KALW Listener Reaction Since the Halving of Tangents 

What are the measures of success or failure of the new programming? How will you measure the success of the new programming?  Are you more concerned with increasing the diversity of programming, DJs or listeners? How will you measure new listeners? What if new listeners are not new donors? How much time will you give for a new show to find an audience? I am a long time supporter, but I need to reconsider if the new programming is not relevant for me. If the new shows become popular, but offer programming that can be heard elsewhere, will you continue with them or will you reinstate the shows that have eclectic programming. What demographic are you trying to increase the most -younger listeners or more ethnically diverse listeners? Do you have data that support that there are young listeners of radio or other media in which KALW puts out programming.

Will you sacrifice diversity of programming for diversity of DJs? I do not believe the programming will become more diverse and I do believe that the new programming will be less diverse than Tangents and more available elsewhere.

It will interesting to see if more diverse programmers will bring in more diverse listeners. If the new programming is less diverse and more available elsewhere, will you keep the new programming just for the diversity of programmers? More important, if you gain a more diverse audience that listens to more mainstream and available music, will you sacrifice programming diversity?


Dore note: To my knowledge Paul's important questions have yet to be adequately addressed publicly by KALW. 

Scroll down to after the letters section for other chat entries from the July 12-13 KALW Public Zoom Calls

I am sorry to read of the cut back in your air time.  It is an ongoing conundrum in the arts - is diversity in the art or the artist?

Take good care.

Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan

Ben Pease

Dear Ms. Pamintuan;

Of course all of us encourage and are working on creating access and equity for all communities in a variety of contexts.  Tangents Radio has been providing access and equity for a multitude of community voices of all ages, and genders since its inception.  Why would anyone want to change successful and accessible programming by shrinking Tangents to a two-hour format?

As an avid Tangents listener,  I can affirm that music is played from global communities.  Diverse musicians from  have been invited on to Tangents to speak about their heritage which informs their music.  These are voices that aren't heard on other radio stations.  Why would anyone want to reduce the time for these BIPOC artists to share their insights?

Which leads to the section devoted to the Middle East, "Gaza Corner."  A two-hour format cannot support all the unique programming that Dore Stein and created.  We need to know more about what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank.  Sadly, mainstream news, including NPR, does not give air time to provide in-depth reporting on events in Gaza.  Why would anyone want to diminish this voice of one of the BIPOC community members?

Tangents is now scheduled for a 10pm to midnight time slot which, unfortunately, will reduce the numbers of the listening audience and may impact successful fundraising efforts.  Tangents needs to be available for all ages which an earlier start time provides.  Why would anyone want to loose an audience share of a successful high caliber program?

In the future I will have to rethink whether to continue my membership with KALW or, at least, the amount of my donation.  Please reflect about  my after-the-fact -- meaning public comment after a management decision about programming was already settled upon -- experience with listening to Tangents throughout many years.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Ruben


Dear General Manager Tina Pamintuan:

I hope this message is not too late. I’m in Spain though keeping up via KALW.org, NPR One and email. I understand that you and KALW are considering reducing Tangents time from 4 to 2 hours out of a desire to improve the station’s DEI commitment and to increase the diversity of the programming. As a longtime listener and supporter of KALW, I beg you to reconsider.

Tangents is a unique show. There’s nothing else like it and it needs the space of four hours to fulfill its mission of cross-pollination. Engaging with other cultures is not easy; it takes time, patience and a gentle touch — one that music is uniquely privileged to foster. Dore achieves that in his soft-spoken yet passionate way, opening up his listeners’ ears to beauty and through that their hearts and minds to other cultures. Yes, he’s a cis-while male of a certain age, but I beg you to look at what Tangents does and not at the identity boxes that its host ticks.

Dore and Tangents have built a community that extends beyond the 4-hour show but is always anchored by it. There is a reason that faiths and cultures have regular practices and rituals. That’s how they are realized and sustained. The Tangents show is that for this oh-so-San Francisco community.

