Why WVPBS' Recent Joe Bonamassa Guitar-A-Palooza Was A Fundraising Failure

WVPBS volunteer, Dan Ringer, admitted on-air during the recent WVPBS fundraising drive that viewer response to the Joe Bonamassa show was disappointing. I know why: An excess of guitar does not compensate for a dearth of good songs nor can instrumental virtuosity turn weak material into strong material.

As much as I admire Joe Bonamassa's talent - he's a fine blues guitar player - his recent PBS show was simply too much guitar and not enough songwriting. I think I heard the same lengthy guitar solo in 4 different songs.

A similar phenomenon took place at the Clay Center recently when Pat Benatar and her guitar-slinging husband, Neal Giraldo, took the stage in Charleston. I'm told by people who were there that an excess of guitar caused audience members to chant "More Pat, less guitar."

Like Bonamassa, Neal Giraldo is a fine guitar player but ticket buyers didn't go to the concert to hear guitar solos, they went there to hear memorable rock songs sung as only Pat Benatar can sing them.

During Dan Ringer's on-air lament that viewers didn't seem to like the Bonamassa concert, he commented that program directors draw conclusions and make future programming choices based on how viewers respond to the programs featured during these membership drives. I just hope program directors draw the right conclusions.

For example, if program directors draw the conclusion that viewers don't like guitars, they'd be wrong. Americans love guitars. The guitar is the most played instrument in America.

And if program directors draw the conclusion that viewers don't like blues-rock, they'd be wrong again. Because of America's appetite for blues-rock there are thousands of blues-rock artists making a good living playing blues-rock music.

Here's the conclusion I hope WVPBS program directors will draw from the failure of the Joe Bonamassa concert during their recent pledge-a-palooza: An abundance of musicianship cannot compensate for an insufficiency of good songwriting.

In future pledge-a-paloozas, give us great songs as well as great performers.

And while I'm on the subject, let me make another point about WVPBS musical programming: Putting on shows that feature a whole hour of O.A.R or Death Cab For Cutie is risky because viewers who don't like the first song tune out for the rest of the hour.

Rumor has it that Liz Phair is planning a "Chickapalooza" music festival featuring a variety of the best female singer-songwriters. Broadcast Liz Phair's Chickapalooza during a future pledge-a-thon and you'll hold more viewers because viewers who can't commit to a whole hour of Radiohead or Arcade Fire will patiently wait through a few songs by an artist they don't know or like to get to an artist they like.

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While Higginbotham At Large reads all submitted comments, under no circumstances will Higginbotham At Large PUBLISH anonymous or pseudonymous comments. No Ring of Gyges for you. No exceptions.

No Strategy In Dennis Adkins' "Strategic Plan" For WVPBS

I didn't hear any strategy in the "strategic plan" Executive Director Dennis Adkins presented to the Educational Broadcasting Authority - his bosses - at their Wednesday 22 August meeting. I attended that meeting in hope that I might hear Adkins' strategy for bringing WVPBS into alignment with its stated mission and its stated vision or even a strategy about how to re-engage individual donors who have stopped giving to WVPBS because there is apparently no one at WVPBS who has dusted off and read the mission and vision statements lately.

Higginbotham At Large will be mailing copies of their mission and vision statements to some of the members of the Educational Broadcasting Authority which has oversight of WVPBS. 

See those mission and vision statements below.

"MISSION: West Virginia Public Broadcasting satisfies the human need to learn. Our programs nurture personal growth and civic responsibility, respect people's intelligence, and promote life-long discovery." - from the West Virginia Public Broadcasting website. (http://www.wvpubcast.org/about.aspx)

"VISION: West Virginia Public Broadcasting, through our unique programs and services, will empower people to broaden their perspectives, appreciate their history and become active in their communities. Using the power of public service media, we will create more informed, more educated, more motivated, and more prosperous citizens who will build a better West Virginia for our children and grandchildren." - from the West Virginia Public Broadcasting website. (http://www.wvpubcast.org/about.aspx)

--Higginbotham At Large reads all submitted comments but anonymous and pseudonymous comments will not be published. 

Nobody Would Ever Guess That WV Public Broadcasting Is Governed By An "Educational Broadcasting Authority"

Perhaps West Virginia Public Broadcasting's executive director, Dennis Adkins, could solve  WVPBS' financial problems - reported by Phil Kabler in the 7 June Charleston Gazette - if he spent less time finding ways to alienate the kind of people who comprise public broadcasting's natural constituency. 


