Opinion by Timothy Peters
Public Radio Otsego
Most Freeman’s Journal readers of a certain vintage have fond memories of radio stations from their youth, usually the pop stations that provided the proverbial “soundtrack of our lives.” Until the late 1970s, public radio programming consisted largely of classical music, with scholarly announcers flaunting their German and reciting the serial numbers of the recordings they played. Often, these stations offered eccentric and creative free-form programs as well. Jack Nicholson played such a
radio host in the 1972 film The King of Marvin Gardens.
By the early 1990s, National Public Radio (NPR) had taken over the FM public airwaves like an insidious invasive species that at first seems so cute and cuddly.
Think of a different movie — Gremlins. In some cities it became possible to hear the same celebrity interview on Fresh Air, Fresh Air Weekend, and Best of Fresh Air all on the same day. Twenty years later, the situation is worse, but with some heartening exceptions in our area. These deserve your support.
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