NPR introduces new flavor

NPR is working on a project to repackage itself for the 25-44-year-old set. (Boston Globe via Achenblog) 'Twill be called: NPR Zack. Naming the product--that is so IKEA, and the kids will totally go for it.

But it might help if the NPR brain trust tried to avoid writing things like, "We will curate for you, and you can trust us to reflect your lifestyles and interests" in project development documents like the memo the Globe article quotes. We're not so sure we want to be curated for. We don't even really know what that means.

Radio news wasteland

In what I suspect is the karmic reward for our groaning over pledge drives, it's official--you can't get talk public radio in DC on Sunday mornings.

For years now, WAMU (88.5 FM) has frustratingly broadcast a steady stream of bluegrass morning 'til night on Sundays. I got nothing against bluegrass. But a little Weekend Edition Sunday would be nice, maybe? How about This American Life or somethin'? Mix it up a bit?

Until recently, those craving Liane Hansen's dulcet newsvoice on Sundays could still tune in to WETA (90.9 FM), the Virginia-based NPR affliate, to get Weekend Edition and other shows. But now 90.9 has gone all classical. Hourly NPR news only. WTF?

I am sure that DC's classical music lovers are grateful to WETA. The station switched its programming back to classical after DC's only classical station shut down in January. (WP) And I wouldn't be surprised if the type of people who listen to a lot of classical radio are also the type of people who pledge big bucks to public radio stations, so it makes business sense.

But what about the unserved market of Sunday morning radio news junkies? Who's looking out for us?

NPR hipster street cred gained in drops, lost in buckets

NPR tries so hard to be hip, upping its coverage of issues that are supposed to interest young people and even streaming rock shows at the 9:30 Club in realtime on its website. But somehow, it doesn't always ring true. As when host Renee Montagne mispronounced the name of the annual Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee in a segment of today's Morning Edition*. Montagne pronounced it "BonnAHroo" when any young music lover worth her salt knows it's BONNaroo.

It's kind of like walking into Cafe St.-Ex and ordering a CHY-may. No amount of premium denim will buy your way out of that jam.

*The mispronunciation has since been corrected on the NPR website, I notice.

It's nice to be the target demographic

This Thursday night, NPR.org will provide a live stream of Wilco in concert at the 9:30 Club--a clever tactic in the organization's long-term plan to draw in younger listeners. This is the kind of thing we traded Bob Edwards for, I guess.