Odd Days at WCRB Boston
James Schmidt
Boston's commercial classical music station, WCRB.
On Sunday September 10, they shifted their format to the dreaded "lite"
classical mix, e.g., playing isolated movements of pieces, avoiding vocal
music and anything too slow or upsetting, and making sure to play
something by Vivaldi once an hour -- in other words, the format that drove
listeners screaming from New York's WNCN (apparently there are programming
wizards from somewhere in the mid-west who dream these things up -- a
special circle in Hell is reserved for them, where they must listen to
Pachelbel for eternity). Announcers kept telling listeners how all this
was designed to help them "relax" from the "stress" of their busy day.
Listeners, however, weren't relaxing -- they were sending nasty messages
to the station anyway they could.
The shift touched off such a "firestorm of protest" (as we used to say
during the Nixon administration) that by Thurday night the forces of
"lite" retreated before the old guard and it was possible once again to
hear all four movements of the Brahms 3rd (even the slow one). Saturday I
received a telephone call in response to a call I lodged with the
management, protesting the change. A nice woman thanked me and "listeners
like me" whose complaints apparently helped to turn the thing around.
Checking my e-mail tonight I found a more cryptic note in response to a
message I'd left with on their Web-page. It reads:
> Earlier this week we instituted a new programming policy designed to
> produce a more consistent sound in our radio programming.
>
> That policy was revoked Thursday night; no explanation for this decision
> has been made.
Don't you just love the phrase "consistent sound"? -- a strange virtue to
associate with an art which, as Theodor Adorno wrote in his discussion of
the Mahler 1st, rests on the eternal promise of offering the listener
something new.
Let's hope that WCRB can avoid the curse of "consistent sounds" and that
listeners might again have the chance to hear something that will surprise
them with the utterly unexpected possibilities it opens. All my fondest
memories of listening to music are made up of moments like that...
--
James Schmidt
NealGitt
format several weeks ago. Same deal -- up to a point: firestorm of
protest, but no change by station management. The fact is that the
station manager doesn't care what the listeners think. And the listeners
made the mistake of complaining to him. Had they complained directly to
the people who buy advertising time, perhaps the result would have been
different.
So now, classical music lovers in Milwaukee will just have to...
...go to concerts.
Maybe it's not such a bad thing, after all!!!!
Neal Gittleman
Milwaukee, WI
neal...@aol.com
JP Piano
not sure if that is necessarily an advantage in the Milwaukee case). Here
in NYC, we have basically no real classical music station, just two
half-baked excuses for one. The station that I did a piano program for 17
years on canceled my show and the opera program (which had been on the air
for 44 years!) on 5 DAYS notice in July 1993 in favor of a folk/bluegrass
format, and the host of the opera program, who had done the show since its
inception, never even got to do his final show because he happened to be
in the hospital that week. Great, huh?
Joe P.
Brendan R. Wehrung
In a previous article, neal...@aol.com (NealGitt) says:
>Listeners of WCRB are lucky. Milwaukee's WFMR started using the same
>format several weeks ago. Same deal -- up to a point: firestorm of
>protest, but no change by station management. The fact is that the
>station manager doesn't care what the listeners think. And the listeners
>made the mistake of complaining to him. Had they complained directly to
>the people who buy advertising time, perhaps the result would have been
>different.
>
In the Detroit area, WQRS-FM is about 50/50 short/bleeding-chunk vs.
complete works, depending on the taste of the host and the need to get
more commercials in during drive time. Our cross is an amount of
compression that would make a rock station blush that they apply to their
signal, to the point that residual transmitter hiss is quite apparent even
on a car radio when an orchestral _tutti_ gives way to a flute solo.
Still, WQRS has been and remains deeply involved in cultural activities
and supports such organizations as the Chamber Music Society and the
Detroit Symphony, so there is a silver to lining to our clouds. We also
have CBE, the Canadian Broadcasting System FM station to console us when
WQRS becomes too much, and WUOM-FM (Ann Arbor, which comes in rather
weakly for many), which is pretty straightforward. Why have none of the
complainers mentioned that NPR stations are often an antidote for
over-commercialism (not in Detroit, however: the hometown product, WDET,
essentially dumped classical music in 1982 and has never seen he error of
their ways--they'd rather imitate a progressive rock station)? NPR needs
our support in Congress and at a local level, and overall it is better to
praise what is good (and yes, object strenuously when management tries to
foist unpalatable choice on listeners) than to tear down what might get
reconstructed as something else--remember how easy it is to drop classical
and start an easy-listening format. It's happened all to often across the
United States.
