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Texas Public Radio welcomes your comments. You may reach us by e-mail at , or by regular mail at Letters, Texas Public Radio, 8401 Datapoint Drive, Suite 800, San Antonio, TX 78229. We reserve the right to edit your comments for brevity. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your letter. (Note: TPR comments appear in Bold). Don't Bother Me My email has been blocked by NPR for criticizing them. Since they are obviously not willing to accept supporter's critiques for programs we sponsor, I will never donate again, nor encourage others to do so (as I once did). In fact, I now advocate for NOT donating. I hear one of the Koch brothers likes to give to PBS... And I had been a McClain member. Never again. Shalom, Mr. Arquimedes Perez Diane Rehm Show Today I hope this gets to someone. Diane's show was upsetting... not for the content but how NPR i.e.Diane Rheam handled the last caller. The last caller talked very seriously about the situation the Baby Boomers are facing in todays United States. We don't need simpathy.... the sense that thats your problem not mine. So I can humiliate you by saying things... like Oh!!! don't do that when the caller talked about killing herself. (do you really think that she just came up with that and saying that to her will just change her mind ) REALLY That idea is our new realality. We all think about... This could happen to u.... Diane letts make it personal.... I know u have some kind of throat problem... O.K. lets just say NPR human resourses comes to you and tells you.... Well! Your numbers are down, We can hire someone younger and cheaper than you to do your job. Sorry we don't need you anymore plus now after all these years you have to find someone else to insure u. You are keeping our rates to high. Diane I don't mean to be mean or so rough but I don't think you all take this seriously enough. We the Baby Boomers had a deal with this Country... we will work hard for you and we will give up our life for you. I used to work for the Phone Co.(Bell) I would pass a bullentine board everyday that said. Till May the 20something every dollar you make is for the US Governrment. Now the Goverment is talking about My Social Security and Medicare as an ENTITEMENT. (you should more shows about that). O.K.O.K. I will stop ....the last statment is a whole different thought. My point is becareful with those words.....if your disengaged and you can't relate to us anymore than maybe it is time for you to step down. Or maybe not. Thank You for reading this... if you do. p.s. I will work till the day I die. JoAnn Cipriano age 62 and still working Reception Problems in Pearsall David Davis, Moderator for Town Hall Meeting "Rail..." Thanks for your work in getting reactions in the community to important issues of the day through the format of Townhall Meetings. I heard Mr. Davis denounce a reference to Agenda 21 as "a conspiracy theory" near the end of the meeting on rail. I would like for him to visit the United Nations website sometime in his leisure. I would appreciate if you would forward this email to him. There are similarities of what our outside consultant for SA2020 contracted by the city suggested in his proposed plan, to the UN Agenda 21 plan relating to "Sustainable Development." This subject makes for fascinating and very revealing reading if he is interested in where this world is going, the role America is playing and where we fit into the total picture and future plans. The most serious aspect of the UN AGENDA 21 Sustainable Development is it eliminates all our God-given rights, including property. In short, the goal is to limit our use of all natural resources including land, water, electricity, oil and to tax us out of our house. It is hard, very hard to believe this could happen, but small (or large, according to your perspective) steps are occurring now, such as the FDA policies reducing food supply and farms. If you can spare one hour to watch a video, it will explain a global effort of change, a noble effort it might appear to prepare for a future of overpopulation and migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFo26u6K-Gg There are other websites and references I have and would love to share. Thank you again for holding an open forum so that the community may air their differences. Bobbie Mueller Traffic Reports I am a daily listener during rush hours period in both the morning and early evening. I thoroughly enjoy the news coverage and stories broadcast each day. Thank you for the good work you do in these areas. What I do not enjoy, and what I find very frustrating, particularly in the morning, is the traffic updates. Richard Noriega will routinely report something like: “There is an accident at Wurzbach and I – 10”. If you are inbound (East) on I – 10, this could mean a big delay, suggesting to the driver to consider an alternate route or no need for concern, depending on the direction that has been affected by the accident. Simply adding the information, “Eastbound” or “Westbound” would make a huge difference. He omits this information with practically every report of an accident or traffic flow interruption. This just seems so simple, yet every day I hear where all the wrecks are, but I have not a clue as to whether they will affect my routing decisions. Could you please include the traffic DIRECTION that is affected by the accidents in the traffic reports? I’d have less stress if you did. Thank you, Public Radio Back Home When we moved here eight years ago, we found one public radio content disadvantage here with TPR—compared to the public station we left behind. Five days per week, our former public station offered a call-in show forum—allowing listeners and supporters an on-air opportunity to speak their minds. God knows, local commercial stations everywhere are too absorbed in selling stuff to provide meaningful exposure to diversity, especially