Comments from the petition: Page 30

After decades of classical music enriching my life, I was absolutely devastated
to learn Classic 89 would be changed--all classical music would be divorced from
all other programming (and put on a station still inaccessible to me) and talk
shows would highly dominate the station. I reached for the radio several times
the first few weeks, but now turn it on only at noon or at 4:30. I've also
found that I can do without as much TV. There are days when we don't turn it on
at all. I have searched in vain for another station worth listening to, but
found only a very few on occasional trips out of town. I am not opposed to talk
shows, but I don't want an uninterrupted diet of either all talk or all
classical. Classic 89 was workable mix of a variety of interesting, objective
and educational programs. Please return to a more sensible format that includes
a similar variety. As far as support, we have given as much as we could for
decades, but why would we want to now, for a station we rarely listen to any
more?

I can see adding a few more hours of syndicated, quality news programs such as
the Diane Ream show and Fresh Air, but to replace a days worth of good music
with a days worth of repeated news programs mixed with bad talk programs is just
dumb. at least give a fair representation to each side - 50/50. Obviously
there are different people out there, and as an educational institution
presumably based on reason it should be a no brainer to compromise on the
situation.

Taking the unique and highly enjoyable mix of music that had been WUFT Classic
89's forte off of the full bandwidth analog signal is bad enough. But the
flippant and dismissive remarks by the Dean of the College of Journalism ("If
they don't want to spend $75 on a radio, they must not want it that much"), and
others have been insulting to the very listners that have supported the station
since its beginning. Just admit that you have made a mistake and return the
pre-August 3 programming to Classic 89 analog.
Firing Bill Beckett is unforgivable. The mix of music that he developed for the
station was wonderful, the best I have ever heard. And, no, I don't even know
the guy, never met him. Nor do I like everything he plays on Caravan, but only
a self-centered idiot (if the shoe fits, Wright, wear it) could overlook the
beautiful balance and depth of his programming on Classic 89. Not to mention
his recording of the local concerts for broadcast. And the fact that you could
pay his salary for many years for the amount that you are paying your
"consultants."
As for not wanting to spend $75 on a radio: Why should I? I have a component
stereo system, mainly McIntosh Labs components, that is worth over 100 times
that. I did not build such a system to listen to a lousy hybrid digital signal
that is inferior to even an mp3 file. Nor to listen to a bit-streamed signal
that is produced by buggy and imperfect software, that is still short of even an
mp3 file.
There is plenty of bandwidth available on a low bit-rate hd signal for the talk
radio. The mistake was not in bringing the talk shows to Gainesville. They
would have been a nice alternative to have available, but on the HD 2 channel.
It makes much more sense to use the full bandwidth of the analog channel for the
classical/jazz/afro/world/r&b/etc. music that made Classic 89 so enjoyable.
The talk shows would do just fine on the HD channels.
In the future I may be contributing to fund raising - of WUSF in Tampa. They
still broadcast the music on the analog channel. I'll send Dean Wright a copy
of the check when I do. Not a joke. I just ordered an APS-13 antenna from
Antenna Performance Specialties (www.antennaperformance.com) so that I can
easily receive a good signal from the Tampa, Orlando, Tallahassee, and other
classical stations. If WUFT does not change back, I will never support them
again, and will encourage others to support other stations, ones that respect
their listeners.

The music program at WUFT-FM and Nature Coast 90 went far beyond "replaying
records," as some have argued. I grew up listening to WQXR in New York City and
then to WBUR and WHRB in Boston. Long considered bastions of classical music
culture, even those stations did not surpass the excellent music programming I
have heard as a Citrus County resident. Nature Coast 90 introduced me to the
works of composers like Michael Torke and Einojuhani Rautavaara and consistently
provided fresh selections across the spectrum. And I had not heard such a rich
selection of jazz since WRVR in New York back in the 70s, whose own demise was
much lamented, to the point where a web page exists dedicated to the station's
memory (http://www.southstation.org/wrvr/index.htm).
I joined Friends of Nature Coast 90 when I first moved here in 2003 and had
maintained my membership until recently. WUFT's music programming has helped me
get through the day more times than I can count. I believe its relief from our
pervasive news cycles provides both a physical and a psychological benefit to
the community. As much as I enjoy the talk shows of NPR and PRI, I believe that
cutting out WUFT's music programming is a tremendous blow to local culture. I
have to ask myself, in the current economy, whether I want to support such a
decision.

