Personally, I’m against it.

I feel [...]]]> KRCL 90.9 FM recently changed their programming, trimming Jamie Gadette’s Morning Show & Ebay Jamil Hamilton’s Midday show down to three hours each (from their previous four); in the two hour block opened up from 6:00-8:00 am, KRCL is now programming a syndicated show from NPR called World Cafe.

Personally, I’m against it.

I feel that if a local community radio station is going to program syndicated shows, they should be unique and important … something that’s NOT being represented by local programmers. For example, I fully support the syndicated Democracy Now, because as a news show, it covers a lot of important topics that aren’t covered elsewhere (especially in Utah), and definitely aren’t covered by the local production teams.

If KRCL picked up a syndicated show like the old Outright Radio (produced several years ago by/for the gay community but also to help bridge the divide between the straight and gay communities), I’d support it whole-heartedly, because there’s nothing else like it on the air in Utah.

I support the locally-produced Smile Jamaica, even though Robert Nelson (the host of the show) drives me batshit crazy … not only on his show, but when he hosts the (also locally produced) public affairs program Radioactive, because there’s nothing else like it on the air in Utah.

I don’t like World Cafe, because there’s nothing special about it, and it doesn’t represent the local community any better or differently than any of the locally produced shows do.

World Cafe is really no different than the normal daytime programming from Jamie Gadette, Ebay Jamil Hamilton, and Bad Brad Wheeler … except the host talks more, plays less music, and he definitely doesn’t represent any part of the the local community in Utah that doesn’t have similar representation elsewhere. I feel it’s a waste of donations, whether from local individuals like myself or local businesses … personally, I want my money to stay *IN* the local community as much as possible.

When it comes to charities; I support Huntsman Cancer Foundation over Susan G. Komen or Livestrong … because Huntsman is local. I support the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective (in fact, I believe I am still their largest individual donor year-over-year) … because the Collective is local. And I support KRCL Radio (over KUER, which I also listen to), because KRCL is local community radio, while KUER is primarily syndicated content from NPR and PRI.

If I wanted to listen to World Cafe, I can listen to the podcast or stream it from their page on the NPR website, but where else can I hear Jamie Gadette or Bad Brad? Where else can I listen to Smile Jamaica? Where else can I listen to Maximum Distortion, the Friday Night Fallout, or Behind the Zion Curtain?

If KRCL is going to start programming more syndicated content, then they should should be giving us shows that either can’t be can’t be found anywhere else, or which cover important topics and/or demographics but which aren’t being represented by local programmers … but spending money on World Cafe? What’s the point?

To paraphrase a bumper sticker slogan that I saw plastered all over cars when I lived in Santa Cruz in the mid-to-late 1980s: Think Globally, Program Locally …

Felt like absolute shite this morning when I woke up; had originally planned to give Emigration Canyon my first attempt of the year, but I could tell early that wasn’t going to happen … but I was not going to let how crappy I felt prevent me from getting out on the [...]]]>
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Felt like absolute shite this morning when I woke up; had originally planned to give Emigration Canyon my first attempt of the year, but I could tell early that wasn’t going to happen … but I was not going to let how crappy I felt prevent me from getting out on the bike today. I told myself that Matt would ride, and he’d ride with one leg.

So with that thought in my head, I rode. And it hurt. But I rode, and that’s all that matters.

In many ways, I am an equal opportunity offender … I will make fun of [...]]]> Matt “Bronco” Bradley died on Tuesday, March 20th. I didn’t know him nearly as well as I would have liked to, but the time I did spend with him affected me deeply, and I am going to miss him terribly.

In many ways, I am an equal opportunity offender … I will make fun of just about anyone for any reason at any time.

At one of the first Utah Cyclocross races this past year, about a year or so since Matt had his leg amputated below the knee due to bone cancer, Matt, Bruce Bilodeau and I were sitting on the stage, and Bruce made some self-effacing comment on weakness; I forget exactly what it was … but I turned to them both and said “so basically, I’m sitting here with a wimp and a gimp.” It’s a crass joke, admittedly, but sometimes it’s difficult to resist the opportunity to play with words. And me? I’m the bad little chimp without a filter who just opens his mouth and lets fly.

Matt just busted up laughing, and a few weeks later, he shows up to race in the kit at left. This was so typical of what I knew of Matt’s good nature and good humor; to take what could have been a disastrously offensive joke on my part, and to embrace it, the same way he embraced life.

In one of the later races of the season at Wheeler Farm, on a really slick, snowy and muddy course at Wheeler Farm, Matt was doing pretty good for the first few laps; then he comes sheepishly walking back into the announcers area; “what happened?” we asked. “A mechanical?” No … his just lost his leg in a crash; it just came right off. Right there, best excuse for not winning a race ever: “Hey Matt, what happened? Why didn’t you finish?”

“Oh … my leg fell off …”

Matt was one of the most exceptional people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and his perpetual good humor even in the face of adversity demonstrated his lust for life and serves as a perfect example of why he was so inspirational for so many people both within and outside the cycling community. In the time that I knew him, he never let anything hold him back.

No excuses. Never surrender. Never give up. Never say die.

Whether or not he considered that to be his personal motto, it’s definitely the way he lived his life, and is certainly how I’m going to strive to live mine from this day forth. I’m going to miss Matt terribly for a long time.

Funeral Services for Matt Bronco Bradley will be held at the Pepperwood Chapel, 2195 East Pepperwood Drive (10900 South) in Sandy on Monday at noon.

Friends may call Sunday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South in Sandy and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Pepperwood Chapel. Interment at the Larkin Sunset Garden.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation or to the Mestizo Institute of Culture & Arts. Matt would much prefer the money go back into the community.

I’m going to miss you, buddy … the entire Utah cycling community (and the many other communities whose lives you touched) is really going to miss you, and all we can do is strive to celebrate your life rather than just mourn your death … and try to emulate you as much as possible.

Matt "Bronco" Bradley — August 19, 1970 - March 20, 2012 — Requiescat in pace

Thank you Matt, for being who you were. You may no longer be with us in person, but you will always be with us in spirit inside.

Another ride, another stop at Beehive for a beer, and two different AK (Ali K. from Cutthroat, and Alex K. from Revolution) sightings … felt better today than yesterday, but crawling out of the fitness hole I’m in is going to take some serious time.

Nice little ride up to the 15th & 15th neighborhood and hung-out for a while at Beehive Bicycles; rode a few miles up towards the zoo with Alex K. before deciding that I couldn’t sustain the heart rate to hang with him, even as easy as he was going; then back down [...]]]>
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Nice little ride up to the 15th & 15th neighborhood and hung-out for a while at Beehive Bicycles; rode a few miles up towards the zoo with Alex K. before deciding that I couldn’t sustain the heart rate to hang with him, even as easy as he was going; then back down 20th East to Holladay and home. It’s time for a burrito.

Take a month off the bike, go out when it’s really freaking cold out, and forget to take medication; yep … that’s a recipe for a pretty major asthma attack. Luckily, I managed to avoid one, barely, but it’s unreal just how high my heart rate was.

Rode up to Beehive [...]]]>
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Take a month off the bike, go out when it’s really freaking cold out, and forget to take medication; yep … that’s a recipe for a pretty major asthma attack. Luckily, I managed to avoid one, barely, but it’s unreal just how high my heart rate was.

Rode up to Beehive Bicycles to see how things were going, and ended up hanging out for a couple of hours … then home again. At least I got the first miles of the year in.

The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued.

  — Robert Frost