21,845+ have now signed a petition urging NPR to reconsider its decision to remove Edwards as host of Morning Edition. Most of those signing also leave comments. More than a few concern comparisons with the CocaCola's New Coke marketing fiasco 18 years ago.
When Coke finally re-introduced the original formula as CocaCola Classic, they acknowleged their blind spot: "The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."
Will NPR learn this lesson? It remains to be seen.
The obituary for our colleague Larry Holt was published over the weekend in Salt Lake's two dailies.