those commercial stations with a political agenda and bias. (You know who they are.) Not opening the radio microphone to listeners may side-step controversy, but we all loose the vast benefits and stimulation from hearing what listeners think. It cannot be presupposed that TPR Management will be the exclusive arbiter and originator worth-while ideas. Robert & Barbara Meshanko "Fronteras" Wednesday Nov 9 - Iraqi Refugees I heard this morning on Morning Edition that you are hosting a program this afternoon on Fronteras regarding Iraqi refugees. I am very interested in this as I know many Iraqi refugees in San Antonio through our volunteer work with an organization called Center for Refugee Services (CRS). I would be very interested in the program, however I have a lunch meeting today – Wednesday Nov 9 - that will not enable me to listen to your broadcast. The broadcast will obviously be on tape. Is there some way that I can hear it at a later date, or get a copy of it? I would like to share it with the Iraqi community in San Antonio, and with our Board at the next Board meeting. Thank-you for not only recognizing this issues, and for putting it on the air. The Iraqis in San Antonio have form a very close helping network to keep themselves from falling thru the cracks here in the US and to keep their morale up. Many have the equivalent of college degrees back in Iraq and cannot get close to equivalent jobs here that they held back in Iraqi. Many are frustrated and somber regarding their current situation in the US. And there current refugees are the folks who helped the US troops early in the war, or are Sunni and have had to leave Iraq for family safety after the US invasion and the fall of Sadam. CRS has several adult ESL classes for the Iraqi folks and the medical community in SA has been very helpful to all the refugees. Several local churches have been extremely helpful thru donations of furniture, sewing classes, clothes and household donations, ESL classes, transportation, medical and dental clinics, college application process help, the list goes on and on, and just all around helping thru volunteer work. In fact, if you view are web site listed below, the web designer is Iraqi and almost all the content was put up by him. He also teaches computer classes at the CRS offices to all refugees. Thank-you again, Jim Karlak Weekend Music Programming Whatever happened to Brian Kirkpatrick, who used to be anchor at KSTX in the morning? I miss hearing his mellow voice, very different from some of the other voices that I hear which are quite grating on my nerves! Also: Why do we have to listen to “World Music” for TWO HOURS on Saturday evenings. After listening to Garrison Keillor for an enjoyable 2 hours followed by one hour of “Riverwalk Jazz” I routinely turn my radio receiver off for the period 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays. Why did you have to discontinue “Piano Jazz” ? It was one of the best programs that was on the air from KSTX. When it was discontinued one of your announcers actually said “To listen to jazz, you (meaning we) could tune in to Trinity University’s radio station. My response would be : “I will switch my support to Trinity University’s radio station”. I have been listening to KSTX for all of my 23 years in San Antonio. I hated to see some of my favorite programs eliminated and other programs, such as “World Music” substituted instead. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Perry political add? Just after living on earth, there was a snippet between the program that appeared.to be a Rick Perry campaign add followed by the news. Though the program that followed related.to political campaigns, I support TPR specifically to be independent of political adds and maintain non bias standing. It may have Ben a slip up but please don't let it happen again. Jarring Music Hello, I am a long time member of TPR and am most appreciative of all you do, but I have one complaint. Lately I have noticed that the music played both in the background of local announcements and as a bridge between segments has become increasingly loud, jarring, unpleasant, and frankly obnoxious. Also, the music played as background to announcements and program introductions is sometimes so loud that I cannot clearly hear what is being said. Your motto is "Hear yourself think", but these music selections just make me want to turn the sound off so that I can (and which I frequently do). I am a lover of all types of music, and am certainly not advocating using bland and boring "elevator music", but surely there is some happy medium. Thank you for this opportunity to "vent". And while I can't imagine this letter is anything you would be likely to read on the air (as mentioned on your Contact Us page), I would not want my name used on the air. Morning Drive I wanted to write concerning your morning time slot the past few days. Multiple times each morning someone is queuing up another segment while one is running. Music randomly starts and stops. Stories randomly start and stop. And the new local DJ is disjointed - gets times wrong, speaks very disjointedly and is overall unpleasant to listen to. Perhaps if he relaxed a bit and learned how to use the board it would be back to normal. Perhaps a little training is in order as I am tired of saying "oh come on" to my radio and not be talking about the story but the random noises coming from the radio. I wish to remain anonymous. Thanks! Traffic Announcements Please tell your new announcers that most highways in SA have 4 lanes, and that an announcement like: there is an accident at 1604 and Blanco, or at 1604 and Bulverde, has no meaning at all to people on the road, since no mention is made of north or southbound / east or west bound. None of this morning's announcements had any of this petinent info. Jan Van den Hende Listening to Learn During the recently concluded TPR Fund Raiser, we