Another nail in the coffin of The Mic

Well, it's (sadly) official: Brian Turany, program director at The Mic and "patron saint of progressive radio in Madison" has been laid off from his job.

I got the tip-off about it early this morning, and confirmed it with Turany himself just recently. Lee Rayburn, broadcasting on his internet show today, has also talked about this unfortunate development.

This is another major blow to the station, in my opinion, and I'm honestly not sure that its corporate masters intend for it to survive. Between the loss of Lee Rayburn's show, the Thom Hartmann shuffle, and the addition of conservative financial guy Dave Ramsey--things don't look good. Clear Channel is, after all, apparently in the midst of some massive downsizing and homogenization, so I suppose this isn't a huge surprise. But it's a major loss. I can only hope that Turany is able to go on to something bigger and better, a position that truly fits his great talents and ambitions.

For now, fans of The Mic are surely headed for some great wailing and gnashing of teeth--and I can't blame them at all.

UPDATE: Read my more in-depth look at the issue and an interview with Turany here.

New media and the future of progressive talk

Ever since The Mic 92.1FM (our local Air America affiliate) initially dropped the Thom Hartmann show from their line-up and Lee Rayburn then quit his morning show, I've been involved in a flurry of emails, meetings, and article-writing on the subject.

On Monday night, I spoke with Lee over the phone to get his take on the matter. On Wednesday night, I attended the Friends of Progressive Talk Radio meeting to hear station operations and programming managers Mike Ferris and Brian Turany give their sides of the story.

At the end of the meeting, I had a good conversation with local writer, activist, historian and Mic radio host Stu Levitan about the current and future status of progressive talk in Madison. He expressed his opinion that, despite the programming changes, the Mic was still the most consistently progressive talk radio station in the area and a valuable asset. I appreciated a lot of what he had to say, especially when he chimed in as the (quite emphatic) voice of reason a few times during the sometimes heated meeting. We also discussed the possible reasons for why it was such a struggle, even in this rather liberal city, to keep left-wing talk on the air.

It got me thinking about the future of broadcast media in general. An anonymous commenter in my recent post about all of this made the suggestion that radio was more suited to the shouting, bombastic style that's typically found on more conservative talk shows. They went on to say that perhaps progressives shouldn't be looking at radio to be their main outlet, but perhaps would be better suited with blogs and print media, etc. The funny thing is, the comment was a lot more condescending to both sides of the coin than I think is called for, and I didn't agree with all of it--but it did bring up an interesting point.

First of all, I have to say that I adore good old-fashioned radio quite a bit. I had the great pleasure of hosting my own show on WSUM, the local student station, for just under two years during my time at college. I grew up wanting to be a radio DJ. It's something I've always, and will always love. But maybe the kind of talk/commentary many of us who so hate the radio shout-fests (from across the political spectrum) are looking for would be far better suited to new media platforms.

That is to say, perhaps nuanced, thoughtful, engaged debate and discussion of the issues can no longer fit onto the radiowaves. Maybe we should be looking to the internet and satellite radio as better mediums: podcasts, blogs, videos, etc.

At the moment, we're in a very transitional phase: Most of us have seen the light and it is on the internet, but I'm not sure anyone has yet figured out a viable business plan to make new media a profitable, and therefor sustainable, enterprise. That's why so many newspapers and other traditional media outlets are struggling so much. But perhaps these are all the birth pangs, and if we stick it out--which I think we will (have to?)--we will eventually find a way to make this all work for everyone's benefit.

More viewpoints, more stories, more opinions and research will find their equal digital footing, thereby helping to level the playing field. That's an optimistic prediction, but I'm making it now in the hopes that more of the right people will take up the cause and make it happen.

(Part of this will need to involve a massive effort to get computers and computer literacy to a wider swath of the community, regardless of income, etc.)

It's just a thought, but an intriguing one, I think. I have nothing but respect for those people fighting to keep The Mic progressive, and I understand their frustration. It's no easy thing to be shat on for so many years and then try to keep a level head. But keep it we must, because the future of any open, democratic society depends upon it.

Big losses for progressive talk radio in Madison

I am thoroughly bummed. Madison's only progressive talk radio station, the Mic 92.1FM, is undergoing some sort of strange programming flip. This change has already resulted in two terrible casualties of the airwaves: the loss of Thom Hartmann's show, and more recently, that of Madison's own Lee Rayburn.

Some of you may be aware that I had a standing date with Lee every Wednesday morning at the end of the show. It was always a pleasant way to start my morning, chatting with him about whatever was going on around town and beyond.

But after reading his small note about leaving the station (nothing more has been released about it), I'm not bummed about his departure because it means less me on the radio. I'm bummed because Lee's show was one of the few with a heavy focus on local issues, events, and organizations. He routinely had interviews with area community activists, artists, politicians, and more. The show became an invaluable resource for progressive people and ideas (and beyond, really) in Wisconsin.

