Des Moines Register
01-16-07
Iowa Public Radio pulls show after complaints
WOI, WSUI and KUNI will air 'On Point' instead of the 'Diane Rehm Show.'
By DAVID ELBERT
REGISTER BUSINESS EDITOR
Two weeks after launching extensive programing changes, listener complaints
have caused Iowa's new public radio network to pull the syndicated Diane Rehm
talk show from a key morning time slot and replace it with "On Point."
Beginning next week, "On Point" will fill the 9-10 a.m. weekday slot on Iowa
Public Radio's news stations - WOI-AM (640) in Ames, WSUI-AM (910) in Iowa
City and KUNI-FM (90.9) in Cedar Falls, said Todd Mundt, director of
programing.
Iowa's university-owned public radio stations merged last year to create Iowa
Public Radio, and on Jan. 1 the new network rolled out a mostly uniform
programming schedule for the news stations operated by Iowa State University,
the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.
The stations had previously all handled their own programing, sometimes running
the same shows at different times. With the new schedule, most syndicated
shows run at the same time on all three stations.
The Jan. 1 change placed the first hour of National Public Radio's two-hour
"Diane Rehm Show" in the 9 a.m. weekday slot. The show, which had not
previously aired in Iowa, wound up generating a considerable number of
complaints, Mundt said.
KUNI audience members said they were unhappy that Rehm had replaced "On
Point," a talk show from Boston hosted by Tom Ashbrook. Listeners to WOI and
WSUI, where the Rehm show replaced local programming, said they simply did
not like the show, Mundt said.
The new statewide network is trying to be sensitive to the concerns of listeners,
and given the volume of complaints, Mundt said, he decided to go ahead and
make a switch now.
Listeners said they "didn't feel the (Rehm) shows were as interesting or as
thought-provoking as 'On Point' was," Mundt said.
There were about 750 complaints from listeners about the programing changes,
Mundt said.
"This was the only issue that really got a wide response from people," he said.
Since Jan. 1, the Iowa Public Radio stations have aired the full two hours of
Rehm's show beginning at 9 p.m. weeknights. That will not change, Mundt said.
Business Editor David Elbert can be reached at (515) 284-8533 or
delbert@dmreg.com