WMUB Listener Feedback

Ms. Sperduto,

Thank you very much for your comment. We would like to consider it for possible use in a future Friday Feedback segment. If you prefer anonymity, please let us know to use first name only. Thanks again for writing.

2/4/08 from Cleve, 4:15 pm ET

WMUB has excellent programming. It is diverse and relavant. It offers news,jazz that IS jazz, not the constant monotone sound of the alto sax like another area station. I like the wide variety of locally produced programs as well as the regular NPR daily offerings. I appreciale the fact that you are trying to update your technology. I only wish that you could have a stronger signal to the north. I generally have to listen in my car because I live about a mile from 95.7's 50,000 watt tower. Most radios in my house get only that across the dial. More recently the new Catholic radio station broadcasting from Anna, Ohio comes in on your frequency especially early in the morning. Keep up the fine programming. Your station is an asset to southwestern Ohio and Miami University.

--Ann in Shelby County

I have noticed over the last several month that the Tuesday editions of Mama Jazz's Traditional Night seem to be recordings of past shows, not live as in the past. I know she was ill early last year and wasn't on for quite a while. Has she ever come back to live shows or if not yet, will she?

--Norman Elser

[Program Director John Hingsbergen replies: "You are correct that Mama's shows have been recorded lately. Her health has not been great but we have high hopes that she'll be doing some "live" shows in the near future. In the past year, there have been very few weeks when she was able to come in for all four nights of her normally-"live" show but I think the last time she was at the station was in early or mid-December. I'll pass your inquiry along to Mama. I know she'll be glad to know that you, and others, are wondering."]

I have to go back to my email in the past about Simply Money [a program formerly on WVXU - ed.]. They do major fund raising for their station. Why couldn't they be inserted in a 6:00 hour or put them on live at 7:00? It's also a big issue when you travel south at all. Your signal drops off quite a bit. It is really bad around Sharonville.

I also think there was backlash at WVXU when they were bought out. Maybe you need to let those old listeners know about WMUB and perhaps pick up some new users, even if the internet users only. That is the only way I listen. I live in Fairfield township and reception is not good here either.

Your local programming is usually very good except for Monday. It's way too religious for me - but considering this area, maybe it works for you. I almost never listen. I used to not like the noon show(s) but I have learned to enjoy them for a different perspective. I do get a little tired of them feeling like they are the only minority who faces discrimination.

Keep up the good work.

--David Allen

WMUB used to have a good signal in Dayton. However, over the last several months the signal has been quite poor and at times it makes it impossible to listen to your programing. I understand that the poor signal in Dayton is due to interference from another station. I sent a complaint to the FCC and received [a] reply. I am not sure what this reply means except that it does not appear that the FCC thinks there is a problem.

--Rudy in Dayton

I enjoy all of your programming and you are the prime button on all of my radios. However, in the past few months I find that I can only receive the station on my car radio. Up ‘til then I had good reception in my home (Yellow Springs) but now you are swamped by a religious station that is too blurry to be identified. I am certainly not an expert on FCC regulation of frequencies but something bad has happened here and I hope that there might be a way to set it right.

--Roger in Yellow Springs

Program Director John Hingsbergen replies:

Thanks for writing with this concern. This is a comment we have heard before since a new station went on the air earlier this year out of South Vienna, Ohio. We assume that they are operating legally and that the interference you (and others) are experiencing is allowable within federal laws.

I am including below contact information for the Federal Communications Commission. All complaints about interference should be directed to them.

We hope you are able to resolve these reception issues and continue to enjoy WMUB's programming. I will remind you that we also provide out programming via audio streams from our website. There are some things you can try to possibly improve reception at your home. Please let me know.


FCC Contact Information

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Internet Address

http://www.fcc.gov

My concern is that I am now in Key West and can no longer enjoy your programming. In fact, I don't think they even have a public radio station down here. But I listened to as many p.r. as I could find on the way down, and I did not find any programming that I enjoyed as much as yours. I miss Sound Health, and Free Advice and of course Mama Jazz. Have a great holiday and stay warm. ( Like me!)

--Linda in Key West

Editor's note: this message refers to Forum 2 of the WMUB/Dayton Daily News Election Issues Forums, broadcast live from Dayton on Tuesday, October 3, 2006.
You can hear this Forum as a podcast -- paste http://www.wmub.org/rss/ElecForum06.xml in your podcast aggregator.
The group that did participant in the Forum in opposition to Issue 3 is Citizens for Community Values. The Ohio Roundtable, affiliated with the American Policy Roundtable, describes themselves as sponsoring Vote No Casinos, the official organization in opposition to Issue 3. Here's a link to the American Policy/Ohio Roundtable Issue 3 web page.

