The public radio station here is deceptive - although it is nominally attached to the local university, the programming is fully funded by the public and the local "talent" all seem to possess an inability to speak in anything but a dreadful accent and who seem to adore homespun wisdom and/or phrasing.

I support the station every year, and I listen on a regular basis, but I abandon them when the pledge drive comes around since it drives me around the bend having to listen to locals guest-host the drive and bore me to tears with folksy sayings. That is why I listen to NPR in the first place, people - so I do not have to listen to the locals with their dreadful accents and loose grasps of the basics of grammar.

I long to hear fundraising pieces by the national voices - they prevent my having to hear That Woman speak again, or hear That Guy mispronounce common words as he fumbles through the script.

And if I have to listen to That Guy pronounce "dot org" as "dah tohrg" one more time...........then I will, frankly, do nothing but fume. Again. Some more. Because let's face it - I will not go on a rampage, and I won't top listening to the station. It just pisses me off.