Comments on: BSO Strives to Maintain Live Friday Broadcasts http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/ a virtual journal and blog of the classical music scene in Boston Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:55:37 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Patricia Minot http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1511 Patricia Minot Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:55:58 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1511 Public TV is now a travesty, and WGBH seems well on the way. And yet live broadcasts of the Met in movie houses are sold out all over the country weeks in advance. And they are exciting. Bravo Peter Gelb. WGBH should wake up and lead. Live broadcasts are live. There is no substitute except to be there - and, pace, engineers, even a poor sounding live broadcast is better than none. Public TV is now a travesty, and WGBH seems well on the way. And yet live broadcasts of the Met in movie houses are sold out all over the country weeks in advance. And they are exciting. Bravo Peter Gelb.

WGBH should wake up and lead. Live broadcasts are live. There is no substitute except to be there – and, pace, engineers, even a poor sounding live broadcast is better than none.

]]> By: Romy The Cat http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1412 Romy The Cat Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:44:21 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1412 Pierre wrote: <i>AN INTERIM SOLUTION: Record and air at a later time. Pierre, it is not an interim solution but a <i>horrible solution</i>, and it is horrible from so many perspectives!!! There are VERY many technical, "political", esoteric, artistic and even “cosmic” reasons why it would be a VERY bad idea… Pierre wrote: AN INTERIM SOLUTION: Record and air at a later time.

Pierre, it is not an interim solution but a horrible solution, and it is horrible from so many perspectives!!! There are VERY many technical, “political”, esoteric, artistic and even “cosmic” reasons why it would be a VERY bad idea…

]]> By: Pierre Paquin http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1411 Pierre Paquin Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:19:27 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1411 AN INTERIM SOLUTION: Record and air at a later time. AN INTERIM SOLUTION: Record and air at a later time.

]]> By: Romy The Cat http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1389 Romy The Cat Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:02:57 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1389 Yes, John, you are correct. There were a lot of problems with today broadcast, with very strangely distorting limiting compressor. I recognized as well the Ron’s voice was distorted but I felt that he just was unhealthy as he was talking “in noise” and sounded like from an empty barrel. Also, I concur that immediately before and after the broadcast the Sound was fine. I wonder how the hell their engineers would be able to debug the problems if in Symphony Hall location they are not able to receive the CRB signal. I do feel that when they monitor sound at line-lever (not the modulations over air) then the problems do not exist. Yes, John, you are correct. There were a lot of problems with today broadcast, with very strangely distorting limiting compressor. I recognized as well the Ron’s voice was distorted but I felt that he just was unhealthy as he was talking “in noise” and sounded like from an empty barrel. Also, I concur that immediately before and after the broadcast the Sound was fine. I wonder how the hell their engineers would be able to debug the problems if in Symphony Hall location they are not able to receive the CRB signal. I do feel that when they monitor sound at line-lever (not the modulations over air) then the problems do not exist.

]]> By: John Shriver http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1388 John Shriver Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:01:17 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1388 This evening's BSO concert live broadcast was a sonic disaster. Serious distortion anytime they got over mezzo forte. Even Ron's voice was badly distorted. As soon as they switched back to the studios after the broadcast, music at the same level (I hooked up my HP 403B dB meter) was clean and undistorted. I didn't think much of the artistic choices in the mixing, way over-spotlighted. Zero taste. But the distortion on the live broadcast was almost bad enough to get a "ticket" from the FCC. (Well, back when the FCC wasn't a lap dog.) But, we know well that WGBH measures "success" by the size of their budget. Not by civic or social or artistic responsibility. It's not really "public radio" any more, it's "money radio". If broadcasting the same music as KISS-108 would maximize their budget, they would do it. If we want to make them change, our voice is indeed our wallets. Give nothing, and tell them why. At this point, the only thing I want to support on WGBH/WCRB is the "Jazz Decades." This evening’s BSO concert live broadcast was a sonic disaster. Serious distortion anytime they got over mezzo forte. Even Ron’s voice was badly distorted. As soon as they switched back to the studios after the broadcast, music at the same level (I hooked up my HP 403B dB meter) was clean and undistorted.

I didn’t think much of the artistic choices in the mixing, way over-spotlighted. Zero taste.

But the distortion on the live broadcast was almost bad enough to get a “ticket” from the FCC. (Well, back when the FCC wasn’t a lap dog.)

But, we know well that WGBH measures “success” by the size of their budget. Not by civic or social or artistic responsibility. It’s not really “public radio” any more, it’s “money radio”. If broadcasting the same music as KISS-108 would maximize their budget, they would do it. If we want to make them change, our voice is indeed our wallets. Give nothing, and tell them why.

