Oregon Public Broadcasting

It’s been very distressing to watch OPB’s pathetic decline. And this recent Pledge Drive (beg-​a-​thon) was the worst ever. Overall I’d guess that 80% of their programming, excepting news & interview shows, is reruns of reruns of reruns. Reruns from 20 years ago, five years ago, or last week are still reruns, people. Some of the Rick Steves stuff is so old the travel tips are no longer valid! Good shows like Antiques Roadshow run a few new episodes and then go to RERUNS. Other shows like History Detectives do the same thing, and then disappear altogether. Every so often we get a decent British import, but not that often. I just can’t bring myself to contribute when most of the content is so mediocre and I suspect most of my money would go to support a useless broadcast bureaucracy anyway. How many executive VPs of Whatever are we paying for at OPB? How much of their budget actually supports fresh programming? These would be subjects for an Oregonian expose, if they chose to do one.

I love OPB, while it seems there are hundreds of stations all playing shows with the same few ideas, OPB stands out. My favorites are the British shows. Downton Abbey, the comedies, they are different from american shows. They also have news, locally made shows… the list goes on, and I am a fan!
I have been a fan for my whole life, OPB still shows great programing for kids. They seem to have something for everyone! All age appropriate.

This is a wonderful station that provides excellent news content and music to the public everyday. I had the pleasure of volunteering as an intern here for a few months and found the work interesting and the community very warm.

06/​27/​2015
Rating OPB on Ylep; That seems almost like the Ferguson Grand Jury investigating the Ferguson police but, here goes.
I will start out with giving three stars to OPB because they do have quite a bit of good to very good albeit somewhat sporadic educational programming, and I like the option of an up or down flexibility in the ratings.
Here it comes, However, OPB, as is most if not all NPR is steadily migrating to the look and feel of mainstream huge corporation broadcasting.
First:
This claim that they are a non-​commercial broadcasting company is completely misleading if not a downright fraudulent statement. It doesn’t matter if you put all your commercials at the beginning of the program. If you run commercials, you’re a commercial broadcasting company. And, if you run commercials, you should pay taxes (unless of course, you’re one of the George Bush conservative billionaires and feel taxes are a privilege that should be reserved for we working poor).
Next:
What is up with this obsessive pledge driving? They have bombarded us with the monthly or semi monthly pleas for money since the beginning and that is tolerable (I guess). Now though, they want our cars, our trucks, boats, motorcycles retirement accounts, our homes, our spare time, and don’t forget that when we die, the very least we can do is bypass our families and leave what ever is left to OPB/​NPR in our wills.
More next:
If the major broadcasting companies followed their lead on station identification, NBC, CBS, POX (er um FOX) and all the others would just about now be wrapping up their New Year’s Day station id announcements. Do they really think anybody in Astoria gives a damn what the call letters are in Bend, John Day, Portland and all the rest? When we go to those places we can find it then. Please, localize this FCC requirement and give sound bytes to the individual locations. It probably just seems like they go through this irritating ritual every 15 to 20 minutes. Or, maybe they do. But at the very least, it is extremely annoying. Whomever added that «precious» feature to the broadcast day certainly must have also helped designed the Department of Repetition Department. Folks, make it stop, please!!!
More more next:
My life is not divided into eight hours of work, then eight hours of idle time followed by eight hours of sleep then a reboot. And, I’m sure that others aren’t either (I may be mistaken). But I do spend a certain amount of mid night time up and doing. So my options for distraction are the plethora of infomercials and televangelism from the mainstream or this daily hillbilly ho-​down provided at 2:00 am by OPB/​NPR. I must admit that at times it does get difficult to decide; and then the answer comes to me as if through a vision from above, or perhaps as a result of the mind improving vitamins that are offered on channel 8 – 2. Just turn the damn thing off. A diet of fiddles, banjos and mandolins can starve the mind. Oh thank god for the 10, 15 or 20 cooking shows they run every day!
More more next next:
This applies not only to OPB, but to all of NPR/​PBS and PRI; What in the hell is up with all the female hosts and guest speakers with this irritating vocal fry??? That screams of an attempt to conceal your insecurities by trying to sound more knowledgeable than you are. Gals, we do trust your skills and your background, take some speaking lessons and learn how to talk in public! Ya’all sound like a bunch of toadly 17-​year old omigods.
Finally:
Give Coast Community Radio a try. They are a most unique, entertaining and informative local non-​profit radio company (and if they go through all their stations at id time it only take a few seconds).
OPB? Click.
//(~_~)\\
Me

I listen to OPB almost ²⁴⁄₇ when I am home and on the road using their app too. I am also a volunteer and I love it.

