http://www.petitiononline.com/nprbob/petition.htmlNPR's Morning Edition is the second highest rated radio program in the U.S. after Limbaugh. It has seen major increases in audience in the last few years.
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April 7, 2004
"Role of scapegoat angers a number of NPR affiliates
By TODD ACKERMAN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
The head of Houston's NPR affiliate is lashing out at his corporate bosses for saying the impetus to dump popular Morning Edition host Bob Edwards came from local stations.
KUHF-FM general manager John Proffitt disputes National Public Radio's claim that local stations were the driving force behind the decision that has generated a nationwide grass-roots protest.
"At best this is disinformation of the worst sort," Proffitt said. "A less polite person would call it a bald-faced lie."
KUHF has received more than 200 calls, e-mails and letters opposing Edwards' removal, Proffitt said Monday. Noting that more than 150 of those listeners threatened to withhold future donations because of the decision, he said NPR's "spin" that local stations wanted the change is "just throwing gasoline on the fire."
NPR announced two weeks ago that Edwards was out at Morning Edition after 24 1/2 years on the job. Some listeners suspected the change was about age -- Edwards is 56 -- but NPR officials said it was about "updating" and "refreshing" the tweedy, eclectic program, the network's flagship show.
In any case, the shake-up has ignited a firestorm at NPR. The Washington-based network has received more than 28,000 calls and e-mail messages from angry listeners and a Web site, savebobedwards.com, has generated nearly 16,000 signatures. Linda Ellerbee wrote a column suggesting that because of the decision, "some of us might be feeling too old to rummage around for our checkbooks" the next time NPR comes calling for pledges.
Jay Kernis, NPR's senior vice president for programming, and the man mainly responsible for cashiering Edwards, took the unusual step Monday of conducting an online chat to answer listeners' questions.
Kernis acknowledged NPR didn't handle the announcement with "enough sensitivity." He called it "awkward at best," but added that "it's the right decision and we don't plan to change it."
The shake-up comes as NPR is riding a wave of success. Its overall audience has grown 64 percent in the past five years, and Morning Edition's audience increased 41 percent in the same period. With its weekly audience of 13 million, Morning Edition trails only conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh for national listeners."