Whisky sour
UVA Marching Band mom Deborah Buchanan writes an understandably spirited defense of the talents and skills of the peripatetic unit [“The ires of march,” Mailbag, October 12]. But in her diatribe against a critic of the half-time performances, she shrilly denounces Maker’s Mark as “rotgut.”
Virtually handcrafted in small batches, Maker’s Mark, with its distinctive wax-sealed cap, is widely regarded as one of the finest sour mash bourbons in the country. The mash is made from wheat rather than rye and iron-free limestone spring water. The result is a clean, notably lighter approach on the palate followed by a smooth, vanilla-toffee finish.
No, call Cabin Still or Rebel Yell rotgut if you like, and I’ll not demur. But Maker’s Mark is about as elegant a bourbon whiskey as you can find—equally suitable for fireside and tailgate. Indeed, Claude Taittinger of the venerable Champagne-producing family pronounces it “simply the best.”
David E. Sellers, III
Spotsylvania Courthouse
Radio waves
I was expecting your usual venom on the corporate buy-out of the “local” radio cluster [“First with (not as) local news,” The Week, October 19], but I guess you reserve that for us here at Clear Channel. If the people now employed by Eure Communications (and my fellow Charlottesvillians) don’t think things are going to change, they’re dreaming. As a radio vet of almost 20 years, and a victim of several buy-outs over the years, I can assure the people of this town there will, without any doubt whatsoever, be changes. No one has ever plunked down good money for radio property to leave it just as it is. I’ve heard the “nothing’s changing” speech before—I was fired within months of the takeovers, as were others. It just stands to reason that a company like Saga, with 80-some stations around the country, will implement what worked elsewhere, here. It should not come as any surprise that by spring ‘05 some of the current staff will be gone, voice tracking by personalities outside the market will replace some of those on-air now, formats will be “tweaked” and focused in line with similar formats elsewhere.
Corporate radio is by no means perfect, but it’s really not as bad as you make it out. Clear Channel allowed my family to transfer here all expenses paid. Salaries here are far above what most radio stations can afford to pay, and my inter-company networking is vast and varied. Some of our Florida stations were among the only sources of news for hurricane-ravaged communities recently. I’ve read articles of praise for the work Clear Channel did, in not only information, but real aid of volunteers, and supplies.
I’m proud and lucky to work for the biggest and think we deserve the respect due to us locally for our commitment to the community. I would like to see a positive article on the good we 40-some local individuals employed by Clear Channel Charlottesville do. Our annual Radiothon for the UVA Children’s Hospital is October 28-30. We dedicate three days worth of programming to make a difference in the lives of those children, and the professionals who help them. Country 99.7 raised more than $50,000 for St. Jude’s this year. All six stations will again be doing our annual food drive for the Thomas Jefferson Food Bank. We give back to the community we live in as local broadcasters, and are just as proud to do this as any other media outlets in Charlottesville.
Doug Knox
Charlottesville
Saints preserve us
Amy Alkon’s column, “Pregnancy test,” in your October 12 issue, was marred by a cheap bit of religious bigotry. In speculating on the possible causes of a frigid wife’s problem, Alkon wrote: “Maybe she’s a closet Catholic.” That slur is typical of a widespread media bias that has become the last acceptable prejudice in politically liberal circles. My guess is that Alkon would not even think of taking such a cheap shot at Jews, Muslims, gays, blacks, or any other class of Americans. What is her point? That all Catholics are asexual? Or ignorant? Or fair game for cheap shots? On this one, Alkon dropped her drawers and revealed her big, fat, ugly bigotry.
James P. Gannon
Charlottesville
Amy Alkon responds:
I take cheap shots at everyone, especially myself, and have previously been accused of being anti-Semitic, anti-Arab, anti-male, anti-female, anti-SUV and anti-autistic—and all in one week. If you’re Catholic, you’re not supposed to have premarital sex. (FYI, the woman wasn’t married, and, I speculated, might have had some religious reason for not having sex that she wasn’t willing to reveal). Mere mention of that possibility (even in a slightly cheeky way) is not bigotry—except, perhaps, for those determined to find persecution at every turn. I’m sorry you’re feeling hurt, but my intention was to be funny. Period.