Radio melodrama.

Station dumps morning team, replaces same with night personality, saves big bucks, repositions to compete with crosstown rival. What is this? Your typical music radio upheaval? Nope. It's WBUR-FM, one of Boston's prestigious public radio stations. The other one being WGBH-FM, weak sister of the legendary public TV powerhouse (thus a tenant of a combined Web site; a common problem among radio stations owned by TV stations, whether public or commercial). As you might expect from the city that thinks of itself as The Hub of the Universe, this ferment is a big deal in Beantown. Says Sam Allis in the Globe:

The bloodletting at WBUR makes lurid news but obscures a larger moment for public radio here. What's happening is each of Boston's two competing National Public Radio stations, WGBH and WBUR, is burrowing deeper into its roots. The Montagues at 'BUR are beefing up their signature local news, while the Capulets at 'GBH are finally pursuing their mandate as our arts and culture station with some juice.

That this kafuffle rates Mr. Allis's snappy copy testifies to the commercial maturity of public radio--it's now just as capable of hilariously clumsy personnel moves as its for-profit cousins. Remember NPR's ungraceful defrocking of Bob Edwards, high priest of Morning Edition? And just in case you think NPR is still all Harris tweed and scuffed Earth Shoes--by axing its morning show, WBUR jettisons US1 million dollars a year from its operating expense. And the other article I'm citing for this post quotes the WBUR station manager actually saying the show's lackluster ratings--that's right, ratings--was the pivotal reason for its demise. Welcome to the radio business, public servants.

One more thing--I don't want to hear any more smug public radio pledge drive nags spouting about your freedom from commercials. Listen to your station breaks. It's soft, but it's hype.