The Oregonian ran a story today about OPB Radio's "Performance Today" being moved to KBPS-FM on January 15th. The NPR program will be cut by one hour when it make it's move. If you remember back to September 1, 1997 when OPB Radio dropped Classical music programming including "Performance Today" except for classical weekends, the brouhaha that occurred! OPB Radio later backed down by restoring "PT".

Not to take anything away from KBPS-FM but the station does not cover Oregon like the OPB Radio Network of stations and translators. I feel sorry for the listeners in hamlets like Valley Falls, Mount Vernon, Halfway, Burns, Silver Lake, etc. who can not receive KBPS-FM over the air.

This from OPB:

http://pressroom.opb.org/pressreleases/200612043

Yeah the loss to the small markets (or less than small) is the big loser in this deal. I had a call from a listener in La Grande that was sure we had a translator in Pendleton at 89.1 but just needed some help to "tune it in" to listen to us.

What has really impressed me about the whole change is the cooperation from OPB. When was the last time YOUR station ran promos about a show that was leaving your airwaves and moving to another station?

At least we have the webstream available, but does anybody know if you can even GET on the intertubes in Halfway? Funny that you mention Halfway, as my mother was raised there until they moved to the big town of Baker City for High School.

Turns out that Halfway is the site of An OPB translator, K217BO on 91.3, that relays the OPB signal from KRBM (90.9) Pendleton.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=50595

Welcome Aboard, The_special_master!

I'd tell them to try for KBSU-FM, but OPB stuck a co-channel C2 in La Grande. Hmmmm

OK. Maybe I need to be more clear. If you can get OPB and listen to Performance Today you will not hear Performance Today on OPB starting Jan 15th. Performance Today will then be carried on KBPS. SO if you don't live in the KBPS coverage area for the Portland Metro area or in Hood River you will not hear Performance Today from ANY OPB translator regardless of its location.

We are going to add the Windows Media Player to our stream soon so you won't have to use just Real Player to stream the station. We are also adding a lower bit rate stream just for dial-up connections. Hopefully this will help to serve those people who no longer can listen to Performance Today.
Earlier I asked if Halfway even had internet service, but I forgot that they changed the name of the town for a year to Half.com!

Thanks JR! I really enjoy reading the DX stories. I sent a FAN bumper sticker along with his reception confirmation to a guy in Finland that spends his vacation above the Arctic Circle DXing North American stations.

offering a low bit rate steam for dial up users is so 20th century!

if people actually want to hear OPB chances are they are within range of an FM signal where the can get some quality.

on another note... and it sounds like you work for OPB, mr special master... what is the point of having unprocessed rock music on KOPB HD2?

to me it just doesnt jive with the OPB image or mission.

What's going to air in it's place..."Morning Becomes Eclectic" from Santa Monica?

If you listen to OPB Radio, they're already promoting what's replacing Performance Today.
Two shows: Here & Now and World Have Your Say

KBPS is looking for radio talent to replace Shaun Yu, who left recently. Anyone with knowledge of classical music?

Here's the 89.9 job details.

http://www.allclassical.org/pages/aboutus_employment.php5

Notalent:

"offering a low bit rate steam for dial up users is so 20th century!

if people actually want to hear OPB chances are they are within range of an FM signal where the can get some quality."

Not, to mention, from first-hand experience, playing an audio stream of ANY bandwidth over a dial-up system only slows things down even more than they already are! (Audio and video streams, respectively, tend to be tremendous hogs of internet bandwidth. Especially so on DUN connections.)

Might as well tune it in on my stereo, hear it in far better sound quality, and save myself a few bytes...........

Of course there's always Satellite audio (and I can't seem to recommend listening FTA enough) but that's a whole different kettle of worms.