Comments on: Future of Classical Music Broadcasting in Boston in Jeopardy

By: Richard Knisely

Richard Knisely — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:02:43 +0000

Is anyone reading this stream anymore?

In response to Edward Wagner (above) and others I would like to announce that I am developing a website that will do the same thing I did for 25 years at WGBH, only more focused on the music community of the Boston area. A wide variety of performances by local individuals and ensembles updated regularly, covering all periods without qualms about the contemporary!) in daily hosted segments, along with features and specials introducing the various music makers, artists and composers, venues, festivals, etc.

I am currently building the site and trying to drum up some backers for it.

info or comments welcome! -richardknisely2@earthlink.net

By: Edward Wagner

Edward Wagner — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:42:29 +0000

So now it has been four months since that meeting at the beginning of 2010. What has happened since?

Truly, the longer I have thought about it the more I am convinced that certain institutions in Boston have made the musical community perhaps lazy and prone to take for granted that their art would always be made accessible and available to the public by the broadcasting power of WGBH or the prestige of the BSO or the conservatories. This community needs to take its fate into its own hands. The INSTITUTION of WGBH is DEAD. Everyone in the musical community from Joel Cohen to Gunther Schuller to younger musicians need to ask themselves what they would like to see in an ideal classical music, not station but disseminator, and only THEN think about the technology. Surely if all the money (from individuals or institutions)that is given to the ‘GBH empire for the sake of MUSIC and take for grated by them were to directed to clean new project, well, Mr. Cohen, let your imagination run wild.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:54:15 +0000

Would you please also do a story on KDFC 102.1 FM (www.kdfc.com) out of San Francisco, CA, and also KQAC 89.9 FM (Allclassical.org with out the 995 in front of it) out of Portland, Oregon? Both stations are doing innovative programming and are bringing the WOW FACTOR to Classical Music. That was what I hoped would have been the result of WGBH taking over WCRB.
I used to be an intern at the old WCRB, and was deeply saddened when the decline started with Nassau Broadcasting, running the station into the ground. Let’s not forget that Greater Media bought the station to steal its 102.5 FM Frequency.
If WGBH does buy another frequency, I hope that it’s Country 102.5 FM, and WCRB is allowed to return to it’s original home on the dial.I also found out that some of the great recordings that WCRB used to have were sent to WHRB. A prime example is an RCA Victor Recording of Castel-Nuovo Tedesco’s Guitar Concerto # 1, which I had requested be played on WCRB, when owned by Nassau, and I was told that it was not a reasonable request, since they no longer had the recording. However, I requested it on WHRB, and that is how I found out that ‘ HRB may have some of ‘ CRB’s recordings, as they had the recording.

By: alannala

alannala — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:17:37 +0000

i live in provincetown, mass., the very end of cape cod for those of you who don’t know… and i get a clear signal on WCRB, even though technically i’m out of range of the broadcast. The fact of having cape cod bay between my radio and the tower makes propagation over salt water and unobstructed paths the key. Anyway, just wanted to say that listeners can greatly improve reception by knowing how to set up a dipole antenna, like the one that came with my radio. try different locations in your house, too. Small adjustments can be significant.
As for public radio: it sucks. It has become so commercialized and ratings oriented that i can’t listen anymore. there are programs that are good of course, but the incessant whining for money and the incessant sponsor ads and the incessant “listeners like you” bullshit is so torturing that i have gone to the internet, for good. bye bye broadcasting. the internet is the only place that will spawn the mission values that once made public broadcasting a treasure.

By: PODCAST: William Bulger, Chris Lydon, WGBH, WCRB, and the Future of Classical Music on the Radio - Phlog

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:29:26 +0000

[...] South Church on January 5 was eerily familiar — an older audience, larger than you'd expect (the organizers put it at 400-plus), venting its collective spleen at hapless [...]

By: Fred Bouchard

Fred Bouchard — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:40:51 +0000

As regards WHRB, aside from the herculean student energies that send forth their orgies, even the daily classical programming is relatively diverse, inclusive (and more consistently provocative than the jazz). And its signal serves me better in Belmont than the eWCRB’s.

By: Vance Koven

Vance Koven — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:19:04 +0000

To Robert Meyers: My understanding is that WHRB does not keep archives of its Orgy® programs; they just play ‘em, they don’t rerecord the recordings.

By: Robert Meyers

Robert Meyers — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:48:23 +0000

The large gathering last week was heartening for the size of its turnout, as well as for some trenchant remarks by Chris Lydon and Joel Cohen. It remaibns to be seen whether our disappointment with the policies of GBH can be shaped into enough pressure to elicit significant change.

I would like to suggest that the “Orgy” archives at WHRB might be made available somehow — they were and continue to be truly splendid examples of classical music broadcasting. Thanks Dave Elliot.

Thanks to Lee Eisman for his dedicated work.

By: Lee Eiseman

Lee Eiseman — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:52:45 +0000

BMInt is working on a story about two public radio stations, KUSC and WETA. They both morphed from variety format to all-talk and lost audience share. Subsequently both switched to all-classical and substantially improved market shares. This could be a cautionary tale for WGBH.

By: Pierre Paquin

Pierre Paquin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:12:31 +0000

Changes were made due to Boston Radio marketing
WGBH: in 2008: 1.08%
WBUR:in 2008: 3.8%
WCRB:in 2008: 1.8%

The results after the switching WGBH/WCRB for December 2009. WBZ AM 5.6 – (for reference)
WGBH: 0.9 -
WBUR: 4.5 +
WCRB: 2.9 +

When I was broadcasting on Cape Cod WFCC full time classical(1989-1995)my weekend ratings for the Cape Cod Market were between 5 and 8.1. Why? I did not program classical music to myself, had a full knowledge of discography both historical up to current recordings, refused to be snooty(WGBH AM was “If it ain’t French it’s piano!), did not take minutes to beging speaking(Lurtsema), did not suffer from “one-lung” delivery,(WGBH 12 to 4 PM) put chamber music programming secondary, orchestral music primary. Finally, “One does not air music played by the Iceland Symphony when you can choose the same played by Munch and the BSO, for example…
It is simple to build and keep an audience when you know what to do ansd what to say and how to say it. Where I or any of my WFCC associates at WGBH instead of WFCC today, ratings would be much higher and WGBH would be full-time classical music with rating oh so much higher than 0.9%!