No, you are not hallucinating. National Public Radio's Morning Edition is returning to WNCW.
On Monday, August 4th at 7a.m., the theme music familiar to many a dedicated fan of National Public Radio's long-running, award-winning morning news magazine and the voices of hosts Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep - along with local host Kim Clark - will grace WNCW's airwaves.
WNCW is both pleased and proud to offer Morning Edition to our morning drive time listeners. We feel the first class news and information programming offered by NPR's flagship morning news magazine, combined with WNCW's regional headlines and unique, eclectic music and features are an unbeatable combination for our listeners and supporters in Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, Southwestern Virginia, Northeastern Georgia and beyond.
As a 30-year veteran of working within the public radio system, I can say without reservation that NPR is one of finest news organizations in the world. You've come to expect quality programming from WNCW. NPR's Morning Edition increases our ability to fulfill that expectation.
To those of you who may mourn the loss of WNCW's early, EARLY Morning Music Mix, I can truthfully say I empathize with you. Seriously! Despite being an NPR news junkie for nearly three decades, it was quite easy to transition to Joe Kendrick's entertaining, you-never-know-what's- coming-next, eclectic blend of classic WNCW music fare and whimsical, memory-jogging ventures into the music we, our parents, and even our grandparents listened to while growing up (and, on occasion, into the unknown). Joe knows I'm one of his biggest fans. As an early riser and "arriver" at work, being right around the corner from Joe as he works his early morning, on-air magic has become part of my week-daily routine.
But, fear not...Joe Kendrick is not going away. He's just being granted the luxury of sleeping later each morning. Martin Anderson will take the "early shift" and host WNCW's Morning Music Mix starting at 9 a.m., after we know what the heck is going on in the region, nation and the world. Joe will take to the airwaves from noon to 3 p.m. Roland Dierauf will then take the controls and pilot you to 6 p.m., when Steve Francis will be your head waiter serving up World Café.
So your "cup of Joe" will move from that first jolt in the morning to the mid-day pick-me-up so many of us need.
WNCW is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to operate in the public interest. Additionally, we represent Isothermal Community College, whose mission statement is to "Improve Life Through Learning." We exist to serve, as well as to entertain. Our audience - and the fulfillment of these mandates - cannot live by music alone. We have an obligation to inform and enlighten.
WNCW believes returning a morning news magazine to its airwaves is the most effective way to fulfill both mission statements, as well as entertain (Morning Edition, for those of you who've never heard it, is far more than just "hard news"). More people listen to the radio on weekday mornings than at any other time of the day. We're attempting to serve that audience - and fulfill our mission(s) - to the best of our ability.
We're also attempting to return WNCW to its "roots." Morning Edition was a key component of WNCW's programming schedule from the station's inception in 1989 up until early 2003.
For more information on NPR's Morning Edition, please visit: http://www.npr.org
There are accompanying programming adjustments associated with the above changes.
WNCW bluegrass fans will be overjoyed to learn that we're kicking off our weekday mornings at 6 a.m. with Mountain Mornings, an hour of bluegrass music hosted by Jerry McNeely, a voice and presence well known to listeners of WNCW's weekly Saturday bluegrass juggernaut, Goin' Across The Mountain. Heck, if an hour of bluegrass music and Jerry's upbeat presence don't wake you up and prepare you for the morning news, you may also be immune to other stimulants such as coffee, tea or "energy drinks."
As we add NPR's Morning Edition, we bid farewell to Public Radio International/BBC's evening news magazine The World and the BBC News headlines that started off each hour of our Morning Music Mix.
World Cafe will move up to 6 p.m., our locally-produced weekday evening programming (Spindale Cycle, Tower of Song, Peak of the Week, and Local Color), our Evening Music Mix with Kit Strecker and Sander Morrison and Wednesday's Jar of Jam (The Grateful Dead Hour, Dead Air, Boot Shoppe, etc.) will all move up an hour.
One of the bottom lines for WNCW throughout our exploration of these changes was to not only maintain, but reinforce our reputation as this region's primary and most engaging source of eclectic, compelling, intelligent, and challenging music...whether produced locally or from outside our listening area(s). As evidenced by our recent special programming for the 4th of July (see previous blog entry), we enjoy bringing extraordinary music programming to our airwaves. We look forward to continuing - and expanding - those efforts. Stay tuned!
To those of you who assisted WNCW with the process of evaluating and making these decisions, we sincerely thank you. Your input - whether you were supported or opposed the proposed changes - was valued, considered and of great importance to our final decisions.
I hope you'll join WNCW in welcoming back Morning Edition. I can assure you that our friends at National Public Radio are excited to be back as well.
Again, our new programming starts Monday, August 4th at 6 a.m. with Mountain Morning, followed by NPR's Morning Edition from 7-9 a.m., and WNCW's Music Mix with Martin Anderson at 9 a.m. Joe Kendrick takes takes the controls at noon, with Roland Dierauf batting clean-up at 3 p.m. David Dye and Steve Francis host World Cafe at 6 p.m., The Grateful Dead Hour (Wednesdays) and our fine locally-produced specialty programming begin at 8 p.m., then WNCW's Music Mix returns with Kit Strecker and Sander Morrison.
Tune in. Turn on. But don't drop out.
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