WCMU Set to Cut Last Progressive Radio Program in Mid-Michigan - Please Sign Petition, E-Mail or Call

Many of you may be aware that within the next week or so WCMU Public Radio is planning some changes in their programming and among those changes will most likely be the elimination of Alternative Radio, the Monday night at 9 p.m. nationally syndicated show that is now the only progressive radio show on our local public radio station.

We had a long phone chat with John Sheffler, WCMU's radio director and he concedes that the show may be cut. He seems like an intelligent reasonable guy who is genuinely interested in hearing listener's views, but claims the numbers he has seen including some surveys of WCMU listeners indicates little support for shows like Alternative Radio. But no one was asked specifically about this show and their political views. Sheffler may know quite a bit about his listeners demographics, but nothing about their politics. But he has had a request from a right wing group to balance out Alternative Radio with a wacko show to the right of Rush Limbaugh and Sheffler rejected that to his credit.

But he has not heard from many folks concerned about the lack of good progressive radio like Diane Rheim and others in our region I would urge each of you to add your voice via phone or e-mail to those of us like Charles Novitksi and Rob Barker who have already let John Sheffler know there is a large progressive community in our area and we do care about public broadcasting and its content. Below is a link to an online petition that Andy Leavitt has put together that you can quickly respond to.

Please take a few moments and let WCMU Public Radio know we do care about what they do. Many of us responded to the plea to save public radio a little while back and many of us are regular contributors, but we don't usually mention our party affiliation or political views when
we do that. Maybe that was a big mistake.

You may call John Sheffler at 989-774-3105 or e-mail him at john.sheffler@cmich.edu

To sign the petition go to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Proradoiowcmu/