contributed twice the normal membership amount because of the importance we place on LEARNING as a result of listening to Texas Public Radio. We do not listen to 89.1 FM between the hours of 9 and 11 am on Saturday mornings because we get far more useful information by listening to 550 AM. Our home is our most valuable and most important asset, and we both feel, unquestioningly, that we learn far more about maintaining and improving our most valuable asset by listening to the "Better Home Show" on KTSA, San Antonio. During this same Saturday time period on KSTX, 89.1 FM, we might hear Tom and Ray laughing like teen age boys in a locker room about urinating into an automobile radiator. We do not learn even a fraction of what we want to learn by listening to Tom and Ray, nor are we impressed with much of their slapstick humor. Again, LEARNING is paramount with us. Robert & Barbara Meshanko NPR, Lisa Simeone, and My Pledge I realize you are not NPR, however, you are closely associated with NPR and trumpet your association with NPR during pledge drives. News broke today that NPR has “fired” Lisa Simeone for exercising her free speech rights. In recent years NPR has developed a track record of toadying to right-wing critics and then running to hide behind its so-called code of ethics. The “firing” of Ms. Simeone is another flagrant instance of such craven cowardice. Dear Mr. Yager: Thank you for your financial support of Texas Public Radio. I wanted to let you know that we appreciate your contacting us with your concerns. We are eager to hear any feedback, both positive and negative from our listeners. While we understand that there may be strong reactions regarding the situation with Lisa Simeone, I would like the opportunity to provide you with more information than what has been reported on by the media so far. Lisa Simeone was not actually fired by NPR as she was never an NPR employee. She is actually employed by WDAV,a station in Charlotte, North Carolina that produces the show “World of Opera” which is distributed by NPR. WDAV has today reiterated that Ms. Simeone remains the host of "World of Opera" and will continue her freelance relationship with the local station. The confusion regarding Ms. Simeone's status as host of "World of Opera" stems from her role as host for another public radio program, "Soundprint." The program's independent producers, who are not affiliated with NPR or any NPR member station, made the decision to terminate their relationship with Ms. Simeone in reaction to her role in the Occupy D.C. movement. "Soundprint" is independently produced. The documentary program is neither produced nor distributed by NPR. Furthermore, "Soundprint" is not part of Texas Public Radio's program line-up. NPR played no role in the decision made by "Soundprint" producers. Given NPR's brand dominance in the public radio industry, it is easy for commercial media to conclude that NPR made the decision to terminate Lisa Simeone as host of "Soundprint." In actuality, public radio is a diverse industry that is comprised of a variety of wholly independent entities, including national distributors, such as NPR, PRI, APM, local stations, as well as independent producers. I hope this helps clarify the matter. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments. If you would still like us to return your membership donation, we will honor your request. Please let me know. Thank you for listening and thank you for your support of Texas Public Radio. Listening to KPAC in Australia Hi. I have been listening to your great station in Adelaide Australia. It's 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon here and the works presented have been inspiring especially the Berlioz. Cheers, About Messages on TPR/NPR Gentlemen and Ladies: I am a constant fan of Texas Public Radio AND National Public Radio! I stay up to the minutes on news and views by means of public radio. I don't watch TV and, my god, listening to commercial radio is a voyage into the world of sin, especially from Conservative talk guys. So, I am addicted to TPR and NPR. However, gentlemen and ladies, you are about to lose your most devoted fan. Why? (And let me say this first. I am VERY poor. I am, unfortunately, not able to be a subscriber. I do not have the money to send to TPR or NPR.) Why am I about to stop listening to public radio? It is my opinion that public radio has become the "elite" place to have one's name "dropped" into the listening ear. Gone, apparently, are the days when public radio was NON COMMERCIAL. Today, public radio is constantly "dropping" the names of "advertisers" into a listener's ear. My dark suspicion is that there may be some correlation between the increased frequency of sponsored "messages" and the possibility of higher salaries of executives of public radio. I'm not talking about the wages of the working members of the medium, but those who are running the show. Can you provide for me, a suspicious type, with some analysis? What is the ratio of bona fide "content" to "advertisements" - of those who sponsor public radio but expect the mention of their craft, or profession, business, or whatever? I'm talking about the names of "foundations," too! Just a friendly message from a listener. Meanwhile, I will stop writing and start listening again to meaty content sandwiched in between the sponsoring messages. Brother Tony Hearn Thistle and Shamrock????? Are we going to get Thistle and Shamrock back? I keep renewing for news and views, but why did you have to stop offering Thistle and Shamrock? I’d really like to hear something from my family’s background, and World Music’s offerings in that area are too slim. Fire Safety I know there has been a lot of reporting recently on the Bastrop fire, but for those of us who live in other areas affected by other fires we have a difficult time finding any information. I live in the San Antonio area and recently we had a fire near my