I’d like to share just one example. The Tangents community has long held informal gatherings to hear live music. Dore has introduced and championed an incredibly diverse number of artists to our community over the years. One, which was hosted in Dore’s modest home several years ago, featured the accomplished young Palestinian qanun (like a zither or autoharp) player, Ali Paris. He shared his moving story with grace and humor as well as his beautiful music. (More about him here.) Fostering that sort of cross-cultural engagement through music is the essence of what Tangents is. It is not only wonderful and sustaining from an artistic standpoint (a standpoint that requires the space of four hours to fulfill the free expression that patiently opens ears and hearts), it’s a very special and I think profound form of peacemaking, of healing.

Dore’s Gaza Corner is of course the purest expression of this. As one who has done work in the field of human rights law and historic memory, I can testify to the critical importance of getting all the information. There can be no reconciliation without truth.

I will close with a link to an article in today’s NYT about a rap video that’s recently gone viral in Israel. (I’ve inserted the links below.) It’s another, much sharper form of what I’m talking about here. The video is a much-needed slap in the face, the kind that hopefully will open ears, hearts and minds. We need more than the slap in the face though, as even the most viral videos can be quickly forgotten. We need the gentler and more sustained though no less passionate form of artistic and cultural engagement that Tangents provides.

Please reconsider this decision and allow Tangents to remain the sustaining anchor that it is in its current 4-hour slot.

Thank you for considering this.

Sincerely, 

Nico van Aelstyn

Dear KALW—

As a subscriber to KALW, and also a lifetime, full-time musician, I would like you to keep Tangents running for the full 4 hours, and not shorten the show. Here is why:

1- For as many years as I can remember, Tangents (and Dore Stein) have presented us with excellent programming, presenting music from all over the world, and presenting us with not only “world music”, but “World Class” music. This is not trivial. It cannot be done by just anyone.  To a professional musician such as myself, it is apparent that Dore Stein is such a valuable curator,,,, these skills cannot be easily found in just anyone.

2- Further, it is my understanding that KALW wants to cut Tangents in order to “give room to new voices.” While this is admirable in the abstract, I have to say, again, as a music professional,,, music is actually a very small part of KALW’s programming, and so there are plenty of hours KALW could devote to “give room to more voices”,  just cut several hours of news and talk shows. News is depressing; music is much better for people, and healthier as well!

3- It is also my understanding that in claiming that KALW wants to “Give more room to new voices,” KALW apparently wants to broadcast syndicated programs multiple times in weekly programming, as opposed to giving voice to "Live, Local, Programing.” It is actually hard to follow that line of reasoning: syndicated shows are, by nature, not “giving room to new voices”, since these shows are not really “new” and besides, the syndicated shows are “listen-on-demand” from their respective websites.

4- Lastly, I have a question: in your re-programming, did you consult with local Bay Area musicians? Or did you consult with a “consultant”? Certainly, the Bay Area is a very ethnically diverse area,,,, local musicians are best able to express their concerns about Bay Area radio; and in case you did not know, we Bay Area musicians have been consistently cut from live, local radio over the 45 years I have lived here, That is just a fact, and one that the board of KALW should address if they are really concerned about “giving room to new voices."

Thank you for considering my requests and opinions.
==
Ernie Mansfield/ Mansfield Music

To KALW station management and SFUSD Board of Directors,

I’ve been listening to the new weekday evening DJs.  I’m not a musician/DJ, but I’ve always been very engaged and open to listening to a wide range of music genres.

Please consider my comments as hope for growth.  I appreciate the new DJs are just starting on their KALW journey.  I’m on their side!  I hope to see their programming and community continue to grow, and to be there with them as it does. 

While I found their shows to be a nice commercial-free backdrop to my evenings, as an active listener I was hoping for them to open my ears more widely, and take me on fantastic musical journeys, and provide more background and information on, and their personal engagement with, the artists they were presenting.  While there were nuggets and gems I’m grateful they exposed me to, my impression was most of the selections were in well established lanes: soul/r&b, electronic, dance, Latin, alternative, jazz, rap, hip/hop and such.  These genres are not hard for me to find.

With a few exceptions, I didn’t hear nearly as much blending of different musical cultures, nor a subjective thing I call Depth and Mystery, that Tangents Radio delivers every week.  There is nowhere else I can go for what I call Global Music Meld, that is Tangents Radio and Dore Stein.

I was very disappointed when Tangents Radio was cut in half, and especially with how it was done.  This had the look of station management deliberately avoiding any understanding of how Tangents Radio over the years has delivered to the newly stated goals of KALW.   It certainly showed no consideration or appreciation to its generous listeners.  It came across as if we were being unceremoniously elbowed out of the way.  For listener supported public radio it’s not a good look, and left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. 

