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From: atul@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (Atul Arya)
Newsgroups: net.wobegon
Subject: Goodbye, my Praire Home
Message-ID: <2048@ut-ngp.UTEXAS>
Date: Thu, 18-Jul-85 16:07:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.2048
Posted: Thu Jul 18 16:07:44 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Jul-85 02:27:35 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: Dept. of Petroleum Engg., UT, Austin
Lines: 46


    Austin American-Statesman, July 18, 1985
      " Austin fans of A Praire Home Companion, the Saturday evening
    radio variety show hosted by Garrison Keillor, have heard the last
    installment of the news from Lake Wobegon. Because of a broadcast
    rights dispute with the show's producers and distributors, the 
    show was cancelled this week on Austin public radio station KUT-FM."

        I wish they had told us in advance. I could have opened a 
    vintage wine bottle, darkened the kitchen and drowned the sorrows
    listening to the news form Lake Wobegon for the last time. But that
    did not happen and now we are orphans in this big bad world trying
    to get our lives together without our beloved PHC. 
        So along with Kalamazoo,Mich. we in Austin are the only two 
    stations who decided to drop the show. Four stations got the waiver 
    from the condition to broadcast the show no later than 6 P.M. local
    time. I guess the rest of the stations decided to meet the demands.
        Of course we do not count. We are shy people. Why should a
    famous person like Mr. K. should care about us. His show is BIG.
    I mean really BIG. His new book is coming out soon. He is the talk of
    the airwaves. So he won't even notice this minor loss. But not too 
    long ago we were all small people and valued a lot of things much
    more than money. But I guess those bachelor farmers at Lake Wobegon
    have finally realized that "the business of America is business."
        And what about us. We were always faithful. We gave up our social
    life so that we could sit in our kitchens, gulp down some of those
    Biscuits with a glass of milk and get the latest news of our beloved
    town. We tried our best to meet the demands. When the show decided to
    charge a fee, we raised the sum during a single show here in this 
    town. But finally it was beyond our means. We prize our independence
    as much as the folks in Lake Wobegon and do not like others to tell
    us what we should be doing. So we are now paying for our independence.
    Oh, I wish the price was not this high. 
        Yes I will miss you all. The cat songs, Bob's bank, Ralph's pretty
    good grocery, Raw Bits cereal, Powdermilk Biscuits and the rest of them.
    To all of you out there who are fortunate and still have the show,
    my farewell. I will keep listening to the net. Maybe you will tell us
    some of the news from the small town in the praire. But listen carefully
    because one day this corporation (MPR & APHC) can make demands which
    you may not be able to meet. Goodbye,  

                                                       Atul Arya
                                                  Dept. of Petroleum Engg.
                                               University of Texas at Austin
    
    P.S. : Just saw today's Bloom County(7/18). How true and how timely!