Tuesday, June 23, 2009

WPFW's Turmoil

The recent firing of Ron Pinchback as general manager of Pacifica's WPFW 89.3 FM in Washington, D.C. was badly timed and ill-considered, not because of Pinchback's ability - truth is, he was a mediocrity who reached the apogee of his meager skills years ago when he was responsible for public service announcements and calendar of events - but because his termination coincides with the departure of Bobby Hill as program director. These actions render an already shaky, floundering organization even more unstable. The station prides itself on 30 years of community service but the truth is, it has failed miserably to inject its programming with the imagination and energy sorely needed to compete in a dynamic, ever-changing environment created in large part with the emergence of the internet and other technologies.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

what goes around comes around!!! LOL

Anonymous said...

these people make the words "SUCK" and "DUMBASSES" sound like compliments.
THEY DID THE SAME THING TO OTHER FOLKS A FEW YEARS AGO. NOW IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO GET IT BACK IN THEIR FACES!

Jerry Nelson said...

I didn't find Ron Pinchback mediocre. He was the best talk show host I ever heard. Ron had just the right combination of firmness and gentleness. He was steadfast in his adherence to an atmosphere of open-mindedness and decorum. The parade of callers to a Pacifica station like KPFW presents an amazing spectrum of human behavior. Ron handled it all with aplomb. My taste, others may differ . . .
J.N., McLean

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Alexandria, VA, United States
'To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle." - George Orwell