The Mic has not yet released its new lineup (but are apparently planning to do so next week), so I don't know who or what will replace Lee. I hope that, at the very least, it's locally-based, but we'll have to wait and see.

I am somewhat concerned to learn that the show jumping into Thom Hartmann's old time slot appears to be hosted by Fox News media regular and financial advice-giver Dan Ramsey, a rather conservative fellow and a strange pick to replace Hartmann.

Already, a group of interested citizens are having a meeting with the station's operations manager, Mike Ferris, to discuss these changes and to hopefully give their input about the future of progressive talk in Madison. I encourage you to attend if you have any interest in this subject:

Friends of Progressive Talk Meeting
6:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 13
Dardanelles Restaurant (853 Monroe St., Madison)

Discussion on format changes to The MIC 92.1 FM.
Operations Manager Mike Ferris to speak.
Lee Rayburn leaves the Mic.

Ramsey, Hartmann and Progressive Talk
At the meeting Tuesday, Clear Channel Operations Manager Mike Ferris, who brought the progressive talk format to WXXM, The MIC 92.1 over four years ago, will speak on his decision for the format switch Mon-Fri, from 2 to 5 p.m. The Fox News media regular Dan Ramsey is now broadcast in the slot in which Thom Hartmann had been delay broadcast. Mike will talk about the issues, his decision and his intention to keep progressive talk on The MIC. We will then have a discussion on the program changes.

Lee Rayburn Leaves The MIC
Unfortunately, Lee Rayburn quit his job, according to his post on his Facebook page Friday afternoon. Nothing more is known, nor has been announced. On Saturday his name was removed from the station's hosts list.

I know that I'm massively saddened by the loss of both Rayburn and Hartmann on the Mic. They made up a good 50% of what I ever listened to on that station (Rachel Maddow and Madison's own Stu Levitan being the other 50%). Still, I have to admit that I'm on the fence about the changes overall. I don't know what the operations manager's plans are for the station. I don't know if they have new, good things in store. I will say, however, that the addition of Ramsey's show sets off warning bells in my mind. I'm skeptical, and I'll be keeping an eye on developments as they happen. Hopefully, tomorrow night's meeting will shed some light on the subject.

Having a wide variety of opinions and political affiliations represented on the airwaves is an important part of our democratic society. At the moment, it strikes me that there are far more conservative voices being broadcast than not, and any such inbalance is bad. The Mic is pretty much the lone voice in the wilderness for progressive/liberal viewpoints in our area (outside of more localized stalwart, WORT), and I'd hate to see it disappear.

A Hot Mess on the radio and on the stage

Crash and Justin, two members of Madison's drag king troupe (the Mad Kings), joined me to record an interview with the always affable Lee Rayburn over at the Mic (92.1FM) early this morning. You can tune in and listen to the interview tomorrow morning at about 7:30AM, or check in at their website later in the day to download the podcast.

Learn all about drag king culture, performance, the thorough queering of gender, and the big show this Saturday! And then be sure to come check it out--seriously, it's going to be tons of fun, and possibly educational, too.

I've been eating, sleeping and breathing this thing for the past few months, turning myself into a one-woman show organizer, producer, and promoter. I don't recommend it. I'm going to need some serious downtime when this is all said and done, but I'd definitely say it's been worth it. A learning experience, to be sure.

The death of the landline

I'm really not sure how I feel about this:

MADISON, Wis. -- The dormitories on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus will soon be following the trend of other college campuses around the state in ditching their landline phones.

After an extensive two years of surveying students on their phone usage habits, university officials said that the $400,000 a year to operate the phones isn't necessary. They said that about 98 percent of students rely on their cell phone instead of their free dorm phone.

Paul Evans, director of UW Student Housing, said that the decision was a common-sense choice given students' behavior."It really wasn't a way that we were able to get a hold of students," he said. "We would have to look up their number and half the time, the phone wasn't plugged in. So it became very obvious that it wasn't the phone that students were using."

The school will provide one landline phone per floor for free. Students wishing to have their own private landline may request one to be installed, but they'll have to pay for it themselves.

With all of the recent conflicting information that's been coming out about the reliability of cell phones when it comes to 911 calls, I'm not so sure this is the best idea ever. I do understand the need to cut costs (especially with a legislature that's so unfriendly to funding the universities), but this particular move makes me really uncomfortable.

On an almost completely unrelated note, tomorrow morning I will have the distinct pleasure (and near debilitating nervousness) of chatting with Lee Rayburn over at the Mic, 92.1 FM in Madison for a bit that, I assume, will be aired Thursday morning on his show. I'll know for sure tomorrow and post the definite airtime for anyone who's morbidly curious as to what, exactly, I have to contribute to an otherwise perfectly good radio program.