WTJU Town Hall Gives Management a Frickin’ Clue

On Monday evening, about 200 or so community members, DJs past and present, and various supporters flooded a town hall meeting held by UVa’s Department of Public Affairs (now in charge of TJU) to let ’em have an earful of what it means to love something as thoroughly as Charlottesville loves WTJU.

Carol Wood, head of Public Affairs for UVa, got up and assured us that our voices were important and the turn out was impressive. Next – looking like a hapless villain sent down from central casting – came Burr Beard, the new WTJU station manager. After admitting he was from out of town and basically had no clue what a WTJU was, he stammered something along the lines of, “gee guys, gosh, I still think an all-Americana station would work in this market, shucks.” He damn near got himself laughed out of there. But the announcers and those assembled were respectful, knowing full well they need a qualified station manager who is ready to go to bat for them.

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Not More Fucking Banjos!

AHHHHHHH!

Burr Beard, the man brought in to revive WTJU from its slump, is proposing turning major blocks of programming to “Americana” or “Roots” – generally, folk, blues, country and country rock – making that the new “station identity.” The notion sickens me so badly I couldn’t even make it through the proposal.

Ok, I’m all for banjos and bluegrass and “Wagon Wheel,” and ironic tattoos and Pabst Blue Ribbon, but enough already! This Americana thing is not the end-all-be-all. (Whatever happened to rock and roll?) It’s already been an excruciating decade of weekend-redneck toothless hipsters forming Hank Sr. tribute bands. I’M OVER IT. Moving to Brooklyn, taking up banjo and heroin and getting a tattoo of bacon does not make you an artist. ENOUGH!