Jazz, Not Basketball, Is at Heart of WKCR’s Heritage
To the Editor:
As an alumna of Columbia GSAS, I agree with Matt Herman’s decision to air Traditions In Swing, and the Bach Festival rather than preempt these programs in order to broadcast non-conference basketball. It is about time the WKCR board grew a backbone.
No one attends Columbia because it is a great sports school. What makes Columbia unique is the myriad of cultural and educational opportunities it affords students and the community. Jazz has always been the heart of WKCR, and it was jazz programming (and on-air auctions of some very rare records donated by Phil Schaap) that saved the station on at least one occasion.
Far too often, jazz programming is interrupted for sports events, even when they can be viewed on television and sports fans can attend the games. Jazz (and classical) fans do not have these options. Classical festivals and birthday broadcasts are sacred; interrupting them is akin to interrupting the broadcast of a game in the middle of the game.
Why continue this constant friction between music and sports programming? Since so many of the students outraged by the WKCR board’s decision seem so sure that sports-oriented alumni have the big bucks, why doesn’t the sports division of WKCR solicit funds from all those rich alumni who listen to all the games on WKCR and raise enough money to use WKCR’s AM band? And then after 60 years or so, WKCR Sports may have earned the reputation that WKCR Jazz enjoys now, if, of course, they are lucky enough to find a Phil Schaap of sports broadcasting to guide them.
Joan Pukoskia
Nov. 14, 2004
Article Ignores Full Context Of Boorstein’s Firing
To the Editor:
Spectator’s Nov. 16 article, “WKCR Dismisses Sports Director Over Basketball Broadcast Controversy,” failed to point out some key facts. In addition to meeting with Athletic Director Dianne Murphy, Associate Dean Kevin Shollenberger and Jerry Sherwin, former president of Columbia’s Alumni Association, Mr. Boorstein sent multiple e-mails to Dean Colombo and Dean Mescher expressing his desire for them to get involved with WKCR’s internal policy, in order to overturn the Executive Board’s decision. These emails were sent both before and after the November 12th meeting mentioned in the article. Also, Mr. Boorstein’s co-department head, Nate Frieberg sent an email to Eric Furda, Vice President for Alumni Relations, with a similar request for intervention. Regarding the constitutionality of the expulsion, proper procedure was followed. The action of the WKCR Executive Board was in no way a “political witch hunt,” but rather a necessary step to ensure the best possible future for the station as a whole.
On the topic of the actual basketball broadcasts, the decision to broadcast not only the finals of the Columbia Classic and both Holiday Festival games, but also all of the Men’s basketball games on WKCR’s mp3 stream represents a compromise that I believe will maximize our audience and appease all parties. It is clear that the majority of the listening audience for the basketball games will be from listeners who are outside of WKCR’s FM broadcast range (approximately a forty mile radius from Times Square). We hope that most of the local Columbia basketball fans will be in attendance at the actual games. As such, it makes sense to have the games available on the internet to alumni and fans around the country and world who are unable to make it to the games.
Lastly, I am dismayed that Lauren Casty, the writer of the Spectator article, neglected to contact me, or any other members of the Executive Board who signed the letter to Mr. Boorstein. Because of this failure, the article does not fully represent the complex issues at work in this situation. I hope that if any more articles on this subject are published, I will be contacted by the writer prior to publication.
Matt Herman, CC ’06
Nov. 16, 2004
The author is WKCR station manager.
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