Oh my god, what a treat. I’m ensconced on my couch with cat and comforter, and dear OPB is showing reruns of the original French Chef series. I LOVED watching this after school way back when. Glorious way to relax and while some time away.

Our family enjoys the programs on OPB very much. It is really the one for the whole family. We recently watched their documentary on Mt Hood’s glaciers, which was fantastic.
. We also had the pleasure of attending their open house. We found it very educational and the staff/​volunteers were really friendly and professional. Thank you OPB for your great program line up and kudos to your great staff.

Intelligent radio.

I own a television. This is something I’ve had to come to grips with over the past couple of years. Once firmly set against the idea, I gave in to the fact that watching movies is just far too fun/​cheap a way to spend an evening for me to ignore. Besides, how could i give up the chance to see Keith Carradine in HD fencing away with Harvey Keitel (see The Duelists).
Now after buying my television, I set it up, and stood staring at the RF connector on the back. I knew it was there in all it’s cheesy television glory. Crazy evangelicals, bizarre hispanic game shows, and brain-​caustic primetime TV shows were just a plug away. I outstretched my dipole, preformed a copulative thrust from male to female plug, and instructed my HDTV to scan for channels.
Much to my surprise, OPB was my reward for tarnishing my monitor with local broadcasts. I found documentaries on little known Oregonian lore, jazz musics, and even a little old house that needs repair every weekend only to find a bunch of handy-​men-​at-​arms ready to explain how to build a patio or install a laundry sink.
So what did I learn? Perhaps the question should be «what am I still learning?». Just because you are sick to death of modern day television, forbear that cantankerous waving fist! Turn to channel 10 (which oddly has 3 channels now) and enjoy your local variety. You can even trot over to their inter-​webs pages to see what’s playing. Well done OPB, and thank you for proving me a crotchety old man!

No matter how much crap is on television today, its nice to know there is local programming out there that still exudes plenty of quality. Quality not because of television’s lame standards but because of actual enlightenment achieved from the amazing programming. That’s right, smart folks will watch and listen to OPB for all things from science to finance and learn something in the process.
During my brief stint in private school, the school faculty had recommended to parents to forbid their kids from watching MTV and encourage watching OPB instead. As nerdy as it was to listen to NPR and watch a broadcast version of the Discovery Channel, I was always intrigued and impressed with the content OPB had to offer. I’m not sure if it made me smarter, but it certainly allowed me to recognize what was quality programming that extended beyond cartoons.
Nowadays, it might just be the only thing worth checking out on television and radio.

This is the only public radio station I’ve ever devoted my dollars toward. Really, just about as good as it gets. I think the only competition OPB gets as far as great programming is from Minnesota Public Radio (also excellent).
Oregon folks… be happy you have such great programming! Seattle folks just have to envy you as their public radio is not even close to as good as OPB.

Before I have to break out the Blues Brothers protective cage to fend off rotting produce and empty beer bottles, hear me out.
We all know OPB’s programming rocks. I wake up to NPR every day and Frontline, Oregon Art Beat, and Antiques Road Show, what’s not to love?
In fact, I love them so much that I wanted to DTR (define the relationship). Go all the way and put some structure to it. I wanted to PLEDGE MONEY, dammit. I don’t tithe to a church but I think something like OPB is worthy of percentage of our salaries, seriously.
And I had one condition, NO JUNK MAIL. I’ve dedicated my life to stopping junk mail. I feel like it’s littering and if you put a phone book on my porch, I will hunt you like you were the world’s most dangerous animal. So I told them my terms.
I held up my end. They didn’t. I wrote the membership director. Catalogs and scheduling magazines continued to pollute my mailbox. I made them give me my pledge back. I had terms and they didn’t live up to them.
Please, I beg you, vote with your voice AND your dollars. During the next membership drives, tell OPB that you want to offer your support, but that you will not do so unless you are guaranteed that doing so will be consistent with your values, particularly if they are to leave a light footprint on this earth.

«…CONVENTION WHERE CLINTON WILL RELEASE HER DELEGATES TO BARACK OBAMA. BUT WILL…»
Screamed the stereo at 7.15 this morning when I started my car to head to work.
I had left the radio on NPR/​OPB last night as «In House» was on, a cool show dedicated to local indie music without hype. Given these parameters, one would understand the volume at which my radio was set, as well as how exaggerated it seemed due to the sleepy Monday morning commute.
While there are weekly shows that I try my best not to miss, such as Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me! and A Prairie Home Companion, being able to flip on the station for a few minutes of world news or intelligent discussion on the latest topic without having the phrase «trash» or «celebrity sleaze» is kind of nice. I really appreciate they variety of programs offered around the clock and throughout the week.
Their streaming station of Music ²⁴⁄₇ is a welcome addition to my already bookmarked Pandora and 94.7too stations to listen to around the house or at school/​work.
But until I get to my computer, or install one of those fancy HD radios, cruising down SR-​14 to Morning Edition at an unreasonable volume will be just as much fun too.

