At 12:04 PM 8/20/98 -0400, Doug Henwood wrote: >Yes and no. Radio's been heavily commercial since the late 1920s (I wish I >could pinpoint the exact date, but I can't find my copy of McChesney's >Telecommunications, Mass Media, & Democracy). The exceptions, like NPR and >Pacifica, have become increasingly bland & commercialized not because of >any particular change in ownership, but out of their leaders' desire to >boost ratings and income. it's also been the Congressional GOPsters goal to cut off funds for these entities, making them more dependent on advertising and (&@#%^&@#$&%*!) fund-raisers. They've been largely successful, with more and more ads and worthless business news on NPR. (NPR used to have the same person read both the regular and business news. But to indicate obedience, they started having a second person read the latter (after an ad or three), complete with an announcement that you're about to hear the business update.) I don't know what's happening with Pacifica. I stopped listening very much because of their love of conspiracy theories. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Departments/ECON/jdevine.html
