Public Radio Wins Bid For College Station…

Monday, October, 12, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

(Columbus Day Edition)

Hey what’s going on here? A Public Broadcasting Station buys a College Radio Station? Are we living in some kind of reverse universe? With the Angels beating the Red Sox, their perennial masters, apparently the gods have decreed it so. Peconic Public Broadcasting which operates out of their Stony Brook Southampton (LI) location has successfully won the bidding war for WLIU’s 88.3 FM radio license. Peconic offered over $2 million for the license of the Long Island University station with financial support of several private backers — perhaps even some of the rich and famous who call the Hamptons home for the summer…

WLIU General Manager Wally Smith: “We are thrilled and excited that we were successful. We will carry on the tradition of public radio on the East End and we are grateful to LIU for making this decision to accept our offer.” No doubt Peconic won the bid in part by their offer to continue hosting WCWP, the radio station operating out of LIU’s C.W. Post campus. Smith added: “Now the fundraising side of this will kick in but we are confident that we will (raise the funds).” LIU issued its own statement: “We are pleased to have received the highest bid from an organization that has as its goal the continuation of local community involvement in public radio”…

This is not the first time a public radio station has purchased another radio station. Pending approval of its purchase of WCRB, WGBH Boston would convert WCRB to a non-commercial station. It’s ironic that public radio which depends on private funding for its livelihood can buy another radio station when commercial radio is crying poverty…   

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1492] Lost and Found: Christopher Columbus reaches the New World when he sights a Bahamian Island believing he has reached East Asia. Hey I get lost trying to find aisle 8 in Food Emporium…
2. 1892] Pledging our love: The Pledge of Allegiance written by Francis Bellamy is first recited in unison by students in U.S. public schools…
3. 1960] Put an egg in that shoe and beat it: Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev disrupts a U.N. General Assembly session by pounding the podium with a shoe during a dispute…
4. 1967] Fall Classic: The ‘Impossible Dream’ ends. Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg makes a valiant attempt to pitch on two days rest but loses game 7 of the Boston-St. Louis World Series. Final score 7-2 Cardinals. I was at that game, played at Fenway Park. Here’s Lonborg, now a dentist…
5. 1971] “Happy Trails“: Gene Vincent dies from a ruptured stomach ulcer at 36…1997] John Denver is killed in a plane crash when he runs out of fuel. Denver was 53…1999] Basketball Hall Of Famer Wilt Chamberlain dies in his sleep of a heart attack at 72…
6. 1973] Nixon picks a Ford: President Richard Nixon nominates House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich) to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as VP. Agnew goes on a search for ‘nattering naybobs of negativism.’…
7. 1998] Tragic death: Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post…
8. 1999] The day of six billion: The proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born…
9. 2000] Death on a destroyer: Two suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat ram into the destroyer the USS Cole in Yemen. 17 sailors are killed…
10. 2007] Keeping the peace: Former VP Al Gore and the U.N.’s Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change wins the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming. This past Friday, President Barack Obama was the surprise winner of the same award…

Music Memories:

• 1964]  Number One on this date: “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” - Manfred Mann…
• 1968] Curtains: John Sebastian leaves the Lovin’ Spoonful for a solo career.  John Sebastian performs at Woodstock…1975] Rod Stewart appears with Faces for the last time…
• 1971] Superstar sighting: Jesus Christ Superstar, the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, opens on Broadway. Here’s a more recent clip of the rock opera…

Commentary:

The subject of tomorrow’s, October 13th Audio Engineering Society - New York Section meeting is ‘The Growing Importance of Mastering in the Home Studio’. Hosting will be Robert Johansen, owner of Tangerine Mastering. Presenting is Andres Mayo, owner of Andres Mayo Mastering. The meeting will take place from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at The New School University Jazz Performance Space, 55 West 13th Street, 5th Floor. Members of the society and invited guests are welcome…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Bode Miller (32), Hugh Jackman (41), Chris Botti (47), Susan Anton (59), Chris Wallace (62), Sam Moore (74), Dick Gregory (77) and Bob Sheppard (99)…

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until LCS playoffs, 16 days until the World Series opener, 19 nights until Halloween and 20 days until ‘fall back’…

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