Specifically, this is a review of
. As mentioned by Brandy S.,
streams 24/​7, or it is also available on HD radio. They feature a lot of Portland and other NW groups along with new music from all over the globe.
also provides info on local music venues and who’s playing where. Take a listen — I’m really enjoying it. Exposing me to local music groups — a definite plus. If you want to know what kind of music they play, go on-​line and look at «this hour’s full playlist».
BTW, my review of OPB in general is 5 star as well.

Dear OPB:
If it weren’t for you, my only legitimate news sources would be the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. (I was recently informed that studies show that viewers of these shows are more educated than people who watch Fox News or CNN… so that subsequently puts viewers and listeners of OPB as geniuses worthy of MacArthur Fellowships.)
It’s official. I love you.
Emily Harris, you can have Steven Colbert. But April Baer, if you take ONE STEP near my man Jon Stewart, I will cut’choo.

I have big love for OPB and NPR. Even though it is ‘free programming’, I gladly donate every year.
Where to begin…
**Car Talk — maybe one day I’ll call Click and Clack and audibly demonstrate my car’s quirks (eeeoooirrr) or have them resolve a marital disagreement (their specialty) regarding my car. Even their show credits are funny.
**Fresh Air — Terry Gross is the witty, sophisticated aunt in the big city I wish I had. Listening to her makes me feel smarter and more open minded. She also had one of the funniest interviews EVER with Gene Simmons (KISS) which was subsequently removed from the website for «legal reasons.»
**Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me — The rotating group of panelists (Go Paula!) and Bluff the Listener game are a hoot. I want Carl Kasell on my home answering machine.
**Whad’ya Know — Michael Feldman had the best self deprecating wit in the business.
Don’t watch as much OPB as I used to when the kids were little (loved the programming without commercials for the latest toys). Some of my all-​time favorite programs were Frontier House and Pioneer House. These were educational-​based reality programs when people had to live in the olden (definitely not golden) days. Life back then was hard core!

I listen to OPB constantly and it really keeps me up to date of stuff going on around Portland, Oregon, and the Pac NW. I enjoy Day to Day; Wait, Wait Don’t Tell (the NPR news quiz); Market Place; Car Talk; The World; BBC; ATC (that’s All Thing’s Considered for you non-​NPR geeks); and This American Life.
I volunteered here during the last fund drive and it is painful to listen to, but its a more fun to participate by taking pledges. It is kinda fun because every volunteer goes through a little training video on the Apple software because there are like 30 Apple laptops set up for every volunteer. The program prompts you through the process and the questions you should be asking the caller.
You could also call out to friends and family to see if they’d like to volunteer, I like to call it the «Dead Beat Call-​out.» If you get some pledges from call-​outs you get a little gift at the end of you shift.
Other perks include donuts from Sesame Donuts, coffee, pop, water, cookies, fruit, and stuff to nosh on during regular programming and chat with other volunteers or read the newspaper. Did I mention donuts!

Every day, everyday, I think to myself, ‘Yelp OPB’.
I’m listening to it in the morning when I’m feeding the perro and myself. I’m listening while I drive to Gresham. Listening between buildings at work. Listening on the drive home. Always.
Why? Because it’s good. So what if it’s lefty. I’m lefty. My new favorite, this Think Out Loud segment. all Oregon issues, on at 9am. Well balanced and pertinent.
I want to hide in a corner during pledge drives, sure. But somehow I throw down the $ 50 a year for my monthly OPB guide… and I secretly want to win the Backyard Bird Shop gift certificate drawing.
And Frontline will smack you in the face.
And Nature (when it’s an old one with George Page narrating) will transport you to Africa.
And Car Talk. well, lets just say that I went to Harvard Square hoping to see those two.

I love In House with Jeremy Peterson. It is always full of wonderful music and bands that are from the area. What great exposure for local artists and how lucky for us to be able to listen to it for free!
Overall: stream In House 24-​hours a day online (I love the internet) —

Public Broadcasting is always an asset to any community, and I sense a long-​term love affair between Oregon and their public radio.
OPB is Oregon’s local outfit that brings us NPR, and favorite national programming like Car Talk and This American Life. OPB enhances NPR’s programming with local shows and most importantly, local news.
Thanks, OPB, for making Oregon smarter!