Comments from the petition: Page 39

Please keep music on WUFT. Your station is one of the main ways I relax.

I could not BELIEVE this station that I loved so much was RUINED with the
deletion of the classical music!! Very much
BIG STEPS BACKWARDS for the University & Gainesville! I NEVER turn it on
now. Such boring, repetitious yak yak!!

I want the music back!!

When searching for a retirement location, my requirements were an Episcopal
Church, Volvo dealer, and Classical Music Station. All that's left is Holy
Trinity. Gainesville was a richer place culturally when we moved here eleven
years ago. Turning WUFT into talk means no opera on Sataurday afternoon, a
tradition as long as I can remember. Piano Jazz was a Friday night treat....
Time to move on, I suppose.

I fail to understand how a radio station that goes by the name of "Classic" 89
could turn into a talk radio station. Yes, we now have "HD 2" for our classical
music, but a) the audio quality is drastically reduced from what it used to be
in analog (doubt it? Talk to your engineers), and b) it now means that classical
programming is only available to those with HD radios or access to streaming
audio. I do not feel that I should be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on
new equipment to continue listening to the "free" programming that I have always
enjoyed (yes, cheap HD tuners are only about $90; now multiply to equip each
room in the house that has an analog system, any iPod compatible radios, and a
car's audio system). When WUFT last conducted a pledge drive, no one said
anything about this change. In fact, listeners were encouraged to donate to
their support to keep the music programming they enjoyed, and the drive's
success was repeatedly praised during it's duration. It seems that the College
of Journalism could learn a thing or two about false advertisement.

I was born and raised here in Gainesville and as far back as I can remember my
mother always had the radio tuned to WUFT. Thanks to the station I was exposed
to all manner of excellent music that neither of us would have found on our own.
Music is a reflection of emotions that we cannot put words to, and having a
station that we can turn on and grow with is remarkably rare. To have it
dismissed is a tragedy.

Please bring back the music content. Your decision did not only affect the
residents of Gainesville and Alachua County, but surrounding counties as well.

I like nothing about the new format. As far as I'm concerned it sounds like an
AM station with the constant drone of people interested in hearing themselves on
the radio.

I have just become aware of this petition and support it whole-heartedly. I
moved from NYC in 1983 and this classical music station has been my spiritual
life line ever since. To disregard the interest of thousands of classical music
lovers and ask us to buy an additional radio whose signals are questionable in
outlying areas was really a low blow. Sorry that I can't come to the meeting to
show my support but I hope you have a strong turn-out. Let's get classical music
back where it belongs!!!

When I lived and worked in Gainesville, Classic 89/Naturecoast 90 always created
a sense of community for me.
As a listener, this special station, with its mix of local talk and locally
produced music shows, allowed me to get a sense of the differing voices and
interests of an international, politically active, musically dynamic and
intellectually vibrant city.
As a producer of late-night music on the station, Classic 89 allowed me the
chance to share blues and jazz with surrounding counties, local musicians,
prisoners in the state system who were starting their own blues bands or wanting
to reach out to family members via dedications, college kids, old
rock-n-rollers, soul enthusiasts, guitarists with a host of obscure facts about
Leadbelly at their fingertips, people ending relationships, people starting them
on a Saturday night with Classic 89 as background music...
People sent music to the station that is still in the WUFT-FM library. People
heard music that they hadn't heard before, and called and made recommendations
and requests.
Now, a lot of the hard-working people I worked with for 7 years are being laid
off. WUFT is not a tool of the university, that the school can unplug or
re-purpose as it sees fit. It is a COMMUNITY SERVICE of the University of
Florida. I remember saying those words again and again as part of the 10-second
station ID.
It helps make a city a city, like a public park or a well-paved street. I love
it and though I always wished there was more attention to modern music than to
classical music, I feel even more strongly that local voices should get to
contribute to the real, 89.1 product, though where they put an hour of string
ensemble I might put an hour of funk.
Thanks for this site. I no longer live in Gainesville but I refuse to give up on
this station.