I hope you can give Tangents Radio at least an extra hour, and otherwise publicly acknowledge and respect Dore’s contributions over the years promoting local and world BIPOC musicians and their music, that makes KALW an enriching destination for many of us. 

It would mean a lot to me, and to my future support of KALW.

Thank you, and best of luck!

Chris Northcutt
San Francisco, CA,

Dear KALW Management Team,

I am writing to express my anger and disappointment regarding some of the forthcoming programming changes, specifically the reduction in duration of the Saturday evening show Tangents.

During my nearly 30 years as a listener and supporter, KALW has represented a grass-roots, ground-up, endearingly scrappy-but-always-rich resource for community-based programming, and has offered an alternative voice to other public media and local radio stations such as KQED and KPFA for this community.  A significant factor of why I have remained a listener and supporting member of this station is exactly because it has consistently provided space for live music programs like Tangents, and has given Dore Stein free reign without prescriptive requirements for the content.  The show regularly features under-represented artists from around the world, including a rich array of BIPOC artists.  There is no show like it anywhere, and I have been thrilled to have it available on my local station!  Do not squander this treasure!  I understand that Tangents is not going away, but the reduction in time takes away from the freeform radio that it has delivered, and forces a decision to cut Gaza Corner - a platform feature within Tangents - for alternative voices on issues that exists nowhere else on radio (or other media platforms, for that matter).

I attended one of the Zoom calls hosted by general manager Tina Pamintuan this week.  It is clear that the ink has long dried on the changes and that community input was not seriously considered.  Tina indicated that KALW management, the Board of Public Media, and 'music consultants', including KCRW's Aaron Byrd where consulted and have provided direction. Why not reach out to the community that this station is serving?  Or the wealth of local radio hosts at KALW?  On the Zoom call listeners were asked to do a 'deep examination of our positions'.  Tina stated that she empathized with the commenters on the call and suggested to not be emotional.  My anger, a warranted and rational response, is not because I fear change or oppose diversity - it's quite the opposite.  I personally am not opposed to bringing in new voices for music programming (I do have questions about a single curator), and am curious about the partnership with 25th Street Recording Oakland - I welcome it.  My position is that this wholesale uprooting of the entire programming calendar and cutting some of the most eclectic, live, transcultural music programming anywhere looks like a big middle finger to the community that this station has served, and is antithetical to the very core of what KALW has represented.

I agree that there is room for change in the schedule, perhaps by removing duplicative programming or programming that does not relate to the local community.  KALW has a host of unique local programming, the removal and reduction of which takes away from the very diversity being sought.  These transformational changes all at once will seem like an entirely new station - perhaps that is the goal?  Introducing new programming to attract new listeners and expand diversity should not be at the expense of the audience you already have. 

As of last night (Friday) I could see no indication of the balance of program moves to accommodate the 20 hours a week of eclectic music programming being added to the weeknight schedule.  I have heard a few of the weekday music hosts announce their moves.  What about the rest of it?  Are people going to wake up next week and think they've tuned in to KCRW?

I appreciate the opportunity to send this note.  I am left with the choice to vote with my dollar, and will be seriously considering withdrawing my sustaining membership commitment based on these broad changes and disregard for the community that this station has served.

Good luck.

Kim Swanson
San Francisco


Dear Ms. Pamintuan,

I consider Tangents to be the crown jewel of KALW’s lineup. Tangents is a revelatory delight, and there is nothing comparable to it in my experience. Dore has a breadth of understanding and sureness of taste that you should celebrate; instead, you’re cutting out half of his show. Astounding!

I have what many people consider to be an encyclopedic knowledge of music, cultivated over decades, but Dore is miles ahead of me. I do know enough, however, to recognize that Dore champions artists from a far broader array of cultures and ethnicities than any other radio host that I know of (I’m mixed race and multi-cultural, BTW). I’ve lost track of the times that I’ve discovered new artists on Tangents who have gone on to become personal favorites. It baffles me that you would take time away from a locally produced show of such inspired and inspiring quality, while still running national shows that can be heard on other Bay Area stations, some even in the same time slot! I am also fond of other shows that are suffering under your reorganization, such as Folk Music and Beyond.