We appreciate the coverage your station is dedicating to Ohio Ballot Issue #3. We are more than surprised to discover that no effort was made by your station to contact the Vote No Casinos Committee, which is leading the opposition to Issue #3 and has written the official opposition argument distributed by the state of Ohio. Please be advised that your program tonight, while it may appear balanced, in fact does not have representation from the Ohio campaign committee opposing Mr. Clark's Learn and Earn Committee. While we mean no disrespect in any way to Mr. Miller or his organization, he does not speak for the Vote No Casinos Committee co-chaired by Auditor Betty Montgomery and David Zanotti, President of the Ohio Roundtable. We hope you will make it clear to your listeners that the Committee is not being represented on your panel discussion this evening. We hope in the future you will contact the Committee and give us a fair opportunity to present the formal case against Learn and Earn.

--Vote No Casinos Committee

WMUB Forum's topic on 7/21/06 was "Uses (and Misuses) of English". We received a number of calls and emails about pet peeves, in fact too many to get on the air. Here's a sample of some emails:

Two primarily verbal tics that at one point I didn't even notice-- even in my own speech-- but that now drive me crazy whenever I hear them: 1. Contraction of "another" when referring to some kind of difference, e.g., "That's a totally 'nother thing", which essentially creates a nonsense word; 2. The imprecision of "the reason is *because*"; "because" is completely unnecessary.
--Brian from Richmond

The use of "I" vs. "me" drives me crazy. Many broadcasters/talking heads get it wrong most of the time. "Just between you and I" may sound correct, but it is pretentious and
gramatically incorrect. Please remind us of the gramatical rule.
--Dr. Tim from Arden, NC

"Severe storm." This is everywhere, from television to weather writing on the Web. Whatever happened to "strong," "significant," to anything less than "severe?" To me, "severe" weather is, maybe, a tornado, or a Category 5 hurricane. What can we expect next, "severe clouds"? "severe sunshine"? Here's another: The word "spokesperson" is generic, for use when the gender is unknown. To say "Jim is the spokesperson" is WRONG. To say "The committee will elect a new spokesperson" is CORRECT, presuming that the committee has both male and female members. And, don't even get me started on using "impact" as a verb. In my working life as a writer and editor I quickly learned that people write and speak just like they think. Hence, sloppy speech, sloppy thinking. There is no hope for them, short of rewiring their brains.
P.S. Read H.L.Mencken. He taught me so much; for example, someone is "in hospital," not "in the hospital."
--Jim from Liberty

During the news break your reader said: "one thousand new jobs will be created." This is redundant.
--followup from Jim from Liberty

I teach writing to honors and college-bound high school students. We strive to use language correctly and concisely. Public radio should be a model of American English, but more and more passive voice (ex. Oxford was his by a thunderstorm, rather than, A thunderstorm hit Oxford.) and some bulky verb expression (He plans on writing another novel, rather than, He plans to write another novel) seem to make it past editiors for news casts. Are these verb uses becoming accepted as the language changes?
--Tina from Tipp City

If "vicious" means "prone to vice" as opposed to virtuous... can animals truly be referred to as vicious?
--Chris from Richmond

How about when people say "real good" or "real pretty" instead of using the -ly adverb!
--Dana from Dayton

I find the conversation on pet peeves in relation to language interesting, but unrealistic. Languages are constantly changing and over time rules of a language change. I find it hard to say that something in a language is wrong or right when the rules of right or wrong change over the years. Obviously there is a standard of language that should be observed if one wishes to excel in today's society, but today's society is changing. What seems wrong today may be the standard, even the business standard, in years to come.
--Matt

The use of the word, " absolutely " when all the speaker really means is "yes" drives me up the wall. It is heard frequently in interviews.
--Stefi from Springfield

This is an impressive show. I try to teach composition and rarely have I heard such clear explanation of the rhetorical impetus of news-reporting in the popular media. I especially impressed with the level of rhetorical awareness your listeners are displaying--the guy who talked about the break-in, car-jacking, etc. "gone bad" was very intriguing. I don't have a peeve with what I hear on NPR usually; although I can see where, in the Israel/Hezbollah (sp?) conflict, folk may get their dander up over the even-handed nature of the reporting. You just mentioned good English in today's language, I may be crucified for this, but doesn't President Bush in his misuse of the language display a rhetorical awaredness that others don't? If his audience is people who may or may not use the language "correctly" doesn't he do a good job of pandering to this audience?
--David from Oxford