house and I found it frustratingly difficult to get any actual information on the fire. Even the government offices were not forthcoming with information. Furthermore, I found out through a friend that the fire department would use a reverse 911 call to notify those in the path of the fire if an evacuation would take place. I think this uses a pre-cellular emergency plan. Many if not most no longer use a land line phone and frequently do not have an area code associated with their current location in this area. If San Antonio is a military city then they should be aware their population has area codes from across the United States, the only sure way to notify those in potentially harms way is to post it on websites and drive through neighborhoods with a loud speaker announcing evacuations. It is time for the government to deploy information via the web in a user friendly format. A quick look at government and local tv and radio stations websites shows how far San Antonio is behind the technology curve. The Dream Act Discussion You have announced a program discussion about the "Dream Act" for I believe, September 30, 2011, at the Perl Brewery. I have looked for written announcements but have not found these. I have always maintained that the Immigration policies of the United States are racist because they seek to perpetuate the "exclusion" of "Indian People" from all participation in the governance of the society within the U.S. For example: the U.S. Constitution excludes "Indians not taxed," even today; and the U.S. has never permitted such as the Huichol Indians on the northern Border of Mexico to immigrate here as "Indians," as opposed to as "Mexicans;" or "Indians" from Nicaragua, or any other nation originally populated by what were denominated by Europeans as "Indians," as opposed to Whites of whatever nationality abides in the country they come from as a result of colonization. By demanding that these young impressionable "Dreamers" come here all fired up about "joining Americans" these Immigrants, although "Indians" in their country of origin, are intentionally brainwashed into self-identifying as "White" the minute they here become naturalized or the like. This is a part of the racist policy of the U.S. which has always been about completing the genocide of the "Indian People" by denying us recognition of our humanity, and thus, our human rights as "Indians" that we are. In the course of doing this, we, the Autochthonous People from here, are being exterminated by this artificial growth and replacement or displacement of the "His-panic" (I note the "His-panic Chamber of Commerce' sponsorship of this program) just as is being done to me as I have personally been recognized as "Indian" by the local federal courts but not to be human right imbued as such. Please consider being honest and truthful in your discussions and include our plight as the "race" of People your Invader-Ancestors invented to be not human right imbued in order to usurp our position and our rights. I will supplement this input in whichever way might conduce to your understanding, or that of your audience or those participating in the program being developed. I would also like to film the presentations for my Public Access T.V. Program: "Indians are not 'Americans,' as defined by non-'Indians,'" which airs at 8:00 pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays. There is a One Hour Special which will air Sunday, September 11, 2011, and which will provide you with information which is being published throughout the world and of which you should be apprized of. Respectfully submitted, Rodolfo Rivera Munoz, Aho. Thank You I work in a animal shelter, and several months ago we started playing your station in our cattery in an attempt to reduce the stress level in our cats. I'm happy to report that the experiment is a success. Once again thank you. If you use my letter, I wish to remain anonymous. You The increasing number of stations below 100 on the FM band are stepping on my TPR signal. I’m sure I’m not the only one with this complaint. Sometimes I can’t get 89.1 at all... 89.1 Saturday morning programming is what I look forward to after working all week. Caren Richardson "On Point" I've been listening to "On Point" at least four times a week since the show debuted last October and have been disappointed with it. I don't care for Ashbrook's interviewing style, but the guests are generally good enough to merit a listen. Historic Preservation: Casa Maldondo My name is Tiffany Ross and I'm with the Westside Historic Preservation group associated the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. We have been working over three years with trying to reserve the Pink Building on 1312 Guadalupe Street aka Case Maldonado. Please include this place as a part of your series 'Historic Preservation series'. With research, we found out that Bill Maldonado was born in the house. Mr. Maldonado was a County Commissioner for San Antonio and ran for the Democratic Presidential Campaign of 1952. Casa Maldonado was also a poll tax place, Speedys and much more. Currently the Avenida Guadalupe Association plans to tear it down to rebuild a new structure has been halted. Our main goal of the Westside Historic Preservation group is to preserve history and culture on the Westside. Please, visit our website at http://www.esperanzacenter.org Old problem rears its ugly head I have not had to report this problem to someone who sends me email for at least 5 years. I clicked on two different links from the August TPR email. The return link from clicking on the "Go back one page" icon was destroyed. It was easier to get out completely from the browser and start all over again than to use the address field to get back. This return link destruction occurred after clicking on both the Raymond Leppard program link and the Cinema Tuesday link. Please try to avoid the destruction of return links. Glenn Pape