At this point, the only thing I want to support on WGBH/WCRB is the “Jazz Decades.”

]]> By: Joel Cohen http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1365 Joel Cohen Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:15:29 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1365 Maybe the slogan for us quality-program enthusiasts then needs to be "Ten percent is the increment." With 26.2 million, unless management spends the extra on lavish dinner parties, the station could afford to hire a creative program director for 99.5, a slew of part-time but gifted special-topics music producers, modest honoraria for the live chamber music performers, etc etc etc. I think 10% of the WGBH budget for the radio operation would be fair and balanced, as it were. Right now BOTH the talk side and the music side feel starved. Unloved. Dreary. Maybe the slogan for us quality-program enthusiasts then needs to be “Ten percent is the increment.” With 26.2 million, unless management spends the extra on lavish dinner parties, the station could afford to hire a creative program director for 99.5, a slew of part-time but gifted special-topics music producers, modest honoraria for the live chamber music performers, etc etc etc. I think 10% of the WGBH budget for the radio operation would be fair and balanced, as it were. Right now BOTH the talk side and the music side feel starved. Unloved. Dreary.

]]> By: Lee Eiseman http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1364 Lee Eiseman Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:40:05 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1364 BMInt is working on getting answers as to additional costs of the Friday broadcasts. Our contacts at the station tell us that there are charges for an engineer, an announcer, and on some occasions, a board operator. These could conceivably add up to $400 per broadcast or $8,000 for twenty broadcasts. To put this in perspective: according to their Annual Report, the total WGBH budget is $262 million, the radio budget is $13 million. If you take John Voci's $25,000 per season for the Friday broadcasts, the portion of the total radio expenses would be approximately .19%(19 hundredths of one percent). At the dissidents' calculation of $8,000 for the season, the number would be .06% (six one hundredths of one percent). Is it possible that cost is not the basis for the discontinuance? BMInt is working on getting answers as to additional costs of the Friday broadcasts. Our contacts at the station tell us that there are charges for an engineer, an announcer, and on some occasions, a board operator. These could conceivably add up to $400 per broadcast or $8,000 for twenty broadcasts.

To put this in perspective: according to their Annual Report, the total WGBH budget is $262 million, the radio budget is $13 million. If you take John Voci’s $25,000 per season for the Friday broadcasts, the portion of the total radio expenses would be approximately .19%(19 hundredths of one percent). At the dissidents’ calculation of $8,000 for the season, the number would be .06% (six one hundredths of one percent).

Is it possible that cost is not the basis for the discontinuance?

]]> By: clarkjohnsen http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1362 clarkjohnsen Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:58:36 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1362 Three things. First, for the first time in my life I find myself agreeing with everything Romy writes. "They [GBH management] are not familiar with vividness, value and fragility of live musical events." Oh indeed. Speaking of live performance, I am able myself about 90% of the time to identify a performance as live when I tune in after it starts. I am not talking about audience noise here. Live, is not only different but better, more (for lack of a better word) musical. Finally, one must wonder where that putative $20-30K goes. The lines are in place. The broadcast booth is always there. The mics are permanently hung. All that's needed is an on-site announcer. Aha! Maybe that's it. When GBH/CRB plays hours of CDs put on hard drive (?) at Minnesota Public Radio they can just press a button and leave, letting the computer insert the occasional station ID. On Fridays they'd have to send Ron della Chiesa over to Symphony Hall, perhaps with an actual engineer, and so the hours do accumulate. But $20-30K? Those fellows must be pretty well paid! Three things. First, for the first time in my life I find myself agreeing with everything Romy writes. “They [GBH management] are not familiar with vividness, value and fragility of live musical events.” Oh indeed.

Speaking of live performance, I am able myself about 90% of the time to identify a performance as live when I tune in after it starts. I am not talking about audience noise here. Live, is not only different but better, more (for lack of a better word) musical.

Finally, one must wonder where that putative $20-30K goes. The lines are in place. The broadcast booth is always there. The mics are permanently hung. All that’s needed is an on-site announcer. Aha! Maybe that’s it. When GBH/CRB plays hours of CDs put on hard drive (?) at Minnesota Public Radio they can just press a button and leave, letting the computer insert the occasional station ID.
On Fridays they’d have to send Ron della Chiesa over to Symphony Hall, perhaps with an actual engineer, and so the hours do accumulate. But $20-30K? Those fellows must be pretty well paid!

