Spring Does Exist

By Jennifer Poenix

It's April in Minnesota, and you know what that means. Unpredictability.

There's sun and temps in the 40's in the forecast this week. No snow in the foreseeable future, so we're hopeful.

I recently returned from Portland, Oregon, where I attended the National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference with Maggie Montgomery, Katie Carter, and Michael Small. The above photo was taken the day before we left.

It was raining with and about 40 degrees when we arrived in Portland, but spring has definitely made its mark there and isn't looking back. The following photos offer proof:
So, don't worry folks. Spring is alive and well in some parts of the country. It's just taking its time (as usual) to arrive in northern Minnesota, but when it does arrive, it will be beautiful!

Radio In 5 Years

Here are a few paraphrased observations from the blue ribbon panel on this topic at the National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference in Portland Oregon this week:

Norm Stockwell, WORT, Madison WI: Commercial radio is in terrible trouble due to its lack of localism. Community radio's strength IS its localism. It is important for stations to start distributing content across as many platforms and new technologies as possible. This is also making it possible for many stations to share content internationally.

Mark Fuerst, Integrative Media Association: Public radio is holding its own, but overall the industry is in decline. Public broadcasting may and should become "public media." 75% of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's funding goes to public television. He said "there is no optimism there." Only 3% is going into new media. He said 2 to 3-person staffs are too small to implement new media strategies. Those strategies are too complex. He praised Northern Community Radio as the only community radio organization he knows about (in the NFCB--there is one other, Atlanta Public Broadcasting) that is trying to see itself as a media company and not just adding new media to a station website. (He was talking about the Northern Community Internet project)

Rebecca Martin, Youth Media International (formerly Youth Radio): YMI is in complete experimentation mode, and not "tied to a transmitter." They aspire to "the buzz of YouTube, the participation of Wikipedia, and the credibility of the New York Times." Besides written and audio pieces, they focus on short form video and photographs.

Skip Pizzi, Media Technology consultant (formerly w/Microsoft and BE-Broadcast Engineering-Magazine): It's hard to predict radio in 5 minutes, let alone 5 years. Trends: HD radio transition is continuing, but very slowly. Internet radio expansion is proceeding very quickly. He called radio the first "social network" and a "secular church." He said "wireless broadband could be your next transmitter." Reminded us that radio stations are both content companies and service providers. Radio is a delivery system, but the platform may not be as important as the content.

Monday Morning on KAXE: Hockey, Heart-Throbs and Community Banking (Tornado Bob Too!)

by Scott Hall

The President of Grand Rapids State Bank, Noah Wilcox, returns to the Morning Show to update the ever changing banking business here in northern MN and beyond. He'll be joined by Tom Welle, President of the First National Bank of Bemidji. Tom and Noah are also active in state and national banking associations looking out for the interests of smaller, solvent community bankers (7:20)




Bemidji State Men's Hockey Coach and Greenway High School Alum, Tom Serratorre, talks with Dodger, Jack Lavaliere and me about the Beavers trip to the Frozen Four next week in Washington, DC. Nobody gave Bemidji State much of a chance. Teams from the WCHA, CCHA, and Hockey East have dominated Division One hockey.Bemidji State's great showing solidifies their bid to join the WCHA. Former Greenway and Dartmouth College hockey standout, Kent Nyberg, pointed out how close we came to a Highway 2 Frozen Four. UMD and North Dakota lost tough regional games by one goal. Had they won, three of the Frozen Four teams would have had Highway 2 addresses. The Beavers play Miami of Ohio Thursday night 5:30 or 8 o'clock (ET). The championship game is Saturday night, 7 PM (ET). Boston University plays Vermont in the other semi-final. THE BEAVERS WILL PREVAIL!!! (I hope) 7:40



