DEAR MR HOCKENBERRY, I found your interview with the Israeli historian deeply one sided-- it assumed Jews in arab counties are better off than Arabs in Israel- please name a country where Jews sit in Parliament as Arbs do in Israel. i suggest you have Bernard Lewis on your show and explore The JEWS OF ISLAM. Any notion of Jewish Theocracy must be balanced with the second class status of the Jews of Islam-- Get Lewis Or Ehriam Karsh and restor my faith in your balance --- LARRY FLEISCHER 718 788 3127

Posted by lawrence fleischer, 2:01 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 2008 Permalink

I have tried to give this show a chance. I can't take it anymore. WNYC has always been the smart alternative to morning news chat magazines -- now it is just the audio-only version. Please do not NPR to the list of things being dumbed down.

Posted by Keith, 4:36 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 2008 Permalink

This is ridiculous! This sounds like a middle school essay project. OK, so you tried to pitch to the "young hipsters" but these guys seem to hate the show as well. So are you working your way down the age range? When do we get to "my favorite pet", and "what I want to do when I grow up"? Could we please have are NPR back instead of this WNYC drivel?

Posted by Phil , 6:12 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 2008 Permalink

Who would win in a fight: Superman or Batman?

Posted by Mack, 9:32 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 2008 Permalink

I'd like to convince my wife to go canoeing on one of the lakes of Titan, Saturn hanging over our space-helmeted heads. But I think it would be a pretty hard sell.

Posted by RichM, 6:49 a.m. Thursday, May 8 2008 Permalink

i'd take congress, about 300k miles away, make them observe the earth for a weekend and hope they're inspired.

Posted by bill, 6:56 a.m. Thursday, May 8 2008 Permalink

Listening to your conversation about black audiences and theatre brings me back to the summer of 1974 in very white Lake Forest IL where the Acaademy Festival Theater produced ONeill's Desire Under teh Elms with an all black cast headed by Cicely Tyson shortly after her succes in Roots. I was house manager at the summer theater and night after night an African American audience packed the house beyond capacity. It was wonderful to see and a clear sign that if serious theater is produced with an african american audience in mind, they will come.

Posted by Steven Mintz, 8:42 a.m. Thursday, May 8 2008 Permalink

I GAVE THIS SHOW A CHANCE BUT, THIS IN MY OPINION IS THE WORST SHOW TO COME ON WNYC SINCE "WAIT,WAIT DON`T TELL ME". TALK ABOUT DUMBING DOWN!! JUST WHOM ARE YOU AIMING THIS PROGAM AT? 12 YEAR OLDS DON`T USUALLY LISTEN TO PUBLIC RADIO.

Posted by Marcia C.Maytner, 11:14 a.m. Thursday, May 8 2008 Permalink

This was the biggest waste of my morning radio time. What are you doing? Who are you trying to capture and appeal to. I have always loved to listen to NPR in the morning. Today I gave The Takeaway a chance. I listened for an hour and I can guarantee you that I will NEVER do that again. Not 5 minutes! Who cares If you could spend a weekend in space, where would you go and who would you take with you? Get a grip! Stop this foolish crap!

Posted by Katie J, 1:50 a.m. Friday, May 9 2008 Permalink

Maytner and Katie: What do your comments have to do with the topic? Turn off your caps lock, Maytner--aren't you supposed to be an intellectual? And just what is it you elitist snobs have against comedy? Why does everything on public radio have to be so damn serious? And doesn't "dumbing down" mean that you hate oridnary people who work for a living?

Posted by Mark Jeffries, 9:40 p.m. Friday, May 9 2008 Permalink