With its Catholic preaching shows, shows that promote "intelligent design" (Journey Of The Universe) and its shows that feature dozens of fat,  semi-famous gospel singers sitting around singing and crying with each other, nobody would ever guess that West Virginia Public Broadcasting is governed by something called "The West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority".


Because I am old enough to remember when we actually called public TV "Educational Television", I'm probably not in Dennis Adkins' target demo, but I should be. People like me have a natural desire to support public broadcasting but can't bring ourselves to write a check when we turn on WVPBS and see some globetrotting Catholic preacher yammering about  how God "jammed the cross into the machinery of sin" and separation from God and how the resurrection of Jesus conquered death and so on.


When I go to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting's website and look at the makeup of the EBA board, I count at least 3 professional educators (Jorea Marple, Bruce Berry, Priscilla M. Haden). I hope these 3 professional educators will actually tune in to WVPBS some time and ask themselves if WVPBS makes them proud.


To be fair, WVPBS also airs some outstanding shows, but people like me who remember when separation of church and state was actually taught in 9th grade Civics, are offended when WVPBS, which receives some taxpayer support, airs preaching and gospel singing when it could be airing something educational.

How To Get WVPBS to Promote Your Religion

When I complained about gospel preaching, gospel singing and "intelligent design" programming on West Virginia PBS the  Director of Programming, Craig Lanham, said the offensive programming was donated free of charge so it didn't cost taxpayers anything.

Hmmm. Does this mean that Sam Singleton , Atheist Evangelist, could get DVDs of his act on WVPBS if he donates them for free?

If Dan Barker donates CDs of his atheist tunes would Craig Lanham air those?

And what about Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus; can they get Craig Lanham to broadcast shows that promote their religions of they donate the programs free of charge?

To offer Craig Lanham and WVPBS free DVDs that promote your religion, email Clanham@wvpubcast.org or call Craig Lanham at (304) 254-7896.

Why Won't WVPBS Meet With Me?

If you've been feeling lately that WVPBS stands for West Virginia Parochial Broadcasting System, then you've seen the same gospel preaching and gospel singing shows I've seen and wondered why WVPBS is promoting a religion. Every time I see gospel sings, "intelligent design" shows and shows in which a preacher asserts that "God jammed the cross into the machinery of sin and separation from God" or "the resurrection of Jesus conquered death" I wonder why my tax money is being used to support and promote the Christian religion.


Does WVPBS plan to air atheist singing shows or Muslim singing shows? Does WVPBS plan to let Hindus or Buddhists preach on their channels?


I've been trying for some time now to get someone at WVPBS to meet with me so I can discuss these programming issues with someone in charge but, as of this writing, my emails and voice mails to Dennis Adkins, Marilyn DiVita and various board members have gone unanswered and unacknowledged. 


Only Program Director, Craig Lanham, bothered to phone me. I give him kudos for that but I'm pretty sure I heard him snort when I mentioned "separation of church and state". Then  he started using words like "conservative" and "liberal" - words I didn't use. I didn't come away from that phone call with a feeling that WVPBS understands my concerns so I'm still seeking a meeting.


If any of my readers have influence at WVPBS, please show them this post and help me get a meeting with someone who will listen to my concerns. Maybe we can go together. We can call the meeting "Occupy WVPBS".

Open Letter To West Virginia Public Broadcasting

I’m shocked, puzzled, offended and even embarrassed at how much gospel music programming WVPBS has been airing lately.

Isn’t WVPB still under authority of EBA? And what, exactly, is the educational value of Bill Gaither and a bunch of his gospel music friends or the Statler Brothers ?

And even though some of WVPB receives private donations from viewers and listeners, doesn’t most of WVPB’s operating revenue still come from taxpayers?

Not only does gospel music programming appeal to and promote just one religion, gospel music programming of this sort promotes and appeals to a subset within that one Christian religion while it offends and alienates and disenfranchises everyone not of that subset of the Christian religion.

And finally, I am embarrassed at what visitors to our state must think when, after a long day of travel or work they turn on the hotel TV, tune to a PBS station hoping to find NOVA or Frontline or one of PBS’s fine shows only to find the most public of public airwaves being used to promote hillbilly religion while offending and disenfranchising taxpayers who are not practitioners of that hillbilly religion.