CAB Public Forum - June 2024

Pillar

Comment / Observation

Key Takeaway

WNYC

Stopped contributing because of lack of coverage for Westchester County 

All throughout this forum, there was a lot of frustration and resentment directed toward the CAB about the station. There is, to put it mildly, a lot of work to do in this part of listening area. 

WNYC

Sullivan County is quite different from Brooklyn; something she’d like to hear more of on the air (with respect to, say, refugees) is that there’s a lot of passion, and want to hear more conversation. A lot of the issue is just lack of dialogue and conversation. Small Catskills community can be divisive. “GLOCAL” 

“GLOCAL” is an interesting way to reconceptualize evolving Station mission; what is the local lens on the global issue and how can that lens be captured in every part of the listening area, not simply Westchester 

WNYC 

Sullivan County are a lot of transplants; artists; makers and people who never left: living here made her understand all the “COVID Crazy” better. 

The further out you go into the listening area, the more divergence of views you see across the spectrum. 

WNYC

ArtsWestchester; Jazz Forum; Purchase College; Whole community of seniors to be integrated into University seniors; 

Promoting arts communities in Westchester is not simply to signal boost these projects to other parts of the listening area, but to provide support and visbility among listeners within Westchester. Do we have any contacts with any of these organizations there? 

WNYC

Disability gets zero coverage; LGBTQ coverage gets so much coverage (and deservedly) but disability population is much larger. 

This is key; no station covers disability. Does the station even have a dedicated beat for disability? If not, why don’t they? How do we start a conversation about this? 

WNYC

Should interview a wider range of people weighing in on congestion pricing so as not to stereotype upstate as uniformally opposed to it. 

This group was probably self-selecting and therefore more favorably disposed to congestion pricing than your typical caller. 

WNYC

I don’t see how hearing about every murder or serious crime every day is informing us anymore, helping us view the problem any differently. Don’t remember hearing about six murders a day on WNYC. If you’re going to talk about it then talk it in a way that gives the story some context. Mentioned this to Gothamist says he wants to get everyone their due. 

The station doesn’t, to my ear, cover crime to an extraordinary degree, but a lot of listeners say there’s too much of it. These numbers seem to increase the further into the suburban parts of the listening area we go. 

WNYC

Affordable housing in Westchester; challenge of finding direct support staff because they can’t afford to live locally. They can’t afford to live anywhere close to those relatively in need. 

Affordable Housing intersects with social services because health aids can’t afford to live close by. These are connections station could be making. 

WNYC

Development in White Plains is supposed to be ten percent set aside; but through backdoor can pass off to other location. Needs to be exposed and shared. 

There’s a specific affordable housing angle everywhere we go in the listening area. This one intersects with public corruption in White Plains. 

WNYC

Not mention about Autism Awareness Month or ADA Month; Doesn’t know who’s setting the priority for topics. 

See earlier point on disability. 

WNYC

Not really clear what county executive does; looking at county governments. High incumbency reelection rates but not scrutiny of them. 

Very little local politics coverage outside of congressional races; this is true all throughout the listening area. While station may not be able to have “suburban bureaus,” what station function would serve this purpose? 

WNYC

Public Corruption in White Plains

See earlier point on coverage of local politics. There’s so much less coverage of it in Westchester and LI than in, say, NJ. 

WNYC

They’re terrible at getting back to you

There were a lot of complaints about this. It’s not really in our remit. But it might be useful to get more of an understanding about how Listeners Services operates to be able to address these complaints more effectively. 

WQXR

FM signals are line of sight so if there are mountains, did sale of QXR reduce signal?

Not everything should be monetized. More free events. 

We also get signal complains a lot. Is anyone in the station in charge of this? We need a better response here. 

WQXR

Aria Code is my favorite: such a unique view of operate

Note to Ed and Christine: this was one of the few pieces of positive feedback the station got at this forum. 

WQXR

Does QXR not play a lot of modern music because of New Sounds or Operavore? 

Good question. Does it? 

WQXR

People derive station as Top 40 Classical Music. Are they forced to repeat?

We hear versions of this piece of feedback every so often. How much of it is because of response bias (if you listen to a lot of classical music, you’re definition of Top 40 is probably more expansive than somebody who only listens occasionally or who is a young learner. 

WQXR

WQXR Should have its own CAB. 

Should it? While the CAB probably does a more than adequate job of meeting the QXR’s community facing needs, how do QXR listeners feel? Something for us to keep our ears open on. There are logistical obstacles to something like this happening, but it’s not a meritless idea.