Programming On WHRB To Change

WHRB's "conservative" bloc--a group advocating minimal scheduling changes for Harvard's undergraduate radio station--lost control of the station's programming in an election last Wednesday night.

"It wasn't a case of radicals taking over from fascists," newly elected station manager Charles Perkins '74 said yesterday. "People had just become increasingly dissatisfied with a small group running things."

Last week's election drew the largest turnout in the station's history, according to Perkins. Fifty-six of WHRB's 90-odd members showed up.

Perkins said that he expected that the schedule changes--to be decided on next week--would result in "classical music not dominating so much." Classical music now takes up nearly as much time as jazz, rock, and folk music combined.

Other changes, he said, would probably be to "opening up our public programming, making WHRB more of a community affairs station."

Perkins' chief opponent, Robert S. Goldfarb '73, was elected president of the station at the same meeting. The position, however, gives him no control over programming.

Goldfarb said yesterday that he would no longer act as spokesman for those who favor continuation of the present programming. "As I see it," he said, "I can't be an advocate any more. I have to represent the station as a whole."

Both Perkins and Michael L. Gruber '72, who was appointed programming director, said that WHRB had made major changes in the past several years. "But some backlash--a desire to 'hold the line'--was created, and that was the issue in this election," Gruber said