Grammar Somebody needs to have your announcer David Davies define what he means by "budget chop". There's a pork chop, lamb chop and a chop one makes with an axe, but "budget chop" is not only sophomoric and cliche, it's also an atrocious use of the English language, not to mention trite. Then, there's the use by David Davies of the phrase "is presently". If he was knowledgeable about the language, or possessed a dictionary, he would know that the word "presently" means "in the immediate future", not the present as he used it in an announcement he read. There is a difference between the words "present" (as in "at the present time") and "presently" (as in "we shall talk to him presently", meaning in a short while). I assume David Davies writes his own material; perhaps he should let somebody else do that. Please feel free to pass this letter on to David Davies if you see fit. Miriam Logan Long Distance Broadcasting While mowing near Rainsville, Alabama late yesterday, I was listening through my ear-muff headphone to WMBW 88.9. As the frequency drifted on the analog tuner I began to hear your station KSTX. According to Google Maps we're about 965 miles away. Randy Roberts On Point, KSTX: why at 7:00 p.m. Until I moved to Texas three years ago, I enjoyed NPR in Georgia and caught On Point (http://onpoint.wbur.org/), one of the very best programs on the radio, in the mornings when it was broadcast live. But KSTX broadcasts it in the evening, recorded earlier in the day. Hearing a pre-recorded program prevents San Antonians from calling in and contributing to the program's discussion. It also diminishes from the sense of vitality of a program broadcast live. It doesn't matter that much to me. I don't flatter myself as having anything worthwhile to add, and I go online once a week and download the program's podcasts for later listening while walking and exercising. I'd bet, though, that most of your listeners aren't doing that, and some would want to call in. I know I'd like to hear a Texas perspective voiced occasionally. If you're looking for a morning program to replace, may I suggest the Diane Rehm show. I understand the unfortunate woman has a physical handicap affecting her speech, but she is painful to hear and utterly unlistenable. Steve Kohn TPR Friday Night Science The event just now at the Witte was one of the best, most interesting events ever organized by TPR. Wonderful to see the far-reaching research done at SWRI. Very enjoyable to see a radio host in person (Ira Flatow). Food by Crumpets was scrumptious. Sincerely, Nice Job and Thanks Driving to OKC for the past hour for work and been listening. Thanks for working this 4th. Hope you have a good one. Van Listening Online I was one of your original members! We've moved away, but now I can stream you! I prefer your weekend programming to that of our local NPR station, so I'm back in the fold! Margaret Inexorable There is a clip airing this week that refers to aspects of San Pedro Springs being "inexorably" linked. I think you've got the wrong word. Inexorable means "relentless" or "Not capable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless: an inexorable opponent; a feeling of inexorable doom." I think you meant to use "inextricably" - maybe it would be a good idea to look up the words and change the clip. Jane Dunnewold News worth covering Why not tell people about Leo Berman's efforts to ban Sharia Law? It's so silly its worth pointing out that this many wants to focus on a non-problem instead of real problems in Texas. K. S. Templer An issue with the news I wish to offer a criticism. First, there are many things that state legislature is doing that are very significant. But TPR only cursorily covers them. Moreover, there's no investigative approach to any reporting. I want to hear details of the legislative agenda of the Republican's and Democrats. When the Republicans passed the law to force doctors who will administer abortions to show beating hearts and ultrasounds to the patient, I never heard any Democratic opinion's about the law passed. I didn't hear anyone ask a doctor about what they thought about forcing a medical procedure onto them which they may think isn't necessary. Why not? That would be interesting. Just today, Terry Gilde (sorry about the spelling if it's wrong) reported yesterday and today about Obama's message regarding his withdrawal from Afghanistan. But all he did was interview the republican John Cornyn. Did he get any democrat's take on it? It seems all I hear about is John Cornyn say this or that. Later, the show before Dianne Rheam today covered the same thing about Obama. However, they had the insight to present John Kerry's point of view and other democrats point of view in addition to John Cornyn's! While I've been a listening and member of TPR over the years, I've not hear much news about San Antonio or Local or State politics. Personally I think that TPR is not doing a very even-handed or investigative job of presenting the news and facts. Right now, the school board of education is attempting to introduce intelligent design materials into the classroom. Right now abstinence only sex education is being taught to 5th graders. I was in a classroom where the nurse actually lied to the children and told them that condoms often have holes in them and are designed to fit full-grown adults! Of course I am against those things but I am not asking TPR to take a side. I am asking TPR to report on both sides. To me science is being hijacked by the SBOE and Republican's. While I know the news department is somewhat new, I feel that more needs to be done to explain both sides of an argument and not just repeat whatever John Cornyn says. Thanks, Kevin S. Templer KSTX Just wanted to tell you that we have lived on the West Coast and the East Coast and we think KSTX is one of the finest public radio stations we have had the pleasure to hear. Marian Grammar I am a subscriber