As citizens, we have a right to know how more than 500 million of our tax dollars […]
