Posted by Bud on September 17, 2009 at 15:06:33:
There are some big programming changes coming to WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio next week, starting Monday.
The "Talk of the Nation" program, which ran at 1:00pm, has been canceled due to the high cost of the show and low ratings. In its place will be "Here & Now," a national program focusing on breaking news, the bigger news stories and the arts. "The Story" will now move to 11:00am on weekdays and "Fresh Air" will now move to 2:00pm on weekdays, where it can now be paired up with "All Things Considered" which continues at 3:00pm. The "Marketplace Morning Report," the daily 10-minute business brief, will move to 8:50am on weekdays. A new show, "Marketplace Money," which is a once-a-week extension of "Marketplace" with a focus on personal financial issues, will air on Sundays at 2:00pm. Also being canceled are "Afropop Worldwide," which aired Fridays at 11:00pm and "American Routes," which ran Saturdays at 7:00pm.
The reasons for these cancellations has to do with WBEZ's focus on being a news & talk station, not a music station. A lot of the Saturday & Sunday programing will now be reshuffled, as well.