to KSTX. When I saw the typo "guage" for "gauge," it reminded me of the increasing inattention to grammar and detail I have noticed in TPR. Please get back on track -- we need good grammar and spelling. I have also heard bad grammar in announcers as well, and I am not an elitist with this. I just respect the basics. Otherwise, I am happy to be a subscribing member. Many Thanks, Election Coverage I don't want 17 months of election coverage. Spend your time telling me what the government IS doing. Ralph Survey I just completed your online survey. I wanted to add that I've noticed improvement in the past couple of years in regards to local and state news and programming (i.e.: Texas Matters, The Source, Latino USA) as well as a little more local detail during drive time shows. Thanks for that. I would enjoy still a little more local daily news if possible. I also miss Blues Before Sunrise on Sat. night/ Sun morning (but BBC seems like it's more interesting lately). Thanks! Thank You I would like to thank you for your outstanding coverage of local, national, and international news and programs. It is so refreshing to hear the depth in your reporting. Several years ago, my Mother was very ill and I did a lot of driving to and from the hospital, I found that many “so called news radio stations” that at one time were good had just become “entertainment” with little content and few facts on politics. Their gardening and pet advice had real experts but not the news people. Thanks for having quality people to discuss issues and share information. Peg Well, I think. . . Could you remind your guests - and commentators - that prefacing statements with, "Well, I think," greatly weakens whatever follows. Need "share" button I enjoy reading your stories. But there is no share button, so I can share the stories with family and friends on facebook. Please add a share button to the website. SSG Keith Anderson Military in San Antonio I enjoyed the program discussing the relationship of the military and city of San Antonio. Pronunciation of Mozart's name Dear KSTX – A few minutes ago, I heard a PSA regarding an upcoming San Antonio symphony event, and the announcer pronounced Mozart’s name with the Z enunciated as in “Moe’s Art”. I know it’s a little thing, but “Moat’s Art” is the composer’s name. Thanks for your attention. Regards, TSA Screening Peice I am a long time listener and contributor and I was very disappointed by the irresponsible reporting in the piece this morning regarding the TSA screening procedures in relation to the American Travel Decency Act. While I may not agree with the direction the airport screening may be going, calling what trained TSA employees have to do in order to comply with their job "ogling" and "groping" is irresponsible at best. Not only does it make TSA employees seem like predators, it underminds the integrity of the airport security system and plays to the hype that other news stations enjoy spreading. I thought TPR was above that type of reporting but I am obviously wrong. I wish to keep this anonymous. Disappointed in Your Reporting I was very disappointed in your uncharacteristically biased reporting of the Legislature's consideration of Senate Bill 321. This bill is intended to prevent employers from preventing employees from legally possessing firearms in their private automobiles on employers' property, effectively forcing employees to abandon the exercise of their legal rights on their commute to and from work. Your story on this issue was inaccurate, used inflammatory headline verbiage, and gave the impression that TPR has an overt political agenda. Each of these issues are unacceptable. I believe that an on-air correction in the same time slots that the story was aired is appropriate. You should ensure that the facts are covered, particularly that this is ONLY about possession of legal firearms in locked, parked cars, and providing the pro-gun side of the story as well. I look forward to your efforts to correct this problem. Glenn Porter Sound Hello my name is Robert Borgeson. I consistently listen to TPR every day of the week while I am at work and love the programming. I listen through the internet streaming option because it is the most convenient way for me to tune in. I have only one complaint that has been bothering me for a while now. It seems whenever TPR transitions from NPR or PRI broadcasts such as the Diane Rehm show or Talk of the Nation into local TPR broadcasting the volume is way to high. It quickly gets lower but the fact that the first thing I hear from my local KSTX dj is a loud yell into my ear is very frustrating. Thank you, 5/5/2011 Program regarding Medicaid Cuts in Texas First, thank you for covering the important issues we face locally in the grand state of Texas. Yesterday I listened to the program regarding Medicaid cuts in Texas and the impact said cuts could have on services in Texas on children and the elderly. I was both surprised and disappointed that there was absolutely no mention of Special Needs individuals in Texas who reside and receive assistance/care in the community through various Medicaid funded programs. I work in this field and can tell you that Medicaid is so absolutely vital to this population—the needs of individuals range from full care provided in virtually every aspect of daily living, to those requiring minimal assistance as they strive to become self-reliant, to those who struggle with frequent psychiatric issues and rely on the care for stability in their lives. Many are dually diagnosed individuals with intense medical needs as well such as diabetes, seizure disorders, Cerebral palsy, Prader willie, Autism, Renal and Cardio conditions—you name it. We have succeeded in that these individuals are living in the community where they have every right to be! However, this success is threatened by pending Medicaid cuts. Some of these individuals with special needs are undoubtedly