Defunded but Not Defeated

I have Brian Cosgrove, host of “The Afternoon Ramble” on WLIW 88.3 FM, to thank for turning me on to Nick Drake. I’ll expand on the latter in a moment.

As some of you already know, WLIW, based in Southampton, is the latest iteration of the public radio station that began almost 50 years ago as WSCR. It was first housed in a Southampton College dormitory suite and run as a student club.

Construction of a new stereo FM station began in the basement of Southampton Hall by 1978. The antenna tower was raised in January 1980, and, two months later, the station went on the air, still as a club and funded by student activity fees, as WPBX, at 91.3 on the dial. The original power output of the FM transmitter was 10 watts.

WPBX was completely student-run, with free-form programming. During the winter of 1981-82, the station switched to carrying Texaco’s Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, and programming began evolving toward an NPR-style format.

In February 2002, the station changed to a jazz format. That July, the station changed its call sign to WLIU, to reflect new ownership of Southampton College by Long Island University.

About Nick Drake … but, first, the rest of the WLIW 88.3 history.

In April 2004, the station transitioned to a news format. Six years later, an agreement was made with Stony Brook University, which had absorbed LIU Southampton College, to permit the station to continue to broadcast from the campus.

The transfer of ownership of the station from Long Island University to Peconic Public Broadcasting was completed on December 15, 2010, and the call letters changed to WPPB to reflect this. The studios were moved to Hill Street in Southampton Village. The acquisition was led by Wally Smith, whom some of you recall was the longtime station manager of WLIU.

It was announced in October 2019 that WNET would acquire WPPB, making it a sister to its Long Island PBS-member TV station, WLIW. The following spring, the station rebranded and changed its calls to WLIW-FM, adding more national NPR programming to its lineup.

And that is pretty much the situation today.

Take a few moments — I’ll wait — and find out more about the present and future of Long Island’s only NPR station by going to its site at WLIR.org/radio. Don’t overlook that “Donate” button in the upper right — that is a big part of the station’s future.

What about Nick Drake? I’m getting to him.

As many of you now know, the Trump administration has ended the decades-long practice of the federal government supporting public broadcasting. As a result, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will soon cease to exist.

That will be a huge — and negative — change in our broadcasting culture, and our culture in general. In addition to public broadcasting offering a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions, it is an avenue to discover new or not fully appreciated artists — like, finally, Nicholas Rodney Drake.

He was an English songwriter and performer born in June 1948. An accomplished guitarist by the age of 20, he was signed to Island Records while still a student at the University of Cambridge.

His debut album, “Five Leaves Left,” was released in 1969, and was followed by two more albums, “Bryter Layter” in 1971 and “Pink Moon” in 1972. While Drake did not reach a wide audience during his brief lifetime, his music found critical acclaim, and he gradually received wider recognition following his death.

Alas, Drake suffered from depression and was reluctant to play his music in front of live audiences. Upon completion of “Pink Moon,” he withdrew from both performing and recording, retreating to his parents’ home in rural Warwickshire. In November 1974, he was found dead at the age of 26 due to an overdose of antidepressants.

There have also been two documentaries made about his life and music, “A Stranger Among Us” and “A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake.”

Not the happiest of stories, and, as major discoveries go, Drake probably doesn’t qualify. But discoveries like this are possible every day, thanks to the public radio stations throughout the U.S.

I recall a bit of a revelation for me many years ago was watching a series titled “Oppenheimer” starring Sam Waterston on WNET (Channel 13). Not only did the subject matter open my eyes, but here was intelligent drama for grownups rarely seen on commercial television. I’ve got to see more of this!

And I have, over the years, watching on television and listening to the radio (and online). When I listen to the morning, afternoon and evening shows on WLIW 88.3 — hosted by Gianna Volpe, Brian Cosgrove and Ed German — as well as “Behind the Headlines” from The Express News Group, I not only enjoy the programming but feel an enhanced sense of community. And that part of the community has to be supported more than ever, now that the federal funds have been rescinded.

It is my understanding that the reason for de-funding public broadcasting is that the Trump administration believes the medium is too left-leaning. It has, unfortunately, not separated the cultural programming from public affairs content.

The topic is worth debating, but I point to two other media outlets: The New York Times leans left in its editorials but its reporting on politics, business, arts, etc., is objective and informative. The same goes for the reporting of The Wall Street Journal, which leans right in its editorials.

It is unlikely that this year and next there will be any change in funding for public broadcasting, but that does not mean it is defeated. The late Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, once said, “All politics is local.” So is radio.

All across the country, people listen to their local commercial and NPR stations for news, weather, entertainment, sports, and much more. These small to big stations are vital parts of thousands of communities. As is WLIW.org/Radio. Donate locally and maybe there will be a ripple effect on a wider scale.

Public broadcasting is not about politics, it’s about choice. And discovery.