Brendan Wehrung
--
LESIT
>I'm wondering if anyone has the story on what has been going on at
>Boston's commercial classical music station, WCRB.
>On Sunday September 10, they shifted their format to the dreaded "lite"
>classical mix, e.g., playing isolated movements of pieces, avoiding vocal
>music and anything too slow or upsetting, and making sure to play
>something by Vivaldi once an hour -- in other words, the format that
drove
>listeners screaming from New York's WNCN (apparently there are
>programming wizards from somewhere in the mid-west who dream these
>things up -- a special circle in Hell is reserved for them, where they
must >listen to Pachelbel for eternity).
Could the fact that your new program director (I believe it's Mario Mazza)
was the program director who presided over the death of WNCN?
LESIT (Al Lesitsky)
John Berky
indicative of their use, stations wouldn't be switching to lite classics
and news talk.
Sorry, but nationwide, news listeners support public radio much more than
do classical music listeners.
JOHN BERKY Radi...@prodigy.com
Connecticut Public Radio
WPKT 90.5; WNPR 89.1; WEDW 88.5
Roger Dobrick
Our local commercial classical station has done the same thing; bringing in
a satellite-delivered service lossely modeled after the UK
's "Classic FM", but from what I've heard, far worse.
I can't even listen that often, it's so bad, but every time I do tune in
it seems like they're playing Chabrier's "Espana."
Congratulations, WCRB listeners; at least you've convinced the station to
come toits senses. Now if Milwaukee's WFMR did the same thing....
pont...@magus.mv.com
In article <43m993$b...@usenetp1.news.prodigy.com>, <MJL...@prodigy.com>
writes:
>
> Perhaps if listeners contributed the to public radio in an amount truely
> indicative of their use, stations wouldn't be switching to lite classics
> and news talk.
>
Hampshire just reduced the amount time allotted to good music to make room for
more chatter. My suggestion is for all subscribers to reduce the amount of
their contributions by the same percentage that the station cuts from music.
I have no intention of feeding the mouth that bites me.
David Brooks
>Perhaps if listeners contributed the to public radio in an amount truely
>indicative of their use, stations wouldn't be switching to lite classics
>and news talk.
True in general, but WCRB is commercial. The only time they go fundraising
is for the BSO.
It would be easy to pin the start of WCRB's decline at the date of Ted
Jones's death (the Baptist minister who founded the station 45 years ago).
Still, the Jones Trust is supposed to be looking after the health of the
station. I guess that's open to interpretation.
--
David Brooks, Manager, Quality Engineering dbr...@x.org
X Consortium <URL:http://www.x.org/people/dbrooks/>
Commit planned giving and daily acts of compassion.
Carolyn Wells
WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia had started that type of programming too, a
couple of months ago, at least. I
can't say if they are still doing it because I stopped
listening. I heard from friends that they started it to
attract new listeners during "drive time". I would think they
would be more worried about keeping the ones they have.
Carolyn Wells
contribute to get rid of the Lite Classic format? I have been
a contributor since the beginning, almost, to WHRO. I filled
out their questionnaire in *great detail*. Their list of
composers that we were asked to rate had only one name that I
didn't recognize--a composer of contemporary clarinet music.
Small wonder that listeners like me feel betrayed. BTW I still
send in my bi-monthly check, albeit a bit grumpily, because
they desperately need money, and any classical music is better
than none.
Carolyn
TJOMalley
>prefer classical music on my drive home ("lite" or otherwise) over the
>insufferable "All Things Considered." Pompous preppy pseudo-intellectual
>ramblings- Rush Limbaugh for the left. Maybe if the public radio stations
>played MUSIC during the times that most people listen to the radio (i.e.
>commuting hours), more people would contribute!!
You mean NPR does play music;-) Every time I switch from WCRB to the NPR
station I get someone doing an interview or talking with an overseas
correspondent.
Gene Gaudette
'tjom...@aol.com (TJOMalley)' wrote:
>> I'll take WCRB (a COMMERCIAL station) over NPR stations anyday. I much
>>prefer classical music on my drive home ("lite" or otherwise) over the
>>insufferable "All Things Considered." Pompous preppy pseudo-intellectual
>>ramblings- Rush Limbaugh for the left.
been a tad right-of-center for the last couple of years, esp. on
foreign-relations and domestic spending (except medical/SSI entitlements).
They do take a more progressive view on fine & performing arts issues,
admittedly.