the most vulnerable in our community. Severe cuts in their services would not only have dire results to their health and well-being, but would become costly to the economy and health of the state of Texas. More costly sources of assistance would be resorted to such as hospitals, Emergency psych centers, Emergency Rooms, Jails, and State supported living centers. Relying too heavily on these resources would also create a bottle neck effect which would impact the general health of all Texans—in other words unsound across the board. I would greatly appreciate if a correction were made during upcoming programming as we too are fighting a battle at the capital that desperately needs attention. Thank you! Sincerely, Response to recent fund drive dear kpac people, i have been listening to classical music since 1948 and i was astonished when i returned to san antonio in 1978 to find only 1 or 2 hours of classics on saturday afternoon with b j mclain at the mike. i am glad she started the station. i did not contribute recently for several reasons: one the program on sunday morning at 0700 , heart and soul; the producers of that program should be ashamed at polluting the air waves. second, i find it difficult to listen in the afternoon because of the careless enunciations by john clare, who seems to be in a hurry - the traffic reports are the worst enunciations. he should listen to the announcements by eamon grant and james baker. third,. the opera on the radio omits the visual enjoyment of the opera. fourth, i am a retired person on a limited income and plan to visit the silver solutions at tripoint listed in your e mail. i like the purpose of the program from the top, but cannot listed because of the excess nervous laughter. hope you complete the fund drive with success and continue broadcasting. george gray Your Perspective Sir/Madam: I just listened to an NPR segment about house bill (HB) 1481. As you may know, HB 1481 seeks to outlaw use of the word retarded to avoid hurting people's feelings. It was a sympathetic segment and generally supported the idea of HB 1481. I can't help but recall a bit your organization did about "teabaggers" a short while back. Apparently, at NPR, some animals are more equal than others. Sincerely, I am hoping that NPR is defunded I support KLRN. If TPR is connected with NPR that this is an issue with a lot of people like myself who see NPR as biased in news reporting and how they relate to employees. I am hoping that NPR is defunded. This however, does not affect how I feel about KLRN and I will continue to support it. I hope that you can appreciate how so many of us feel about NPR and its leadership and biased activities. John Michel I hate your evening schedule I have been a listener for a long time, and I hate your current M-F evening schedule — ie, On Point. We get news all day, and the last thing I want to hear when I’m relaxing and making dinner is another news/talk show! You used to have all these great features during that 7-9 time slot, like This American Life, Studio 360, a program on the brain, etc. I don’t plan to renew the next time around until you replace On Point with the kind of interesting features you used to have. Why did you change this, anyway? That was a bad decision. On Point is jarring and unpleasant to listen to at the end of the work day. You’re becoming like all those generic stations with too many talk shows! And you used to be one of the best public radio stations in the nation. Melanie Tavis Smiley v. Tom Ashbrook Not that I dislike "On Point" with Tom Ashbrook, in fact I've been happy with more news on the program in the 19:00 hour, but I rather miss the Tavis Smiley Show on Thursdays. I always found him respectful of opposing opinions and pleasant and insightful to listen to. Regardless, you do a good job managing and balancing the schedule on the radio from news to op-eds. Thanks. Matt Watson Eliminating federal funding for NPR After the firing of Juan Williams by NPR, Republicans stated we should do away with public funding for a Radio Station that fires people unjustly. Well, I agree with Republicans notion and am one of those listeners who was astounded by the firing and vowed to never pledge to Public Radio again. Add to this the fact NPR commentators boasted that that public funding only makes up 7-12% of the budget and they could live w/out it...now I receive an email asking me to contact my congressman so they can put a stop to legislation that would end public funding for NPR? Get NPR to redacted their comments and admit they made a huge mistake and I'll change my mind. Dustin Message About Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting Good morning, I did contact my representative. I would like to suggest that in the future you include a sample email/letter, as I find them very helpful when responding to calls like this and I think it helps people include more fact/detail in the request. Thank you Health Insurance premiums are exorbitant and Rep Nelson doesn't get it... Listened to NPR “All things Considered.....” today 2/9/2011 at 6 pm and was both glad and dismayed to hear the discussion on health care premiums. Apparently Mr Nelson from Florida Freshman Republican opted out of the taxpayer paid health insurance to experience the world of purchasing health insurance for his family without the benefits of any subsidies from the taxpayer. By the way this is exactly what those of us that are self-employed must do: purchase health insurance full cost out of our own pocket without subsidies. The representative was shocked at the cost of the health insurance premium of almost 1300 a month. Representatives get paid 170K and then retire with a pension of about 70K. The representative mentioned that the cost of the premium, he believed, was so high because of the high cost of health care from the lack of true medical malpractice reform and other cost saving measures. While I do believe that