WGBH nixes Open Source

Published Jun 13 2007, 09:45 PM by Adam Reilly

Breaking public-radio news: starting in July, WGBH-FM (89.7) won't be carrying Chris Lydon's Open Source program.

Surprised? So was I. After all, the Globe recently reported that Open Source--which was just dropped by its former distributor, Public Radio International--had scraped together enough money to keep operating through the end of the summer.

But WGBH spokesperson Lucy Sholley says it's so. "WGBH was proud to bring [Lydon] back to public radio, and we wish him and Open Source Media the best of luck," she adds. "We hope there will be other opportunities for us to work together in the future."

The tipster who alerted us to this development also said that Open Source Media, Lydon's production company, still owes 'GBH thousands of dollars in studio fees. (To state the semi-obvious, Open Source Media rents out 'GBH studio space to make the show.) Sholley wouldn't comment on this. "We have a business arrangement with Open Source Media in that we lease them our studio space," she says, "and it would be inappropriate for us to comment on a business arrangement."

I've tried and failed to reach Mary McGrath, Lydon's producer; if I get comment from her or Lydon, I'll post it here. In the meantime, it's hard not to wonder how this development will affect Open Source's fundraising efforts--and whether some of the program's recent benefactors might regret their decision.

Levy to Globe: copy Boston Now!

Congrats to my former colleague Mark Jurkowitz...

11 Comments

themofo said:

Hallelujah-- the world has enough hot air these days. Please tell me Eric in the Evening will come back to the 7 p.m. hour, as was intended by mother nature.

June 14, 2007 12:57 PM
Ian Lamont said:

It's too bad if the program disappears from the airwaves. Yes, the program was a little rough at times -- mics don't always work, some of the guests prattle on too long, and many of the conversations are one-sided -- but Lydon is a talented host, does his research, and is able to keep the discussions going. I think the Boston airwaves need a radio show like Open Source, and a host like Lydon. I hope some other arrangement can be worked out.

June 14, 2007 1:53 PM
Man who's a lydon fan said:

Wouldn't be a delicious irony if Open Source ended up on WRKO? Certainly Lydon would get better ratings than anything else on 680AM (save for the Red Sox, of course)

June 14, 2007 3:32 PM
Suldog said:

Well, I certainly hope that Christopher Lydon lands on his feet. He's been one of the bright spots of Boston's airwaves for too many years to go out on such a down note.

June 14, 2007 4:36 PM
don warner saklad said:

The difficulty with these types of broadcasts on WGBH and WBUR is that not enough original research and thought is done. It's more from the supplied press releases. Then there is the screening of callers. The screening is not done fairly. The screening is not open in a manner that listeners can assure themselves that it is done in a fair manner. The technology used in the screening is not make well known. While Chris Lydon is the better of the broadcasts, the guy on WBUR fails to challenge the information on the supplied press releases. Details about the screening technology used should be made available, the computers, the software, the practices of the producers taking the calls. More challenging conversations should be directed toward guests on the broadcast.

June 15, 2007 11:25 AM
don warner saklad said:

WBUR is that not enough original research and thought is done. It's more from the supplied press releases. Then there is the screening of callers. The screening is not open in a manner that listeners can assure themselves that it is done in a fairly. The technology used in the screening is not made well known. While Chris Lydon is the better of the broadcasts, the guy on WBUR fails to challenge the information on the supplied press releases. Details about the screening technology used should be made available, the computers, the software, the practices of the producers taking the calls. More challenging conversations should be directed toward guests on the broadcast.

June 15, 2007 11:28 AM
Sharoney said:

If WBUR were smart they'd dump Tom Ashbrook, whose vocal quirks drive me up a wall ("and uh, uh, uh, yet, it CONTINUUUUUUES..."), and, as don points out, falls back on press releases and doesn't do his homework, with the result that he's constantly trying to steer things to where HE'S comfortable rather than where the conversation logically wants to go. The only thing that drove me nuts about Chris Lydon was his cultlike admiration for Camille Paglia. I hate that woman with the white-hot hate of a thousand suns.

June 15, 2007 7:55 PM
Man who's a lydon fan said:

Mr. Saklad, I know several people who work at both WBUR and WGBH, and your accusations are totally baseless. The screening isn't terribly complicated, it's to allow people who have an intelligent and reasoned question/comment to get through, and keep the screamers/accusers out. The latter have WRKO and WTKK, why do they feel the need for WBUR as well???

June 16, 2007 4:48 AM
About Time said:

It's about time this show was canned. Lydon's delivery is far too caustic and loud, not to mention the fact that his show pushed Eric in the Evening back an hour. Co-opting the 'Open Source' name to promote his show was a hackneyed attempt to curry favor with the Boston nerd-elite. The idea of merging blogging and a radio show has merit, but Lydon's acrid implementation failed. Good riddance.

June 18, 2007 12:29 AM
Jack Rhiannon said:

Adam, don't know if you ever got through to Mary McGrath, but she's made some posts at the Open Source site: <a href="http://www.radioopensource.org/marys-notes-june-15-2007/">http://www.radioopensource.org/marys-notes-june-15-2007/</a> <a href="http://www.radioopensource.org/marys-notes-june-14-2007/">http://www.radioopensource.org/marys-notes-june-14-2007/</A>

June 18, 2007 8:34 PM
Hoo Ray said:

I had a rather nasty staph infection once. It started on my earlobe, took over my ear, crept down my neck and took 2 weeks of IV antibiotics to cure. The physicians who treated me informed me the cause of the infection apparently was listening to Open Sores. Hopefully now others will be spared the same fate. See, there's a silver lining in EVERY cloud! :)

June 29, 2007 6:51 AM