‘Calling Moscow’ Survives Bumps, Hopes to Grow

Doug Waldo survived a radio host’s worst nightmare during an early segment of “Calling Moscow,” the innovative KPBS (FM-89.5) telephone call-in show.

During a live national hookup, Americans call in to speak with Soviet guests in a Radio Moscow studio via satellite hookup from KPBS in San Diego. For 20 terrifying minutes, Waldo faced the stark horror of losing all communication with the program’s Moscow guests, who are the only reason for the show’s existence. Waldo had a national audience eager to talk to Russians, but no Russians.

“I try not to remember that,” Waldo said. “I just kept talking. I don’t remember what I said. I think I started threatening to sing at one point. The show is difficult to do under the best of circumstances.”

Since it is broadcast only once a month, few public radio stations carry “Calling Moscow,” said Don Martin, who directs KPBS’ international projects.

KPBS is considering producing “Calling Moscow” on a weekly basis, beginning next October, if more funding can be found.

“We are rethinking the show in terms of how we might make it better,” Martin said.

A survey of top National Public Radio stations showed that stations would prefer a weekly program, Martin said. Now, stations must cut into existing programming to carry “Calling Moscow” or find other shows to fill the Friday time slot when the show airs on the other three weeks in the month.

“A weekly show could find its own place, probably on the weekend,” said John Herrero, the show’s producer. “Weekly, we could make it more current, give it a more newsy approach without making it a news program.”

The problem that KPBS faces is the increased money it will take to produce a weekly national program with satellite hookup. The current annual cost is about $70,000, which comes out of the station’s operating budget, Martin said. The budget for a weekly program would be about $250,000, he said.

Herrero hopes to find corporate and foundation support.

About 30 stations across the nation now take the live satellite feed from “Calling Moscow,” which celebrated its first anniversary last week. The show’s support among those stations is strong.

“It immediately caught my interest,” said Regina Dean, general manager of KLRE/KUAR in Little Rock, Ark. “We have found there is a lot of interest locally for international programming in terms of the news.”

To air “Calling Moscow,” Dean preempts one hour of National Public Radio’s daily afternoon news magazine, “All Things Considered.”

“People call in and ask what happened to ‘All Things Considered’ today? We think (‘Calling Moscow’) is an important enough radio program. ‘All Things Considered’ airs seven days a week on this station. We feel that, once a month, we can pull one hour of ‘All Things Considered.’ ”

Program director Norris Dryer of WUOT in Knoxville, Tenn., is forced to cut a half hour of “All Things Considered” to carry “Calling Moscow” but has done so about 10 months.

“We thought the idea was relatively unique,” Dryer said. “When they talked about the topics they’d cover each month, it seemed to me that they were Soviet subjects that are not often covered: artistic issues, education issues and drug problems.”

The strongest programs have been the ones on current issues, like the special broadcasts before Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s visit in May to Washington and programs on the Olympics and the earthquake disaster in Armenia, according to KPBS’ Martin.

“It was a timeliness about the topic,” Martin said. “Therefore, the topic was already on the minds of the callers.”

Besides its early technical difficulties, “Calling Moscow” has encountered other problems. KCRW in Santa Monica dropped the show in February, in part because the content was weak.

“I think the purpose of the program was great,” said KCRW consultant Will Lewis. “Like when ‘Night Line’ first started, you were excited. Now it whithers or dies, depending on whether it’s dynamic or compelling. The novelty of talking with people from the Soviet Union has worn off. Now we want more substance, and I don’t think we were getting it.”

KPBS’ Martin agrees that “Calling Moscow” has not always been compelling.

“One of the things the Soviets have been asking--they wish the questions were a little more probing,” Martin said. “The questions were a little ‘light’ there for the most part. I think, when the more probing questions came from callers, it perked up the program. I think it got the adrenaline flowing from the Soviet panelists.

“It’s an interesting philosophical question. We want the listeners to ask the questions they want to ask. If a question to us seems a little bit naive, that’s OK. That’s what they want to know about.”

The great strength of “Calling Moscow” is the call-in element, said Regina Dean of Little Rock’s KLRE/KUAR.