A while back I noted the transformation taking place on Minnesota's "public airwaves," in particular the elimination of one of the classical music stations in favor of the indie-rock station "The Current." It seems that NPR is interested more in expanding its empire than being a public service.
If the public radio scene in Washington, D.C. is indicative of coming national trends, then Minnesota's one classical station may be gone very soon as well. Andrew Ferguson at The Weekly Standard chronicles the demise of WETA's classical music programming and transformation into an all news and talk programming format. Of particular note is the quote he cites from WETA president Sharon Percy Rockefeller:
"One comment, from WETA's president, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, struck us as revealing. "We're in the business of trying to create a larger audience," she told the Washington Post, explaining the board's decision. Her line of reasoning is shared by the new generation of station managers who have gained control over public radio in the last 15 years. According to their conventional wisdom--though whether it's wisdom or merely convention has yet to be determined--news and chat inevitably bring in more listeners, and more affluent listeners, than classical music or jazz. And affluent listeners draw higher-class advertisers (called "underwriters" in the painstaking lexicon of public broadcasting) and respond more generously during pledge drives."