[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 17, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H4021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CANCELLATION OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC BY WAMU

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, several years ago when I arrived in 
Washington as a newly elected Congressman and an unabashed bluegrass 
and country music enthusiast, one of my first noncongressional, self-
appointed assignments was to identify the right radio station. WAMU 
88.5 was that station.
  Ray Davis and Jerry Gray, genial down-home hosts, escorted us through 
bluegrass country Monday through Friday. At that time the bluegrass 
program, as I recall, was aired from noon until 6 p.m. That time slot 
subsequently was reduced by half running them from 3 until 6 p.m. I did 
not take umbrage with this change and concluded it was not 
unreasonable. Six hours is, after all, a formidable block of time and 
reducing it to 3 hours appeared to be a fair compromise.
  The recent heavy-handed action taken by WAMU is neither fair nor a 
compromise; and as I told a Washington Post reporter recently, as we 
say in the rural South, I am hopping mad about it.
  The powers that be at WAMU have eliminated the Monday through Friday 
bluegrass that we so much enjoyed with Ray Davis and Jerry Gray. What 
were 3 hours of bliss have become 3 hours of painful silence; and it 
appears this silencing exercise was executed abruptly, with precision 
and with no advanced warning.
  Were Ray Davis and Jerry Gray afforded the courtesy of saying good-
bye to their host of loyal listeners? Obviously not.
  I am told that now in the D.C. listening area we have two giants of 
public radio both supported by taxpayers, presumably tax exempt, 
broadcasting identical programs an hour apart and both broadcasting 
these programs twice to captive drive-time audiences. What became of 
diversity, the commodity so frequently promoted by public radio?
  Many listeners of WAMU have contacted me about this matter and most 
of these listeners are versatile in their musical tastes. They enjoy 
bluegrass and country, as do I, but they enjoy the classics as well, as 
do I. But the WAMU decision-makers have made the former more difficult 
to receive than the latter. We no longer hear Jim and Jesse and the 
Virginia Boys play and sing Paradise or Better Times A Comin'. We no 
longer hear Earl Scruggs, ably backed by Lester Flatt and the Foggy 
Mountain Boys as he plays the Flint Hill Special. During December's 
yuletide season, the Monday through Friday bluegrass fans will be 
deprived of Christmas Time A Comin' by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass 
Boys or the Country Gentlemen's version of Back Home at Christmas Time.
  We, the Monday through Friday group, will have to make adjustments. 
As a member of Congress, I have consistently contributed to WAMU's 
various campaigns. I may have to direct my future contributions 
elsewhere because I do not appreciate the manner in which it appears 
WAMU terminated the Monday through Friday bluegrass programs.
  Ray Davis and Jerry Gray deserve better. WAMU's listeners deserve 
better. These listeners, by the way, are intensely loyal. So WAMU may 
be pursuing a volatile course.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, drawing from my days in the rural South, when 
youngsters misbehaved they were taken to the woodshed. You know, 
perhaps the WAMU management team members need to be introduced to the 
woodshed. For it is my belief they have misbehaved to the detriment of 
many innocent observers.

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