Listen up, people

I apologize to all your readers whose pledge of support for Maine Public Radio I collected or helped to collect over the years. I have been a volunteer and member since the station broadcast from cramped studios on the University of Maine campus. In all that time, I believed MPR was dedicated to bringing good music and in-depth news to Maine, was responsive to the interests of its audience and was a unique service worthy of our financial support.

Especially recently, I have had to reconsider my beliefs. As the station systematically cut back on classical music programming in favor of more talk radio and popular music, it has become just another radio station.

I am sorry to have played a part in the collection of your money to pay for this trash. I was party to accepting your pledges under false pretenses. There was no mention of the proposed changes during the most recent campaign. I am sure most of you who have given the stations your money were as taken in as I.

Several of you who have written to this newspaper have referred to the late Robert J. Lurtsema. I miss him, too. It is a shame that the kind of radio which he presented is dead, too. Especially after lunch and over the weekends, I miss the old public radio. Perhaps, if enough of us write or call the station, we can get our radio back.

The address is: Maine Public Broadcasting, 65 Texas Ave., Bangor 04401. You may call the station and voice your feelings with the people on the audience service line at 1-800-884-1717.

In the meantime, any of you who yearn for uninterrupted classical music and who are also cable television subscribers might tune to channels 929 MC and 930 MC. Both offer good music and no commercials. They are the channels I listen to, now.

C. Robert Gridley

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