]]> By: Romy The Cat http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1358 Romy The Cat Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:59:31 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1358 I wasn’t in Boston in that time and at my 45 I am too young to remember it. What I do however know is that current WGBH is completely does not understand the advantage and power of broadcasting LIVE classical music events. LIVE broadcasts are a completely different category and shall be cherished and cultivated as they are the best that audio media is able to offer. A few bars of listening give a very recognizable indication if an orchestra performing LIVE for people or if it plays for microphones in studio. A LIVE performance has always that psychosomatic danger and that exoteric immediacy of listening attention that very seldom exist in studio-made, brushed up recordings. I do not want to go into details of this mechanism as it is a VERY loaded subject (not to mention my specialty). What I do know is that WGBH looks like does not recognize that LIVE transmission of classical music evens is the ONLY truly worthy WGBH programming, the programming where no one can compete with WGBH in Boston. If I run WGBH I would capitalize on it. I would wire each concert stage in city for live broadcast (technically it costs literally nothing nowadays) and I would make musicians and sponsors to actually compete for the opportunity to be in the WGBH broadcasts. Meanwhile WGBH cancel the Friday live broadcasts… Oh, wey, do not let me start again... You do not need to go to far. No later than today I turned radio and heard Kreisler’s short pieces. The play was very nice and from the very first notes it was very apparent that it was LIVE play in air. I looked at the 99.5 web site and there was no indication of LIVE event of any kind. It turned out that it was Cathy Fuller’s LIVE interview with Nikolaj Znaider. I can’t imagine that WGBH allow broadcasting LIVE event like this without any former announcement. I called to WGBH told them that it is not acceptable. If I were Mr. Znaider then I would be pissed by the fact that my live performance was equated by WGBH to an ordinary CD spinning…. I wasn’t in Boston in that time and at my 45 I am too young to remember it. What I do however know is that current WGBH is completely does not understand the advantage and power of broadcasting LIVE classical music events. LIVE broadcasts are a completely different category and shall be cherished and cultivated as they are the best that audio media is able to offer. A few bars of listening give a very recognizable indication if an orchestra performing LIVE for people or if it plays for microphones in studio. A LIVE performance has always that psychosomatic danger and that exoteric immediacy of listening attention that very seldom exist in studio-made, brushed up recordings. I do not want to go into details of this mechanism as it is a VERY loaded subject (not to mention my specialty). What I do know is that WGBH looks like does not recognize that LIVE transmission of classical music evens is the ONLY truly worthy WGBH programming, the programming where no one can compete with WGBH in Boston. If I run WGBH I would capitalize on it. I would wire each concert stage in city for live broadcast (technically it costs literally nothing nowadays) and I would make musicians and sponsors to actually compete for the opportunity to be in the WGBH broadcasts. Meanwhile WGBH cancel the Friday live broadcasts… Oh, wey, do not let me start again…

You do not need to go to far. No later than today I turned radio and heard Kreisler’s short pieces. The play was very nice and from the very first notes it was very apparent that it was LIVE play in air. I looked at the 99.5 web site and there was no indication of LIVE event of any kind. It turned out that it was Cathy Fuller’s LIVE interview with Nikolaj Znaider. I can’t imagine that WGBH allow broadcasting LIVE event like this without any former announcement. I called to WGBH told them that it is not acceptable. If I were Mr. Znaider then I would be pissed by the fact that my live performance was equated by WGBH to an ordinary CD spinning….

]]> By: Joel Cohen http://classical-scene.com/2010/01/11/chairman-of-bso-players%e2%80%99-committee-opines-on-donations-of-players%e2%80%99-services/comment-page-1/#comment-1357 Joel Cohen Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:28:06 +0000 http://classical-scene.com/?p=2353#comment-1357 The live BSO telecasts I listened to while in high school in Providence, Rhode Island had an enormous and positive impact on my life and career choices. On WGBH-TV I saw Münch and Monteux direct, got to know and identify with the styles and personalities of the first chair players, learned repertoire, heard repertoire evolve from telecast to telecast, all of this and more for free...that kind of excellence is still possible, if the will is there to make it happen. The live BSO telecasts I listened to while in high school in Providence, Rhode Island had an enormous and positive impact on my life and career choices. On WGBH-TV I saw Münch and Monteux direct, got to know and identify with the styles and personalities of the first chair players, learned repertoire, heard repertoire evolve from telecast to telecast, all of this and more for free…that kind of excellence is still possible, if the will is there to make it happen.

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