Frequently Asked Questions About 1370 Connection

What is 1370 Connection?

It’s a two-hour daily call-in conversation and interview program. We see it as a way to facilitate YOUR direct connection with the issues and newsmakers that touch your life, as well as the trends that shape our present and future. We do it with live interviews that give you the chance to ask questions and exchange ideas with people in the news, and people who can help you solve practical problems we all face not to mention giving you an opportunity to share your viewpoint with the whole community.

When is it on, and where can I find it on the dial?

We’re on live every weekday from noon to 2 PM (Eastern time) on WXXI-AM 1370, with a signal covering the entire 6-county Rochester metropolitan area and all communities within a 60 mile radius of Rochester. We’re also audible worldwide through Live Streaming during the airing of the show. Each day’s program is recorded, and replayed in its entirety starting at 9 PM every weeknight.

How did the show get started, and when?

1370 Connection began Labor Day week of 1987, its basic format and concept developed by former WXXI radio division VP Mark Boardman, and was originally heard starting at 10 AM on weekdays. The first six months of the program’s history saw numerous changes in host and production team. On March 16, 1988, Bob Smith joined WXXI as permanent host and producer of 1370 Connection, and has been continuously associated with the program and with WXXI-AM 1370 since that date. You can get to know Bob by reading his biography here on this website.

What are some of the highlights of 1370 Connection’s years on the air?

In 1989, we took 1370 Connection to Russia for two weeks at the time of the historical milestone of that country’s first competitive elections in over 70 years. Since then we’ve hosted the famous (like Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani and Mario Cuomo), the notorious (like S&L scandal central figure Charles Keating) and the icons of American literature and popular culture (from Philip Roth to B.B. King), not to mention the people from your own community who make the decisions that affect your life daily. The program moved to its current noon to 2 PM timeslot in the fall of 1996 and the audience for its live first run each day has grown over 50% since that time. In the fall of 2001, WXXI-AM added the 9 PM nightly replay to enable us to offer the program to more people on different daily schedules.

How do you pick guests and topics for the program?

We begin by looking closely at issues in the news, and developing issues we feel may be likely to make news in the future; then we seek out people in the community and across the nation who can speak knowledgeably and articulately about those issues.

Do you take suggestions and ideas from the audience?

We definitely take suggestions from listeners. In fact, we want and actively seek your suggestions. Bob Smith invites you to write to him at 1370...@wxxi.org or by regular mail at; WXXI-AM 1370, Box 30021, Rochester, NY 14603. Listeners’ ideas have turned into some of our best and most talked-about segments. Keep them coming!

I represent an organization or an individual I’d like to see interviewed on 1370 Connection. How do I get him/her/them on the show?

Contact host and producer Bob Smith at 1370...@wxxi.org or at our offices at (585) 325-7500. We can’t assure you that we will be able to accommodate your request for a booking. Not all guests and topics suggested fit the specific mission and focus of the show. But we will consider all ideas.

How can I, as a listener, take part in the show?

It’s easy. Although we do occasionally pre-record segments of the show when a guest  is only available at a time other than our normal live airtime, nearly all our programs are live at noon. So, if you’re listening at that hour, you’re invited to call in at
(585) 263-WXXI (263-9994). We’ll ask you your first name, and what community you’re calling from; then you’ll go on the air in the order we receive your call. Unfortunately, since it’s pre-recorded, we can’t accommodate listener calls on the 8 PM nightly replay. Read more about how to be an effective caller.

If you can’t be near a phone, we also take advance e-mail questions for many topics at our mailing address, 1370...@wxxi.org.

What are the rules for listener participation?

Not many. We simply ask you, when you call, to make your questions and comments directly relevant to the topic of the hour. Try to be concise and clear. You will get full opportunity to state your views or questions, and you’ll be treated courteously.

We don’t like to terminate calls prematurely, although we reserve the right to end a call immediately if comments made are abusive, racially or ethnically derogatory, potentially slanderous and defamatory, or indecent.

What do I need to know from a technical standpoint when I call?

We will ask you to turn your radio down, and keep track of the program by staying on the line and listening on hold after your call is answered and placed in the queue before you’re put on the air with us. That’s because the program is run on an electronically generated 10 second delay, so we can monitor and delete any inappropriate comments of the type that can creep into any live, unrehearsed
We will produce programs on any subject that is of general interest to adult listeners inour central and western New York listening area, and consistent with our overall mission of bringing topics of broad relevance to our audience.

How can I find out about an upcoming show?

We announce the day’s topics and guests on the air every weekday, starting during Morning Edition and the Diane Rehm show. So if you listen to WXXI-AM 1370 you’ll always know what’s next on 1370 Connection. We also publish our weekly show schedule in advance on this website.

Of course, since breaking news doesn’t happen on a regular schedule, the advance schedules are always subject to change, sometimes at a moment's notice, to respond to the latest developments. Those changes are by their nature unpredictable.

What if I have specific comments about a show I’ve heard, or questions about that show?

Address them to Bob Smith at 1370...@wxxi.org. Or call at (585) 325-7500. We welcome all inquiries about the program. They’ll be answered promptly.

Do you furnish show copies or transcripts?

We regret that we currently do not have the facilities and staff to provide written transcripts of 1370 Connection programs. Audio copies of past shows are available on CD for $20.00 (check, money order or charge, payable to WXXI). Along with your advance payment, please send a note specifying which date and hour of the show you want. We will send you your CD copy of the program, post-paid, as soon as possible.

What if I have other questions about the show not answered here?

We’ll be happy to address all your specific questions at 1370...@wxxi.org .