I was dumbfounded. This was a treasured resource and something to counter the
commercial radio "choices." I enjoyed and learned from virtually every program.
And no more broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera among other losses? And the
elitist idea proposed by Ralph Lowenstein that "[t]he change to a news-talk
format will call for some sacrifice by classical music lovers. But WUFT-FM will
now broadcast classical music 24 hours a day on a second channel within the 89.1
frequency. It will take a special radio, costing $75 to $100, to pick up this
channel. I already have one in my home and one in my office." Well, bully for
him. I am NOT a retired dean and I don't have that sort of discretionary money.
And what about those who listened to classical music, for free, in their cars?
Do you know what the Met Opera was bumped for? Old Time Radio. My cousin, now in
his eighties, practically invented old time radio, having been a very busy stage
and radio actor in his youth and now directing reenactments of old time radio
scripts at old time radio conventions. What you now offer in place of the Met on
Saturdays is sentimental drivel and totally extraneous to most students, let
alone other listeners. As for the new schedule, you can get virtually the same
programs from JAX public radio, which is what I listen to in my car and will
probably donate to. I consider this a betrayal of your fans. Lowenstein's
argument that listenership dropped off at 9am only indicates that most listeners
were at work. And I considered myself lucky that I could listen to it in my lab.
I am totally unimpressed with local coverage. With 24-hour news cycles and
practically identical broadcasting from Gainesville and Jax, you are now not
only redundant, you're superfluous.

Please! Return the music based station, it is greatly missed.

While I understand that many people like to hear the various news/talk programs
that NPR provides, and indeed I enjoy some when I travel, to completely abandon
the classical music format is incredibly short-sighted in my view. The only
reason that I do not listen on a daily basis to the music programming is that
when I get to work at 8am, I am not in a position to listen to any radio
programs. I would occassionally listen to the evening programming when at home,
but am often out in the evenings as well. The classical and other music
programming on Sundays was especially enjoyable. I confess that the Saturday
opera often conflicts with my favorite sporting events or again, I would be out
of the house and not able to listen to a radio. Another particular favorite of
mine was the overnight classical broadcasts - very pleasant when my radio/alarm
would go off prior to 6am on weekdays and 8am on weekends. I urge the School of
Journalism and WUFT to re-consider the mix of news/talk and classical/other
music programming. Add more news/talk if that is what the listeners want, but
please consider keeping some music programming. Not all of us can afford to have
a special radio to listen to your other streams, and we shouldn't have to do so.

You are showing a callous disregard and disrespect for a community extremely
loyal to WUFT-FM broadcasting as well as for the employees and volunteers who
have built an impressive organization. Gainesville will be poorer for your
cultural insensitivity. Although you no doubt expect to replace listener
funding with corporate sponsorships, that is a fickle path to follow. What a
shame.

It's hard to believe the arrogant, scornful attitude of FM-89's management.
This is a PUBLIC ASSET,NOT A PRIVATE FIEFDOM!

A balance between word and music is needed. WUFT as a station devoted to music
(mostly, but not completely) was a wondrous thing. If we wanted spoken word we
listened to WJCT from Jaxonville. Give us back our serious music, be it Jazz or
art. Let it blend with some serious talk, but not completely. What we have now
is 24 hrs of verbal spew. Why no opera, why no symphonic music, why no Jazz, why
is there no music exploration or education (as in the past with Carl Haas, and
now with Bill McGloghlin). The College of Journalism made a decision with no
consultation, behind everyone's back. SHAME.