A lesson for radio program directors: Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. As in the case of NPR's soon-to-be re-assigned Morning Edition host Bob Edwards.

On the national scene, NPR's headquarters was flooded with 5,500 calls the day after it made the announcement, which came Tuesday. On the local scene, no one's counting, but listeners are angry.

WVXU-FM (91.7, it airs the show 5-10 a.m.) general manager Jim King has fielded a goodly number of calls and confirms that, "People are outraged, and well they should be. I know I should follow NPR's company line, but I'm personally outraged.

"I've had a lot of calls, a lot of e-mails and soon, I expect a lot of snail mail. Some of the callers are even blaming us ('VXU) and threatening to withdraw financial support. After I talk them down, I give them NPR's phone number."

Listeners in Northern Kentucky are angry as well, but not in such significant numbers. WNKU-FM (89.7) general manager Ben Singleton "can't say we've been slammed with protests, but yes, we are getting them. I know people are unhappy, and they're letting us know."

WGUC-FM (90.9), the area's other NPR affiliate, doesn't air the show.

Time warp

Look for a lot of country music fans to be walking around scratching their heads Thursday. That's the day WUBE-FM (105.1) turns back the clock to 1991. Because it can, that's why.

The station is celebrating its 35th year of delivering country music to Cincinnati - it signed on April 1, 1969 - by picking one day in its history and reliving it. So, says program director Tim Closson, the station will be playing only music released before that date; it also will be playing the same promotional jingles; even the weather reports will be from 1991.

So will the on-air lineup, a feat that's pretty amazing because there are only a handful of radio stations - "if any," Closson says - that can say they still employ the same people from 13 years ago.

But WUBE does. So come Thursday you get Bill Whyte (he's the current morning man), 5-9 a.m.; Closson - he was T.C. back then - 9-11 a.m.; Kathy O'Connor (she's assistant program director now), 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Duke Hamilton (then as now, afternoon drivetime), 3-7 p.m.; Patti Marshall (now the marketing director) 7 p.m.-midnight.

Oh, and here's the kicky part: The station has had promos for it, but come Thursday, it won't be mentioning what it's doing. Just let listeners tune in and maybe figure it out. And maybe not, then spend the day scratching their heads.

New on Channel 5

Looks to be a new face on Channel 5 in the early evening. It's Amanda Orlando (WUBE-FM morning co-host), doing what they call the E-block (entertainment news). She started last week.

It's a fairly short block, maybe three minutes, but she's packing it with tons of Hollywood gossip, new movies, that sort of thing.

And loving it, though she's also finding it a strange transition. That's because on TV you have to look your best, but in radio where the audience can't see you, you can show up in curlers and sweat pants.

"And I have. But not for this," she says.

You can catch her at 5:57 p.m. weekdays.

Local makes good

Whew, that didn't take long. Referring here to Andrew Marshall, a June graduate of the University of Cincinnati's digital design program. The 25-year-old former Anderson Township resident has already found full-time work in Hollywood on such shows as American Idol, World Idol and The O.C.

He's busy - 12 hours a day more often than not - at a firm called Aerodrome Pictures, creating TV animations, promotional graphics, logos and movie billboards.

E-mail jknippenberg@enquirer.com