Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Though Rush Limbaugh’s recent disparaging comments brought the issue to light, the “shock jock’s” presence on KNCO has been a long-simmering controversy among board members/stockholders.

Closely held KNCO’s owners include families within the community who were the original investors. They like to bill KNCO as a “community friendly” radio station.

Rush is not really a “cash cow” to KNCO, but some prominent board members fear dropping him would mean losing some longtime conservative listeners.

Others, however, believe dropping him could generate more revenue. Many advertisers already ask that their ads do not run during Rush’s show.

The KNCO board needs to reflect on its station’s future, as I’ve written before. My own two-cents is that Rush has become more of a liability than an asset, because our political demographics are changing to “purple.”

There also are lots of conservative talk show hosts to choose from who don’t use terms such as “feminazi.” KNCO faces more competition too, including from social media.

Ed Sylvester is chairman of Nevada County Broadcasters, and Scott Robertson is the president.

What do you say Ed and Scott? Maybe it’s time to rethink your programming in a politically diverse community. You might be leaving some money on the table.

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Never mind the previous posts this weekend of a riverboat ride on the Amazon or Monks with tame tigers in Thailand. We’ve got culture right here in the foothills.

This weekend we enjoyed the second annual St. Piran’s Day celebration — tossing pasties in the parking lot at Grass Valley City Hall and watching them smash on the pavement — as close to a cross as possible (AKA, the flag of Cornwall). (Imagine a “ringer” in horseshoes).

St. Piran was the patron saint of cornish tin-miners, and Grass Valley honors the day with a “Pasty Olympics,” singing by the Grass Valley Male Voice Choir, a pasty cooking contest and more festivities.

It was about double the turnout from last year, with a diverse bunch — City Council members from both Grass Valley and Nevada City, Supervisor Terry Lamphier, City Administrator Dan Holler, Choir Director Eleanor Kenitzer, Cartoonist R.L. Crabb, historic Author Gage McKinney and other upstanding citizens. I had agreed to be a judge for the pasty cookoff contest.

Dogs, including ours, also were on hand to eat the pasty scraps.

Outgoing Executive Director of the Grass Valley Downtown Association Howard Levine proved to be a provocateur when he announced that The Union photographer John Hart and me would begin the pasty toss festivities.

Though surprised, I was eager to try it, and John somewhat begrudgingly went along. The goal is to toss a pasty across the parking lot — as close to the flag of Cornwall as possible.

Though you won’t read this in The Union: I won the first toss, and John won the second. In the tie-breaker, I won with a toss right onto the mat. The winner received a handsome medallion with the flag of Cornwall on it.

Others competed as well, including Mayors Jan Arbuckle and David McKay, of Grass Valley and Nevada City, respecpectively. Jan won in the “Battle of the Mayors.”

All told, it was a good time. And though the event focused on mining, nobody brought up the proposal to reopen the Idaho-Maryland mine.

My winning toss:

Photo credits: Daniel WhiteEagle

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