DECEMBER MPBN RADIO SCHEDULE: ADJUSTMENTS AND ADDITIONS!
After months of listening to MPBN Radio members and listeners (both directly and through last fall’s member and listener surveys) and our community advisory board, we are making a couple of programming adjustments and introducing four new programs to the MPBN radio schedule! We took a great deal of time examining changing media habits, evaluating all of the programs on our schedule and exploring national shows that you might enjoy.
Ever since we added The Diane Rehm Show to our 2:00 pm weekday afternoon schedule, the popularity – and value – of this program has been steadily growing. Our lack of schedule consistency on Friday afternoons has concerned many of our listeners, as we’ve had countless requests to also include Diane Rehm’s Friday “week in review” edition; clearly the most popular of the 10 Diane Rehm show hours offered each week. We’ll make that adjustment this month and also add the Friday edition of The World at 3:00 pm. New programs do replace existing programs. This adjustment will remove Down Memory Lane from our Radio line up. Down Memory Lane will still be available LIVE every Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 at mpbn.net. We know that many listeners have grown to look forward to spending time with Toby Leboutillier and his amazing music collection on Friday afternoons and we are pleased that it can continue to be offered by MPBN.
Early weekend mornings on MPBN radio will also have a new sound. We know that many listeners would welcome and appreciate earlier weekend news programming similar to what we offer during the week. Unfortunately, Weekend Edition is not available until 8:00 a.m. Many of you have let us know, however, that there are indeed several other public radio programs available for weekend mornings that you would like to hear.
At 6:00 am on Saturdays, you can now hear Bob Edwards Weekend focusing on both important – and interesting – issues and topics. For years, Bob Edwards was the host of NPR’s Morning Edition. His calm and relaxed voice may well be familiar to you. Following at 7:00 am on Saturdays will be Only a Game – an extremely popular program around the country. Please note, while it is technically about sports, it’s not what you might think (or fear)! It’s about the issues, people and general interest aspects of the sports world. Give it a listen; you’ll be surprised.
Sunday mornings at 6:00 am, we’ll introduce a new program that is not easy to describe. On Being with Krista Tippett reflects on diverse ideas, ethics, meanings and religion through conversations similar to Fresh Air. This program has become a weekend favorite among many listeners around the country. At 7:00 am Sundays, after being moved around in our schedule over the last couple of years, we finally have a new home for the complete hour-long version of Living on Earth. For those of you who have appreciated hearing classical music with Jennifer Mitchell on weekend mornings, note that she recently joined our news staff here at MPBN (which she used to be part of years ago) and can still be heard weekend mornings (and throughout the week) helping to keep us all informed!
After months and months of waiting, Sunday evenings will now offer a year round presence for Moth Radio Hour – one of the fastest growing programs on public radio! Up to now, we’ve been alternating Moth with Snap Judgment, and now we can actually offer both programs at 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. respectively. Selected Shorts will move to 9:00 p.m., and American Routes will follow at 10:00.
On Point with Tom Ashbrook was added to our schedule at midnight last year to help satisfy repeated requests for overnight news other than the BBC. Since then, understandably, we’ve been hearing that it should be on at an earlier hour. We’ll be able to satisfy that request a bit by moving On Point to 11:00 pm and having it available consistently Monday through Friday. Weeknight Echoes will leave the schedule, but it can still be heard on Saturday evenings along with Music from the Hearts of Space. Weeknights at midnight, you can now hear The Takeaway with John Hockenberry. Recognition and sincere thanks are also in order for our Friday evening volunteer jazz hosts, Bob Marggraf and Thom Keith, for their dedication and contribution to our late night jazz sounds through the years!
Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide you with the most valued, relevant public radio service possible – today and tomorrow! We are always interested in your comments and feedback. It helps us bring you the programming and services that you want to see and hear coming from your MPBN. Give the new radio lineup a listen, and let us know your thoughts by calling Audience Services at 800-884-1717 or by e-mailing comments@mpbn.net.
Charles Beck, Vice President Director of Content
For additional information on the December MPBN Radio Programming Changes:
Press Release on December Radio Changes