Turned on the radio, stumbled for the coffee and toilet. Flopped my butt down with a hot cuppa.
Tom Trowbridge fell all over himself, trying to deliver his morning salutations, started over and said, "yes, it's early."
For years now, my radio has greeted me with Tom's and Bob Edward's voices. To me, radio sounds like them.
I suppose I should be more upset that the gatekeepers of my main source for info and culture are white guys. But I'm not. I like both of them.
When I hear Renee and...um, is it Steve?...on Morning Edition, part of my mind patiently waits for Bob Edwards to come back from vacation. Upstarts!
These new hosts are eminently forgettable.
I remind myself of Bob Edwards' fate, to keep me sane, to keep me from getting my hopes up, to keep me wary and conscious of who I'm excited to produce for. They're wealthy, complacent, spoiled, impressed by fads & ratings, self-protective and not-too-bright.
Oh, they sell pretty radio, for sure. And a lot of it is very moving, informative and creative.
But a piece on Asian seahorses is not a piece on the children of crack whores in the War Zone.
Actually, most of their stories about poor folk are of the uplifting sort. They convey a problematic message to their yuppy listeners: see? This person made it out. So, the vast number of the poor are just too lazy and apathetic to do the same!
They really don't know how incredibly difficult it is to buck the odds and scramble up. They REALLY don't know!
So, much of what I have to say probably won't be "up to their standards," when it comes to the economically exploited.
I haven't even begun to research HOW to produce for NPR, let alone begun persuing a story; but I already know this.
When was the last time YOU heard a poor person, broadcasting on NPR?
Thought so.
So, while I'm very flattered someone is even considering that I could produce for NPR--because I appreciate rich sound--I'm very wary. What appendage will I be expected to amputate, so I can fit my round peg in THEIR square hole? y'know?
I should repost this in my radio blog, huh? LOL
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