To the editor: Vermont Public … what?

The new name “Vermont Public” has fallen flat with listeners questioning, “Vermont Public What?” The explanation from Vermont Public, presented in a flashy information piece is that “Public” is a noun and the subject is “you” meaning all of us.

Now the last time I diagrammed a sentence was in middle school, some 48 years ago, but I am pretty sure that my English teacher would have a problem with “noun noun” forming a complete sentence, or even forming a title for that matter.

I am dismayed that Vermont Public’s response to its lousy new name is to say it once every minute or two during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. I have been tuning my radio to 89.5 for 40 years now. I know 89.5 is Vermont Public Radio or used to be. I don’t need to hear that each spoken sentence on 89.5 has been brought to me by Vermont Public.

It is kind of like encouraging people to keep sniffing a corpse flower because after enough sniffs, it will stop smelling like a corpse and start smelling like dirty old socks. Vermont Public still stinks to me, no matter how many times I hear it. I have actually started to listen to other stations on the radio just to avoid hearing “Vermont Public, Vermont Public, Vermont Public” 30 times an hour. The other stations are really quite good and there is a plethora of them on Sirius XM.

I suppose that if Vermont Public can’t give up its new name, it could do what Meta (another ridiculous name) did keeping the Facebook and Instagram brand names under the umbrella of Meta. That way we the listeners and watchers could keep VPR and Vermont Public Television, and the big suits at Vermont Public could keep their new baby: Vermont Public ….. what?

Sincerely,

Douglas Friant
South Londonderry

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  1. T Long says:

    This whole thread was a waste of three minutes. The world is currently chock FULL of very serious problems – this ain’t one of them. Perspective, please.

  2. Doug Friant says:

    Whoops! Bad form to change tenses when critiquing grammar – should read:Good points, although in all of those examples, the middle words modify the last words. They act almost as adjectives – “Country” describes “Store”, “Bowl” describes “Mill” etc. “Vermont” and “Public” are just itching to describe something, but nothing is there. That is why it sounds so odd. Vermont Public what?

  3. Doug Friant says:

    Good points, although in all of those examples,the middle words modifies the last words. They act almost as adjectives – “Country” describes “Store”, “Bowl” describes “Mill” etc.

    “Vermont” and “Public” are just itching to describe something, but nothing is there. That is why it sounds so odd. Vermont Public what?

  4. Kathy Pellett says:

    I was in marketing and advertising for 25 years, and I can’t imagine what focus groups could have inspired this ridiculous change. There are many things I miss about Vermont, but hearing Vermont Public is definitely not one of them! Kathy Pellett

  5. D Waldmann says:

    I admit that I have no love for “Vermont Public” either. It sounds like an unfinished thought, although it may well be just because I’ve been so used to VPR or “Vermont Public Radio” for almost all my life. I simply don’t like “Vermont Public”. I just hope they don’t start calling it VP.

    Nevertheless, I don’t have an argument with an entity name being noun-noun(-noun). Our own business name is such, and I believe the author’s is as well… Along with many other fine companies such as Vermont Country Store, Weston Bowl Mill, Hill Farmstead Brewery and so on.