Gene
Richard L Kaye
was retired from any position of responsibility there shortly after Ted
Jones's passing, although I remain the largest personal stockholder in
WCRB. The majority of the stock is held by Trusts at this time.
Personally, I deplore the playing of isolated movements from what are,
after all, works of art. But that is a personal, acquired taste. The fact
is that the great composers would and did perform or program for
performance individual movements of some of their compositions.
The real fact of the matter is that this country has ceased to
teach music in its public schools, consequently there are fewer adults
coming along who have any concept of what real, cultural music is. WCRB
pays quite a bit of money for audience surveys, and it is frightening to
see where the listenership is coming from. There are relatively few
people under about age 45 who listen to the station, and we have to
assume that as time goes by and these people exit the scene, our audience
must shrink. By far the most significant part of WCRB's audience is
already age 55 and higher. Unless we do something to change that trend,
we are going to have to go out of business.
The reason for action is REAL and IMMEDIATE. I am pretty much
outside of this, and I do not like the course WCRB is steering, but I
have to agree with their management that the station has to do something
to attract more younger adult listeners, right NOW!
The suggestion that has appeared here that someone should pay the
station to continue the previous style of broadcasting won't work. The
station is much more concerned with having a viable audience; money isn't
the first consideration; audience is. After all, if the audience
continues and grows, the station will get money.
And I presume that where people have chimed in about stations in
other cities, the same problem exists: our audience is graying away.
A few side points: yes, the WCRB Program Director is Mario Mazza,
formerly of WNCN. Listen to the program; the backing off from the extreme
change has begun to shift again toward the individual movements thing,
but for the moment it doesn't sound too bad.
RLK
EACowan
>>Don't you just love the phrase "consistent sound"? -- a strange virtue
to associate with an art which, as Theodor Adorno wrote in his discussion
of the Mahler 1st, rests on the eternal promise of offering the listener
something new.<<
"Consistent sound": a bureucrat's locution meaning "wall-to-wall
Pachelbel"... <g> --E.A.C. (eco...@aol.com)
James Kahn
>...The real fact of the matter is that this country has ceased to
>teach music in its public schools, consequently there are fewer adults
>coming along who have any concept of what real, cultural music is. WCRB
>pays quite a bit of money for audience surveys, and it is frightening to
>see where the listenership is coming from. There are relatively few
>people under about age 45 who listen to the station, and we have to
>assume that as time goes by and these people exit the scene, our audience
>must shrink. By far the most significant part of WCRB's audience is
>already age 55 and higher. Unless we do something to change that trend,
>we are going to have to go out of business.
> The reason for action is REAL and IMMEDIATE. I am pretty much
>outside of this, and I do not like the course WCRB is steering, but I
>have to agree with their management that the station has to do something
>to attract more younger adult listeners, right NOW!...
I agree with the implicit point here that these developments are
a symptom of a larger problem. It probably doesn't make sense to
find fault with WCRB or other commercial stations for their decisions,
since their first obligation is to their shareholders. The problem
is with schools and parents who don't think music is a priority.
There may also be a problem with the way the radio frequency spectrum
is rationed and regulated, which could squeeze out smaller niche
markets. Perhaps this will change with the potential of cable
(radio and/or TV). Finally, there may be larger economic forces
at work that reduce the time and money that the potential audience
for classical music has to spend.
I see less excuse, though, for public stations to follow these trends.
Isn't that what the subsidy is for, to be able to do something a little
different from what the purely commercial incentives would dictate?
--Jim
ka...@troi.cc.rochester.edu
http://kahn.econ.rochester.edu
EACowan
because of "classic lite" programming. I stopped being a member of
KERA-FM, Dallas, when, on 1 April (O memorable date!), 1982, that station
completely dropped its classical music programming! Meanwhile, I continue
listening to (commercial and Dallas-owned) WRR-FM and, via satellite, to
Chicago's WFMT and NYC's WQXR. --E.A.C. (eco...@aol.com)
JOhara9592
I once lived in Boston and listened to WCRB. I too was disapointed to hear
that they changed their programmimg policies. Now I am glad to hear of the
switch back to civilized music radio in Boston.
However your reference to the midwest ruined a perfectly comment. You see,
I am from the midwest and I moved back to the midwest partly because of
Bostonoians who believe that they set trends for the rest of the country.
This type of programmimg is definetely not a product of the midwest.
Believe it or not, midwesterners have Doctorates and Master's Degrees just
like they do in Massachusetts. Please spare us!
James C Liu
>> > Perhaps if listeners contributed the to public radio in an amount truely
>> > indicative of their use, stations wouldn't be switching to lite classics
>> > and news talk.
