XMPR (XM Satellite Radio’s Public Radio channel, 133) is going to report live tomorrow from the Kennedy Space Center on the launch of the space shuttle Discovery.

What I dearly love about XMPR is its overreach…it reminds me of what terrestrial public radio stations used to be before they became complacent and decided to allow NPR to dictate to them what they should and should not cover. Scott Walterman is flying down to Florida to cover the launch - whether it’s dynamite or a comedy of errors, it’s still better than the pablum dished up by NPR.

Of course, any alternative to NPR is, in my opinion, a good thing. But the guts…the chutzpa…this coverage demonstrates tends to give me the idea that commercial public radio may be the last vestage of what made public radio great…and so I strongly believe it’s something valuable to support. Pick up an XM radio (my beloved Roady2 is selling for $50 at various electronic stores and online), subscribe to XM, and support gutsy public radio.

Tell ‘em Charlie sent ‘ya.