Local NPR station WETA-FM recently completely reversed course a second time, switching back to a classical format after two unsatisfactory years as a news station. With the “New Classical” WETA came all kinds of questions about programming, complicated by the fact that WETA was also absorbing the area’s last commercial classical station, WGMS. Would WETA return to its former identity before the change to news? Would it become a version of the classical lite WGMS? Would they really dump Praire Home Companion? Where would the madness stop?

To help the classical radio audience follow the course of events, WETA set up a blog in January, although after two months it has only fifteen posts. The site has not been heavy on content yet, unless you want to Get to Know David Ginder or Nicole Lacroix. I mean, who knew that Deb Lamberton rides a Harley? However, there has been plenty of unintended content on the WETA blog, because the editors implemented and have maintained a comments function. Every possible constituency of the station has made its thoughts known in comments on various posts, from those who liked the news programming to those who wanted the station to jettison all news in favor of classical music. Some miss the folk music, and some even wanted to keep Prairie Home Companion. The inaugural post has, at last check, over 2,000 comments.

On a recent post, a few vociferous commenters — we know nothing about their kind here at DCist — have called for the station to play more — well, really, any — music by American composers. Responding to apologies about the state of the station’s CD collection, with its quarters under construction, two commenters actually offered to lend WETA a few CDs to get them through the crunch. Wrote one commenter:

I was serious when I said I’d be happy to lend the station a few dozen CDs of American music from my personal collection. I’ll also throw in sets of symphonies or other major works by the likes of Shostakovich, Prokoviev, Vaughan Williams, etc. I live in Arlington, and it would be easy for me to swing by some afternoon and drop off a box for you.

WETA’s programming really would be made possible by listeners like you.

Image of NPR Studios posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Burnt Pixel