> I'll take WCRB (a COMMERCIAL station) over NPR stations anyday. I much
>prefer classical music on my drive home ("lite" or otherwise) over the
>insufferable "All Things Considered." Pompous preppy pseudo-intellectual
>ramblings- Rush Limbaugh for the left. Maybe if the public radio stations
>played MUSIC during the times that most people listen to the radio (i.e.
>commuting hours), more people would contribute!!
Unfortunately, more and more, it's only the NPR stations that play
anything worth hearing. Sometimes the announcers can be irritating to
listen to (James Irsay and Steve Post in New York; Robert J in Beantown),
but they do pick some wonderful music, and in other cases, there is a
marvelous meld of taste and style (Doug Briscoe and Peter Ross come to mind
in Boston). Unfortunately, this does not necessarily imply employability,
as is apparently the case for the latter two.
--
/James C.S. Liu, MD "QUESTIONS are a burden to others,
jl...@world.std.com ANSWERS a prison for oneself.
Department of Medicine A still tongue makes a happy life."
New England Med Ctr, Boston MA -- Patrick McGoohan's _The Prisoner_
John Berky
>>played MUSIC during the times that most people listen to the radio (i.e.
>>commuting hours), more people would contribute!!
>
The fact of the matter is that NPR news programming generates many more
listeners and members than classical music ever did. That is why more
and more public stations are shifting away from classical music. So, in
reality, the stations were there for you, but the support was lacking and
now you're slowly losing many of them. Many public radio managers would
have preferred to stay with more classical music, but the economics of
listener support just wasn't there.
Maggy Graham
: The fact of the matter is that NPR news programming generates many more
: listeners and members than classical music ever did. That is why more
: and more public stations are shifting away from classical music. So, in
: reality, the stations were there for you, but the support was lacking and
: now you're slowly losing many of them. Many public radio managers would
: have preferred to stay with more classical music, but the economics of
: listener support just wasn't there.
:
: JOHN BERKY Radi...@prodigy.com
: Connecticut Public Radio
: WPKT 90.5; WNPR 89.1; WEDW 88.5
======================================================
But thank heavens that CT Public Radio recently bucked the trend and
started playing NPR's World of Opera on Saturdays. I heard a lot on 90.5
during the fundraising that this was a challenge to opera listeners in
the area. Was the response really big enough or was this an already
committed experiment in programming? If so, I hope it works and
congratulations on making the effort!
--
Maggy
magr...@netcom.com
John Proffitt
(John Berky) wrote:
> Maybe if the public radio stations
> >>played MUSIC during the times that most people listen to the radio (i.e.
>
> >>commuting hours), more people would contribute!!
> >
>
> The fact of the matter is that NPR news programming generates many more
> listeners and members than classical music ever did. That is why more
> and more public stations are shifting away from classical music. So, in
> reality, the stations were there for you, but the support was lacking and
> now you're slowly losing many of them. Many public radio managers would
> have preferred to stay with more classical music, but the economics of
> listener support just wasn't there.
>
>
> JOHN BERKY Radi...@prodigy.com
> Connecticut Public Radio
> WPKT 90.5; WNPR 89.1; WEDW 88.5
To add to and clarify my friend & colleague John Berky's comment. A great
deal of research and actual observation over time backs up the audience
support figures for NPR affiliate stations. NPR news and information,
specifically Morning Edition and All Things Considered, attract the largest
audiences in public radio. Second is classical music--as an aggregate, not
referring to any specific program. A more distant third is jazz and
"miscellaneous". So, for single-station markets, the most successful
broadcast strategy has been combining the two news magazines with classical
music. Both audiences are served well, although there will be core fans of
NPR news that will want more news and core fans of classical that will want
more music. But, by and large, the station manages to satisfy a large
segment of its listeners and reap the financial support benefits therefrom.
Valerie Koetting
which actually do exist. If they are in a big enough market, there can
be variety. Where I am now, there is a USC station--NPR and lots of
what they pass off as classical but is pretty watered down. Local
Santa Barbara station is all music but the same "greatest" hits. As
to NPR, do they still produce "Whaddya Know?" Loved it when I lived
in Chicago. Is it too hokey for West Coast? No one out here seems to
have ever heard it.
My two Dutch guilders.
Valerie Koetting
Rob Landry
station has just upgraded its signal substantially and now reaches many of
the outer suburbs.
The station does about nine hours a day of classical beginning at 1 pm.
Rob Landry
um...@cybercom.net