WQED-FM: Too much talk

"All music. No talk." Don't these words sound like the advertisement for a rock station? Unfortunately, these words now seem to represent the theme of the new programming at WQED FM.

One of the mandates of public media is education, and the discussion of the music on WQED FM is critical to the understanding of great music. "Talk," therefore, is quite necessary. Excellent educational programming such as "The Vocal Scene" and "The Record Shelf," has been reduced or eliminated altogether.

As to "All Music," chamber music programming (St. Paul Sunday), if and when it does occur, has been placed opposite the 6 p.m. news. After 11 p.m., the music is canned. Economics is cited as a reason for changes in programming, but one is left to question the broadcasting of hours of sacred music, fine unto itself, but not educational or supportive of classical music, the existence of which is being threatened.

Thankfully, the weekday programming remains good, but hosts such as Jim Cunningham have to compensate for the loss of programs such as "Weekly Arts Magazine."

Decisions at WQED-FM made with the philosophy of "All music. No talk" point to a lack of understanding of the importance of a classical music station in educating regarding the arts and perpetuating the arts.

Lois Grodstein
Shadyside

Munch, try the tea bag!

Perhaps sending Munch to Te Cafe was a stroke of bad casting -- perhaps you should have sent "Sip." In that scenario, maybe the reviewer would have spent more time sampling tea (the specialty of the house) than waxing philosophic on the flavor of the sandwiches. After all, Munch spent plenty of sentences talking about Coffee Tree Roasters, Starbucks and 61C -- would Munch have gone into any of these establishments to review the muffins? I think not. So why spend a mere sentence on the tea in Te Cafe?

Moreover, Munch drank Ravin' Raspberry, which isn't even -- strictly speaking -- tea! It's an entirely herbal brew called a Rooibos. This red bush takes flavors particularly well and one wonders if perhaps Munch wasn't a bit too liberal with the sweetener, thereby giving it the "medicine" like taste.

It's frustrating. I am a frequent customer and have a deep affinity for the tea house and its brew (Dragon Pearl Jasmine and Ginsing Oolong are standouts). But if I were not already a loyal sipper, this article wouldn't have convinced me to leave my Lipton tea bag. Regardless of Munch's meanderings, Te Cafe is an excellent place for tea -- hence the name -- and deserves far better than the bitter brew it received from Munch.

Elisha Singer
White Oak

Oak an old trend

I'm writing in reference to Elizabeth Downer's story "Wine-making's hottest trend is to age it in oak barrels" (Aug. 24), which is just preposterous. I was shocked to read her lauding this practice as "trendy" because oak barrels have been used in winemaking for centuries (if not longer).

The story begins well enough, offering some background on oak barrels, what they do for wine, etc. But then it skitters about on new oak vs. neutral oak, doesn't talk about oxygenation (i.e., why you'd use neutral oak) and it's not clear how this article educates readers or entertains them.

It also ignores the somewhat recent (trendy?) criticism of using too much new oak in wine production.

Further, her contention that "The flavors that oak imparts to wine have become so fashionable that it's a challenge today to find a wine that is totally oak-free" is also silly and uninformed. If anything there is a trend away from these wines and the wine industry has responded with low-to-no-oak wines that are much more food friendly and elegant. "Naked" chardonnay is a fine example.

As a Pittsburgh native who now lives in East Coast wine country, it stuns me that the PG, a paper that so often entertains and informs, would publish a story such as this one. It's really doing a disservice to an increasingly wine-hungry readership.

Lenn Thompson
Sound Beach, N.Y.

Eager for 'Survivor'

I read Robert A. Fritz's letter regarding the upcoming "Survivor: Cook Islands" with interest (Aug. 29). While I agree that CBS may be using this show to propel its declining ratings, I do not agree that "we all lose" as a result of this program. Statistically speaking, a group of five is not representative of an entire race.

Whatever the outcome, generalizations about a particular race would not be caused by the show itself. They would be part of an underlying prejudice already ingrained in us, still present today. Any opportunity to talk about racism is a good thing, because as much as we want to believe that it no longer exists, unfortunately it still does.

We are not reverting to pre-1930 ethnic relations, but merely bringing the issue into the 21st century by being real and acknowledging our own biases. So let's talk about it honestly and wipe out those biases that Mr. Fritz mentioned in his letter. I will be watching.

Jamie Krieger
Monroeville

Ben was not the lead

Have you no shame, WTAE Channel 4? I would like to know what WTAE-4 was thinking on the 11 o'clock news on Sunday night, Sept. 3. How could they run the Ben Roethlisberger appendectomy story as the lead story? Considering that was the first day our beloved mayor was lying in state at the City/County Building. Let me remind you this. That was the first newscast WTAE-4 aired since the last telecast, which was in the morning on Sunday. There was no 6 o'clock news due to the golf tournament they had on. I'm sure you are aware no other television station lead with the Ben Roethlisberger appendectomy story. They all respectfully lead with Mayor O'Connor's funeral. I know that WTAE-4 pushes the Steelers' more than any other news station in Pittsburgh. You have to know where to draw the line when it comes to what you consider ratings.

Brock D. Pella
Washington, Pa.