I know your intentions are good, but to me the changes are shortsighted, counter-productive, damaging to KALW’s place in Bay Area culture, and on a personal level, deeply disappointing.

Regards,
Uncle Pili
(Llewellyn ʻUnihipiliowailelepualu Moreno)

Tina,

By way of introduction, I am the President & co-founder of San Francisco based record label Six Degrees Records.

This year my label is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of releasing music from around the World from such notable artists as Bebel Gilberto, Vieux Farka Toure, Ceu, Dom La Nena, Karsh Kale & many others. Some of the artists on my roster, such as Meklit, Jef Stott, Los Mocosos and the late Cheb i Sabbah happen to also be Bay Area based.

This recent feature on us from the SF Chronicle's Datebook section will give you some more info on my label and our contributions to the global & Bay Area music landscape:

Before working on the label side of the music biz, I worked for many years in both commercial and non-commercial radio as a programmer and an on-air announcer in markets like Madison WI, New York & Seattle.

For the purposes of full disclosure, I am also a long time friend of Dore Stein and have filled in for him when he has not been able to do Tangents.

I'm writing today to express my concern over the idea of cutting Tangents' air time.

I completely understand & support the concept of making room on the airwaves  for a more diverse group of programming voices. What I don't understand is why that needs to be facilitated by gutting a locally produced treasure like Tangents, a show that has consistently advocated for musical diversity & one which for many years has actively promoted music from the cultures that are under represented.

As a label owner, I can tell you that there is absolutely no doubt that the Bay Area is a more diverse & colorful place because of Tangents. Musicians from around the planet come to perform here because they have a popular radio outlet that supports and promotes their music & because Dore has championed them and their art to a large and enthusiastic audience that he has nurtured & grown over his many years on our local airwaves.

Speaking for myself, many of my artsts have been able to book gigs in the Bay Area based on the support of Tangents.

Dore's approach to the mission of Tangents is no knee jerk nod to diversity. As a radio host and a passionate curator of global sounds, he has consistently "walked the walk" of actively creating a space and an enviroment where the art & culture of exactly the people whose voices we want to raise up and expose are amplified & given a platform.

In fact, Dore is exactly the kind of ally that we need more of in broadcasting.

It seems to me that instead of cutting a unique, jewel of a show like Tangents in half, wouldn't it make more sense to look at cutting some of the national programming that KALW airs, programming that is already available in any number of other places?

As a local business owner, a former radio person AND a long time KALW listener, I think that this is an issue that I come to from a pretty unique perspective & I would hope that you take such a perspective to heart when addressing what are obviously very important, yet also quite complicated issues.

I am at your disposal should you want to discuss any of this further & I appreciate your time in reading my thoughts.

Bob Duskis/Six Degrees Records

feedback@kalw.org:

I’m really sad that Tangents is being cut in half. It’s a Bay Area original. Hugely diverse playlist. Broader exposure to music of different cultures than any single show I know of. I loved being exposed to so many different musics from around the world and North America. This is a real loss to music lovers, especially those of us wanting to hear new and diverse musical expressions.

Bill Burke
San Francisco

Dear Ms. Pamintuan:

It is with deep dismay that I have been informed about cutting by half,  the hours for the amazing and well-supported music program, Tangents with Dore Stein on Saturday nights.  In response to the shock of this news:  I have been listening to this program for well over a decade — as a local, live and extremely original program, it is a gem!

At a time when music that covers a wide range of cultural voices is requisite, Tangents stands out!   At a time when the local and global music listeners need “togetherness”, Tangents stands out!  At a time when arts advocacy is MOST important — Tangents stands out! 

Tangents listeners are an amazing crowd — loyal, enthusiastic about music, creative thinkers/intelligent listeners and also DONORS.  Tangents is unique, unpredictable,  wide spectrum and world class — we LOVE IT! 

If there is a possibility to reinstate all FOUR HOURS of Tangents programming — that is a big plus for KALW and its mission, a huge gift for the discerning listeners of multi-cultural music in the Bay Area and for the many streaming listeners everywhere .  It fills our Saturday nights with music from dizzying combinations of cultures and artists, with music you may NEVER hear anywhere else EVER, with historical information about the artists, instrumentation, and backstories that flesh out the listening imagery and programs so very well  connected to the local music community.