there are costs involved in health care that can be trimmed by true med/mal reform and other red tape reductions, let’s be honest. The premiums are sky high because the health insurance industry continues to charge exorbitant amounts for coverage that frankly is less and less everyday. These health insurance companies charging 1300 dollars a month for family coverage are posting record profits up sometimes as high as 350+ percent. Therefore the premium dollar is going to pad insurance company profits. For Rep Nelson (R) to state that the premium represents the cost of health care is not accurate. The premium represents the cost to the american worker to continue to pad the profits of insurance companies while Doctors that are many times self-employed and have to pay these preimiums are in turn getting paid less and less from these same insurance companies posting huge profits. Health insurance premiums are ridiculously high because insurance companies continue to post huge profits at the expense of the patients, their doctors and our society as a whole. Let's call it what it is: health insurance companies are driving the cost not the doctors providing the care. Its not increased health care costs, it is increased health insurance profits. Joe Ferreris, MD By the way the average pediatrician makes less than the representative on the program and we get no pension and must pay the full cost of the premium. We have no option as he does. Texas Matters: Low Level Nuclear Waste Disposal I listened to your program this morning as I was driving into work regarding low level nuclear waste disposal in South Texas. I want to commend you on your fair and balanced reporting giving 6 minutes of air time to the opposition and none to the company who is building the disposal site. Also, there was no comment that you had actually called that company to ask for a comment, which, of course, I know you did. I also appreciate how the ‘journalist’ conducting the interview went from asking questions to giving his own comments regarding the matter (If they can’t get a e-mail address straight. . .”). And may I say what a wonderful job he did for the people of Anderson county facilitating the critic of the waste disposal site — with the critic basically saying that the people there are too stupid and had been duped by glossy brochures printed by the company. But then again, democracy is a messy process, and to paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, “Voting works until you run out of votes [for your side].” Please keep up the good work. You’re making your parent company proud! Cheers, More Schubert, please On the New York Times website, Anthony Tommasini has an article titled "The Greatest." He lists whom he believes are the 10 greatest composers, excluding those who currently living. I'm not going to debate the list. What I find interesting are some comments, e.g. a single program composed of three Schubert sonatas was a musical transcending experience for baritone Sanford Sylvan. Also, "Winterreise" is mentioned as having a haunting cycle. I am unfamiliar with Schubert's music such that I cannot appreciate his comments. I would like to learn. Please incorporate a bit more Schubert into KPAC's programming. Thanks. Stanley Cobb NPR program on high capacity pistol "CLIPS" I am disappointed that NPR announced that there would be a news presentation on “high capacity clips”. Obviously, this news event is being pushed out with absolutely no research. A clip is a device designed to assist fast loading of military rifles. A typical clip used in WWI or WWII held 5 or 10 rounds of rifle ammunition and was discarded after loading. The high-capacity magazine for pistols, such as the one used in the recent “political” assassination attempt in Arizona is not a clip, it is a magazine. If you do some research into the number of participants in practical shooting competition, you may get an idea of the number of law-abiding sport shooting participants who would be adversely affected by a new law limiting the capacity of handgun magazines to ten rounds or less. During the Clinton Assault Rifle Ban, clubs adapted by designing a separate category of competition called “limited 10” for pistols with limited round capacity. It is my contention that such a law would punish hundreds of thousands of law abiding citizens in an attempt to control less than 100 potential mentally defective criminals. I do applaud NPR for offering the information from the pre-2000 research into the analysis of the psyche of people who have attempted political assassinations in the past. The consensus presented there was that most political assassinations in the United States are attempted by people who are seeking personal notoriety and offer their political motivation as a justification/excuse after the fact, with the possible exception of John Wilkes Booth. Robert Caldwell Traffic Reports From personal experience I know that your traffic reports are not dependable. Over the last six months I happened to be driving as your announcer discussed the traffic situation where I was. All three were wrong. For example, yesterday at 0845 your person said traffic was heavy on southbound 35 between Natural Bridge Caverns and 1604. I was at the mid-point. I was doing 60. I was being passed! Yes there often is traffic at that hour so perhaps your source used the past as a base and made an assumption as to the present. Star Carey What Happened? what happened? one month i was enjoying selected shorts, radiolab and studio 360 content and then all of a sudden it's on point everyDAY (?! -- which i find terribly repetitive and wholly irrelevant) and on the media on weekends? you just wiped out 2 of my 3 favorite programs! i already stopped tuning in as much, being that i have their podcasts to follow, so i'm just wondering if this is temporary or it got too expensive or...?  |
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