On the evening of Sunday, November 21, 2004, a small group of SaveWCAL supporters chose to be present at the station at the moment when WCAL went silent. WCAL went off the airwaves with substance and class and with the voice of Paul Peterson reminding us that "WCAL is a public service of St. Olaf College."
At some point, farewell messages from the WCAL hosts were posted on the WCAL web site. SaveWCAL includes them here with grateful thanksgiving for "a job well done."
==========
"Classical 89.3 listeners have nourished me with their presence, comments and appreciation as we have shared the intimacy of radio and the life-sustaining beauty of the music."
— STEVE STARUCH"Our listeners are intelligent, passionate, thoughtful, well-rounded and kind — all qualities that I greatly admire. In most instances, we've never met. Still, I will miss you very much."
— MELISSA OUSLEY"You have become our friends, calling us to thank and to ask, to teach and to correct (thank you!), to give and to support."
— STEPHANIE WENDT"Often when I was missing a bit of information, I asked the air, and invariably the air answered. You're the Top, you're a Google word search."
— BILL MORELOCK"I have a lucky job where I can share music with an audience that loves it as much as I do. It's a privilege to work at Classical 89.3 because of the audience."
— STEPHEN DAVIS"If not for listeners, I'd just be a guy sitting in a room talking to himself and playing records."
— KARL GEHRKE
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for all you're doing. I've just finished listening to Stephanie's final program Sunday afternoon and am all the more grieved by the loss of the WCAL voice(s) and even more outraged at the despicable corporate boardroom conniving of St. Olaf's administration and it's Regents. It is a reminder that even in institutions related (supposedly) to the Church, the "Golden Rule" is all too often "The one with the gold makes the rules."
As an ELCA pastor (rostered in the Synod with a call to specialized ministry as a Pastoral Therapist) I have a suggestion: Annual meetings for most ELCA congregations will occur in late January or early February. As a college of the church, St. Olaf has at least nominal responsibility to the congregations and synods of the church (ELCA). I plan to offer at my congregation's meeting a "Resolution of Regret and Dismay" regarding the sale of WCAL by St. Olaf. I believe that the college's ethical and moral responsibility goes far above and beyond the base fiduciary responsibility of the bottom line. I haven't worked out all the whereas paragraphs yet but I plan to resolve that my congregation send a letter to the board and the administration expressing our regret and dismay and that it memorialize the Mpls Area Synod Assembly to do the same. Who knows, if enough congregations add their voices to the outrage being felt, changes might come about at St. Olaf.
I hope beyond hope that it's not too late to rescue WCAL from this sale. I've come to believe that, despite my dislike of Bill Kling and the MPR empire, that they are not the primary villains in this drama. In my book, Thomford and his cronies in the administration and the curious overlap on the boards of St. Olaf, MPR, and Piper Jaffray represent the real evil empire. This has been too slick and fast. I feel like we've been scammed by a team of fast talking con artists.
Again, thanks for your hard work.
When non-profit HMO's have been taken over by for-profit companies, the for profit has had to pay compensation to the public since the non-profit had belonged to the people (see Consumer Reports). In like manner, it could be argued that WCAL was property of the supporting listeners (us) and we are due compensation. If we got compensaton, perhaps a new station that supported the old WCAL format could be begun.
Thanks for all you've done. I've also mailed a thank you with my check of support.
From what I can tell from a visit to the campus this week, St. Olaf leadership hardened their hearts early in the process. Your efforts were magnificent.
I would like to strongly encourage that the concert still happens. It could be a celebration of the life of WCAL with a variety of folks sharing great stories about it. I especially think it would be wonderful to include recent and past staff so we can thank them in person. There could also be a free will donation to help with SaveWCAL expenses if still needed.
It is a very sad time, but I think to begin healing we need to celebrate the time we have had with the treasure that was WCAL. I would be willing to help if needed. Just let me know.
Minnesota is now a little less Minnesota, forever.
The brilliant Stephanie Wendt is making us cry with the beauty of what she is playing and the sentiment she is expressing. She is truly wonderful and it comes through!
My wife and I listened to WCAL all day yesterday (Sunday 11/21) and continued to listen until the 10 O'clock hour when the transfer to MPR happened. Though we are occasional MPR listeners, our cars and home stereo were always tuned (homed) on WCAL.
We think it is shameful how this was handled. My wife and I will be pledging $1 each to the college this year; letting them know that we have not forgotten the Hill and that we will not resume pledging until an apology is made or Thomforde resigns.
I would like SaveWCAL to consider continued protest and I would support some such action. Please let me know how I can help.
The sale of WCAL has produced a flood of emotional responses including outrage and shock. Outrage I understand, as this was my first response. But shock is something I don't understand. For a generation or more, changes in policies, principles (and principals), have stripped St. Olaf of its heart and soul. What was once a vibrant and unique community of students, alumni and faculty/staff, is now just another politically correct, pricey, private liberal arts college no different than dozens of similar schools littering the landscape of this country.
Perhaps the next desire to inflate the endowment fund will result in the sale of Old Main or Boe Chapel. Now that will be shocking–or will it?
To the SaveWCAL Board Members & Volunteers,
You all are doing such a great job; keep it up! Not that my views are so important, but your good work just draws me into saying something…
From my perspective, and friends and family members who are following SaveWCAL action, we check the web site and monitor status at every opportunity and note your very fine work, and admire the positive, open and professional approach you all have taken to thwart the bad outcomes we forsee in this heart-wrenching matter.
Whatever the final outcomes, the legacy of WCAL is well served in this overall effort and no one who served the station over its many years will walk on – feeling their listening public, their fans let them down! They have to know we all deeply appreciate what WCAL accomplished, what principles are now in test, and your leadership is what is making all that happen!! You can be very proud of that!
Perhaps this holiday season will bring those folks who are on the wrong side of this issue to see their folly, perhaps not; but they certainly will not enjoy the social encounters where they may gather and find the friends of WCAL in their midst. How can they explain it; how can the equate this work with the "holiday spirit"? What do they have to be proud about, now? "5,340 enemies?"
Now, as details emerge about WCAL staff, it seems some "have had to" take employment with MPR, one wonders about the others. It would be nice if SaveWCAL could provide information – if known – on what will become of remaining WCAL staff. The overall effort of SaveWCAL, with over 5,000 petitioners, could include support and comfort to those who seemingly may be – we hope not – thoughtlessly set aside here.
Well, there is comfort – and it grows, too, over time – when you are RIGHT! And, I'm glad you were leading and made this effort; it gave me a lot of comfort – to be a small part of this. And, as long as you all want to keep on – I'll be going along, too!
How very sad. That was one of the things that set St. Olaf College apart from other colleges that they're now taking away. First the Paracollege, now this. I've already signed the petition. Good luck to those of you fighting to keep this alive. I remember my parents even had WCAL when they were students there in the late 60s.
I was in my bed to listen to Compline and Sing for Joy. When that perky person from MPR came on, I shut off the radio and cried a river. Then I was wide awake, so to battle insomnia I thought of new call letters for WCAL. So far I thought of WTBM (for Thomforde's Big Mistake) and WSFS (for Sold for a Song). Maybe when all the other work is done, we could have a contest….