Tangents is a continuous source of inspired music curation that is something to look forward to each week-- a radio treasure trove.

Keep KALW relevant by reinstating the full programming hours for Tangents! 

Sincerely,

Jeanette Cool

Greetings Tina.

Congratulations, kudos and much gratitude to you for your considerable efforts and intentions in steering KALW even deeper towards equity and diversity. It is a refreshing, inspiring and necessary response to the needs of our times. However, it is disturbing to me that the program that best represents equity and diversity and probably brings in the most donations from its faithful listenership - Tangents -  is being drastically cut. I do not understand the logic there. If diversity, equity and inclusion are priorities, it seems quite counterproductive to cut back Tangents.

John Santos
SF native,
7-time Grammy nominee,
SFJAZZ Trustee,
Bandleader,
Educator (SFSU, Calif. Jazz Conservatory, College of San Mateo)

 Ms. Pamintuan:

An 11 year San Francisco Arts Commissioner, and an ex-UC Berkeley faculty member and Stanford and MIT Visiting Professor, I am sometimes called upon to host official city visitors who want examples of this region’s famously diverse cultural/societal/political life. They usually ask for a direct window into our local character, level of sophistication, often persuaded the  Bay Area has an historic role in assisting advance U.S. social policies. Tangents and  KALW are central in that national dialog.

I have for years urged our visitors to listen to Tangents .  Just as we do…. either while they are here, or to listen streaming after they return to their own cities. Tangents’ and KALW’s long commitment to world peace, expressed through music, is a treasured city voice for thousands. That contingent greatly increases Dore’s large audience of musicians. We locals, so many immigrants and from minority families, have good reasons to contribute also to KPFA, KALW, KQED… and to others, but it is Tangents that brings to KALW our modest but heartfelt annual $ contribution. Give the show its due, prime time.

 Rod Freebairn-Smith

I'm disappointed with your recent programming changes, especially reducing Tangents from 4 hours to 2.

I believe I understand that decision's background - professional advice that music shows are best in 2 hour blocks. But that diminishes Dore Stein's amazing ability to improvise sets that *flow*, one piece to the next, often across musical categories, *seamlessly*, in 15 minute to 1 hour sets.

Dore is one of the few remaining masters of free-form programming, incorporating all ethnicities and genres with which a producer is familiar. 5 decades of serious research & programming has given him a massive mental database along with an astonishing memory that allows him to improvise as he does, spanning the 20th century to newly released material, sometimes even music he himself has recorded.

A 2-hour show does not restrict many music show producers. Dore is an exception. Who else can produce 4-hour show with such depth and breadth? I imagine Dore can name a few other dj's in his league. I only know of *one*.

Dore has a long track record of making the most of his 4-hour time block. 2 hours drastically changes the feel of Tangents. I hope you'll consider using 2 hour blocks for music as a Rule of Thumb, meaning the use of a different metric when quality is seriously impacted, as I believe it is in this case.

Respectfully,

Joel Denney
KALW supporter

August 22, 2021

Dear Ms. Pamintuan:

I wish to add my voice to the clamor already raised in response to your changes in KALW’s music programming. Like those who have already responded, I have every interest in increasing the diversity of programmers and programming at the station. I do, however, question some of the decisions that do not seem to further this mission.

Saturdays, especially, used to be a delightful, long presentation of music of various genres. This has been whittled down even before the recent changes, and some of the program substitutions have been NPR syndicated programs, not shows aligned with the expressed mission. I lament the cutting of Folk Music and Beyond, which presents a variety of music. “Folk music” is certainly not a limited or singular genre.

The most significant loss, however, is the slashing of Tangents from four to two hours. The station mentions wanting not to have “siloed” shows. If there is any program that is not siloed, it is Tangents. Nowhere can we hear the incredible diversity of music that Dore Stein presents! I defy anyone to find a program representing as many genres, countries, artists, and eras as Tangents. The fact that Dore includes Gaza Corner, a well-informed and valuable presentation of important developments in Israel-Palestine just serves to enrich the program. This voice for social justice should be valued and preserved.

I have been a sustaining member of the station for years, largely because of the music programming and especially because of Tangents. A four-hour Tangents show is a treasure that should be preserved. Please reconsider this decision!

Alexandra Cons