"Hopefully" has changed meanings, I have never heard hopefully used in the "proper way", only in the improper, nor have I seen birds with scales and teeth. Things evolve.
--John from Oxford

I have heard "you-ins, we-ins and they-ins" for a long time in this area. I've been told that you-ins is two more than Ya'll. I'm used to hearing these slang terms but it is "you guysez" that rakes me the wrong way and it is even used by the media but never in print. Also, the use of the word license is often used as if it is a plural word. As in a driver's license, people ask, "When are you going to get them"? Good show, thanks.
--Ron from Connersville

Sorry, I just don't find this show of "repeats" at all fulfilling. I tune in to WMUB to hear things that are new and different, and therefore, engaging. I've already heard Fresh Air throughout the week, and don't want to listen again. I'd welcome another choice in this time slot.

--Donna in Dayton

Professor Peter Williams of Miami gave a synopsis . . . regarding his take on the politics of the our current State Government leaders' push to have the State motto more readily available to all of our elementary and high school students. The State's motto (With God, all things are possible) would be printed and donated by someone, we don't know exactly who, and distributed to all of our schools. I have one thing to say to Professor Williams' comments: "AMEN". To our State Legislators: Is this an election year, or what?? To WMUB: You and NPR provide us with broad coverage, each day, of what's happening locally, in our Country, and in our World. We thank you for your fine efforts to inform. With appreciation,

--Betty

"Richard" wrote to us May 5, 2006:

"Hurray for the People's Republic of China and the Vatican! They're giving us a history lesson in the 11th-century or so "Investiture Controversy" between the Papacy and the Emperor and (directly or indirectly) some assorted European kings.

The Papacy won a major round at Canossa and the Concordat of Worms, but the reverberations helped keep the times interesting right through what Protestants call the Reformation. , , Another reminder of why Americans really, really, *really* should keep Church and State strongly separated!"

Your story about the bald eagles in Brown County caught my ear this morning. …. I'd be interested in driving … to observe these magnificent creatures with 7 foot wing spans, if I had the proper directions to the gravel pull off located beside the road, as your story stated this morning. Thanks!

--Dickie Wilson

--[Reporter Andrea Chalfin replies: The nest in Brown County is located on US Route 52. Take 52 East through many small towns--you will be on this route for quite a while. The last town you pass through is Higginsport, and immediately to your right is the gravel pull-off. If you drive past it, immediately following the gravel pull-off on your right is the Brown County Rural Water Association office. You might want to consult a map, however, as there may be a quicker and/or easier way to get there from where you are.

In addition, you might find this Ohio DNR website helpful. On the right side of the page, there is a list of clickable links, one of which is "Find Nests in Ohio." While the nest in Brown County is quite easy to see, there are also nests in Mercer County and Highland County.

Finally, to make the most of your experience, I recommend a decent pair of binoculars. You will still be able to see the eagles and their nest without them; however, they are still a good distance away from the pull-off. Recommended viewing time is early morning (9am) or in the evening, when the greatest chance of seeing an eagle in flight occurs.]

I got a good chuckle from Allan Winkler's opinion piece. The problem with what he says is that it's straight rhetoric from the pessimistic left's play book. Words like 'quagmire' and 'Vietnam' were obviously going to show up, and they did. Views and comments meant to discredit and pollute the history of the United States were sure to be voiced, and sure enough, they were. The thing that discredits him the most, though, is when he tries to convince us that nothing is going well and Iraq is about to collapse into civil war.

The fact remains, stories from soliders coming back from Iraq and stories from people still over there, except those coming from the major news agencies, paint a very different picture. While things aren't great over there, they are hopeful. There is hope and a light shining brightly at the end of the tunnel. Iraqis don't want a civil war, the American left wants a civil war over there to prove they were right.

I refuse to give into this defeatist, pessimistic attitude and I want to challenge other listeners to do the same. So, in the future, when I hear that Alan is about to give his opinion on something that is going on halfway around the world from him, I'll respectfully choose to turn the radio down for a few minutes and not partake in the desparate Bush bashing, spiteful view of the world that will inevitably take place. And I'll go about my day knowing that a liberal professor's depressing view of the world, a world that I want to choose to have hope for, hasn't affected my day.

--Jeff via email

I was interested in the [Rodney Coates commentary] concerning the national debt and the four horsemen. . . I found [it] to be particularly interesting as I have a belief that what will bring this country down would most likely be from something of its own doing, over living in luxury, demand for everything convenient at the cost of our future in exchange for now, much like the over cultivation scientists believe maay have destroyed the Incas and the Mayas. Thank you very much and keep up the good work. I love your style of radio.

--John from Fairfield