2 new shows on MPR miss mark

Who would have guessed there was so much public radio programming to choose from?

In the old days, when I was a kid, it was classical music and news, or news and classical music. But by “auditioning” different programs in different time slots in recent years – and by changing the schedule more frequently in the last year than in the previous five years – Maine Public Radio has pulled back the curtain to reveal there is a huge menu of offerings out there.

Which makes the Saturday afternoon show, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” all the more disappointing. Airing 4-5 p.m., this program bills itself as just the ticket for people who grew up with posters of National Public Radio reporters on their bedroom walls, instead of Farrah Fawcett or David Cassidy.

The current events quiz is mildly – let me emphasize the word mildly – interesting, but the hosts are grating in their forced laughter at each other’s wisecracks. Surely, there must be something more edifying to drop in this slot.

Another show that misses more than hits the mark is “The Connection,” airing 3-4 p.m. weekdays. The talk show is produced by Boston’s WBUR, and it sounds like a local show that hasn’t yet grown into its national syndication shoes.

For one thing, the topics are all over the map. Shows that I’ve heard have taken on tobacco, lyrics from Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the craft of fiction writing, and the Justice Department’s case against Microsoft.

While variety is a good thing in these kinds of shows – Terry Gross, the host of the show “Fresh Air,” excels by bringing a passionate interest to whatever the subject is – “The Connection” host Christopher Lydon doesn’t seem up to the challenge. I can tell – or think I can tell – when he’s especially interested in a guest or topic, and when he is not. After hearing Lydon wax sentimentally about songs from the musical “Oklahoma!” it’s hard to take him seriously when he talks politics.

One of the new music shows that should appeal to those raised on rock music is Saturday’s “Sounds Eclectic.” Airing 3-4 p.m., it originates from KCRW, a college station in Santa Monica, Calif.

The term “eclectic” has to be the most overtaxed word in music, but the host, a Brit named Nic Harcourt, surely has earned the right to use it. In a typical show, Harcourt nonchalantly bounces from cult groups like the Beta Band and Japancakes, to obscure artists with names like Mount Florida and Axiom of Choice, then back to the mainstream with Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle.

Like the fine music Maine’s own Sara Willis plays on “In Tune by Ten” (10-11 weeknights), “Sounds Eclectic” is a haven for those seeking songs by musicians who know that adult pop is not an oxymoron. Harcourt plays edgier music than might be heard on “In Tune by Ten” or “The World Cafe” – hey, he’s a Brit living in California – but it’s still catchy pop, unlike anything you’ll hear on commercial radio.

As I do when I listen to “In Tune by Ten” and “The World Cafe,” I keep a pen and paper handy to jot down the names of the groups Harcourt plays, which is as high praise as there is.