News and Notes

This is the letter I sent to seven of the muckety-mucks at NPR.

"I'm dismayed that you've decided to cancel News and Notes. It is one of the few programs on public radio that addresses the concerns of people under 50. I am 35, and this program *sounds* like my generation. Farai Chideya and her guests, in particular, talk about things I care about. They are obviously part of the modern world, and they often prompt me to go to my computer and look something up. That rarely happens with other NPR programs.

We are currently in the midst of a generational shift. The folks who came to maturity in the 70s have had many years to talk about their lives, their experiences, their ideas, and their interests. We'd like a turn now.

When I turn on All Things Considered or Morning Edition, it sounds old. A week or so ago, there was a brief interview between a tech correspondent (he sounded like he was younger than I am) and one of the regular anchors of the evening news. I could hear the amusement in the young man's voice as he fielded questions that made it *obvious* the host had no idea what he was talking about. During the campaign, similar stories showed that NPR anchors didn't realize the power of bloggers and had no sense of what was going on with younger voters. It was frustrating.

One way or another, NPR is going to have to enter the present. News and Notes helped you do that. I went to the trouble to stream it from either KPCC in Pasadena or WFPL in Louisville because it's not on the radio here. That's a lot of work to listen to an hour of radio.

Reading online, it's clear that people are upset that a show devoted to the African-American community has been cancelled. I respect that concern. But you should know that listeners to News and Notes aren't just African-Americans. I'm white, and I listen because I like the show's approach and host. I listened when it was the Tavis Smiley Show, too. I'm the woman who hesitates every year and thinks, "maybe I should pledge this year." In other words - I'm your target demographic for growth."

For more on News and Notes, see here. There's a petition to save the show, which I suspect will not succeed, but it's here. That's also where you'll find the email link for the muckety-mucks.