We have our beautiful, talented, and beloved Mom Of Pop Culture, Julie Crabb, on Friday mornings. Now our Professor of Pop Culture, Jack Nachbar, joins us one Monday each month to review and preview a classic movie. The second Wednesday of each month, the Edge Theater in Bigfork shows a great movie from long ago. Next Wednesday night it "You Can't Take It With You", a Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Lionel Barrymore. The movie got 7 Academy Award nominations and won two: Best Director and Best Picture. Jean Arthur is one of my original heart-throbs - tough and tender, and a lot more than a pretty face, a star not a starlet. Barbara Stanwyck was another...(sigh) Jack Nachbar taught film at Bowling Green and will also speak before, during and after the movie Wednesday night. (8:10)


TORNADO BOB, a star in his own right, has the weather and the why every Monday at 8:40

ely's april fools marketing plan

What Does Health Insurance Cost?

So, what would it cost for a 25 year old person to get health insurance in Minnesota?

Well, that kinda depends on what you are willing to accept as a deductible. For example, this 25 year old living in Grand Rapids could get coverage from Blue Cross for $60/month. But, that comes with a FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLAR ($15,000) annual deductible. Bring that deductible down to $5,000 and the monthly cost is about $120 (source: eSurance).

The cost of insurance is higher for a 50 year old. The same policies would cost about $123 for a policy featuring a $15,000 deductible, and about $250/month with a $5,000 deductible.

Remember, that deductive means that you also pay 100% of your annual health care costs up to the deductible amount.

Chad Haatvedt gave us permission to post his health insurance cost from his benefit package as a State of Minnesota employee. Family coverage costs about $650/month. This includes a employee contribution of $65 and the State pays about $590 of the cost.

What do you pay for health insurance? How is your coverage. Let us know.

Minnesota Tuition Reciprocity

Minnesota has reciprocity agreements with the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Manitoba and one college in Iowa. These agreements allow a student from Minnesota attend college in one of those states and pay the resident tuition rate for that state. Likewise, students from our neighboring states pay the Minnesota tuition rate.

How do our residents fare?
Quite well actually. In general, Minnesota has more residents taking advantage of its neighboring states tuition rates, compared to the number of non-residents attending college in Minnesota. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has a report that details reciprocity arrangements with our neighbors. You can read the entire report here.

Nature-Inspired Spontaneus Musicial Creations that Rock (get it? Rock?)

by Doug MacRostie

Ryan and Jesse Dermody of The Brothers Burn Mountain will talk with me this week on Centerstage MN about their latest release "Wild Cat Road." Poetically and sonically reflecting the images and sounds of nature through spontaneous music creation, The Brothers Burn Mountain is like old Moody Blues back around "On the Threshold of Dream" but in a new form from two brothers pushing their songwriting boundaries. The music is creative with thoughtful lyrics and a fresh experimental presenation, and I am looking forward to the conversation with Ryan and Jesse.

Also, I''l be playing a new, previously unreleased song from Bob Dylan's upcoming album "Together Through Life" due out April 28th. From there, new music from Bob Mould (you know, the guy who helped define punk music in the late 70's w/ Hüsker Dü...yeah, before I was born), his new CD is called "Life and Times." And since we are playing some of the MN greats, might as well go ahead put on a song from the new Peter Himmelman album "The Mystery and the Hum" (remember, he played guitar with reggae/calypso band Shangoya and then performed under the pseudonym Sussman Lawrence...some of which also was before I was born :D).

A couple upcoming highlights: I will be having Rich Mattson and Tony Derrick of The Tisdales to talk about their debut release "Bakers Dozen" coming up in May. I don't know what to call it other than a kickass rock album and that is going to be a lot of fun having them on to talk about it. Also, pop-rock band Take Cover are planning to come in for a live acoustic set in June as they gear up to release a new album. Very cool.

Centerstage MN is every Thursday evening at 6, streaming like at KAXE.org; or 91.7fm Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd and 105.3 Bemidji. All interviews are also archived at KAXE.org, just click on Centerstage MN on the left.

Read more of my blogs about MN music at myspace.com/macedelic.