I don't think nepotism is always a bad thing. But I suppose it's a lot easier to get a show when you're Ruth Hirschman Seymour's daughter...

I kind of enjoyed Sam Hall Kaplan's commentaries and was too curious to not google this - the first hit on a search of "Ruth Hirschman Celia" yielded a bio of Jack Hirschman, once married to Ruth Epstein and father of Celia. Could there be more than one Celia Hirschman? Sure. Will be curious to see if they confirm. (bio is at http://www.sfcall.com/issues%202002/5.24.02/hirschman_bio_5_24_02.htm).

That said - just listened to the first "On the Beat" which addressed how the recent price reduction Universal offered on CDs will drive "mom and pop" record stores out of business. A little late in the game but well done.

But a radio commentary on something as visual as architecture was always sort of odd. Not as odd as magic on the radio, but still...
And why do we need commentary on the music biz from NYC? Why do we need commnetary at all?

You're a better Googler than me, cbernard.

While KCRW is currently a great station, Sam ranks as emeritus in this town, and KCRW is insensitive to this. I think it's a shame. Frances Anderton's D&A is probably more consistent with where the station wants to be, but it's pure fluff and promo, and offers no informed criticism, except when the odd guest happens to stumble on some real feelings, which always prompts a change of subject by the host.

LA is a tough place to comment about architecture and retain personal integrity--you start talking about the blight of shopping malls and the ego wars involved in architecture, and very soon some key underwriter/advertiser will start making noise. This could have happened to Sam, who gave true opinions, and not sugar coated publicity. Who knows? It could even have been Frank O. G. Himself who busted Kaplan's chops.

Funny that they can't find five minutes of time for SHK. For a public station that "doesn't advertise", KCRW is running more and more and more promo spots all the time, and collecting fair market prices on them. It's a pity that we'll not hear about public spaces (and things like the travesty of the now nipped-in-the-bud Koolhaus LACMA canopy, which Kaplan did a great service dissecting), but be subjected to more UCLA/LMU/Anyschool Extension ads, and repeated-ad-nauseum Lohlife spots featuring Sandra Tsing Loh's efforts to potty train her no-longer infant.

Celia is definitely Ruth's daughter. Ruth was once married to Jack Hirschman.

Let's all pray that Celia didn't inherit Ruth's "distinctive" voice.

From Seattle the view appears as if Kaplan's comments on the Disney were just too much. Is that accurate?

I've raised the issue at my own blog:

City Comforts Blog: Sam Hall Kaplan's "City Observed"