Posted on 12/18/2006 9:45:23 AM PST by sitetest
Bach might be back on Washington's airwaves, even if the region's only classical music station, WGMS, drops the format.
Public broadcaster WETA (90.9 FM) is considering dumping its news-and-talk programming and returning to being a classical broadcaster if the music dies on WGMS, WETA's management said yesterday.
In a special meeting Thursday, WETA's board voted to give station executives the green light to consider switching back to classical if WGMS drops the format. Dan DeVany, WETA's vice president and general manager, said the station "could move very quickly" back to classical if circumstances warrant.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ping!
Classical Music Ping List ping!
If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.
Thanks,
sitetest
Pinging to other folks who showed interest in this topic.
WGMS -- Classical Music for People who Hate Classical Music. Hopefully WETA will be better.
It's just plain economics. Classical music does not make money. People don't listen to classical music -- and thus, advertisers do not wish to advertise on classical channels. Any station that plays classical is basically doing charity or losing money.
Boston nearly lost classical music when Greater Media bought WCRB 102.5, a longtime classical outlet. Due to FCC ownership
rules, they had to sell one of their FM stations so they
chose WKLB 99.5; new owner of THAT station, Nassau, decided
to take the WCRB classical format and call letters there
(Greater Media moved WKLB's country to 102.5)
Now the growing country listenership of WKLB has a signal
closer to downtown Boston--and classical fans have a signal
further away.
WCRB ended its classical run by airing "Rodeo" by
Copland (the one featured in the "Beef: It's What's For
Dinner" ads) then shifted to 99.5 with "Hallelujah
Chorus". WKLB ended its country on 99.5 with a country
version of the national anthem and debuted on 102.5
with Rascal Flats' "Life is a Highway" from the movie CARS.
The flip:
http://microfurry.250free.com/Switch995.mp3
http://microfurry.250free.com/Switch1025.mp3
each 2-3 minutes long.
Longer versions are posted at raccoonradio.com
Pinging to other folks who showed interest in the last thread on this topic.
All these years I have been on FR and I didn't even know there was a classical music ping list. I'll be darned.
Here in Chicago, the CSO sells out all the time as do local smaller orchestras.
Dear HarmlessLovableFuzzball,
Classical music does pretty well in Washington, DC. By all accounts, WGMS is a solid, stable, highly-profitable part of Bonneville's radio empire, with nearly $10 million per year in advertising revenues.
However, Mr. Snyder needs the signal more than Bonneville needs the WGMS profit, as his Washington-region ESPN broadcasting franchise is in jeopardy if he doesn't score a station with a decent signal. Thus, he offered Bonneville a 50% premium over the appraised value of the station.
Tough to walk away from that much cash, even if you're making money in the present.
sitetest
Not true. Even though the programming is terrible, WGMS is the 7th most listened-to station in the Washington DC media market. Its listeners are the most educated and most affluent of any commercial radio station in the area, which means it takes in a heck of a lot of advertising revenue. It is a very profitable station -- Dan Snyder just thinks he can make more money promoting his Redskins.
I hope it works out that they return classical music to WETA. They should know they can't compete with WMAL when it comes to talk radio!
It will be a good thing if the last radio station takes classical music off the air. Classical music on the radio, interrupted by a "classical DJ" and/or advertisements is nothing but savagery. Recorded classical music is only meant be heard uninterrupted in one's living room in complete darkness, and only on 6 channel surround DVD-audio or Telearc SACDs.
Who needs Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, when we have such timeless geniuses as Britney Spears, Christina Agulara, Snoop Doggy Dogg, 2 Live Crew...
LOL! I'm such a savage!!
...and Jerry Williams
(here reading A Child's Christmas in Wales)
http://microfurry.250free.com/JerryW.mp3
Who needs Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, when we have such timeless geniuses as Britney Spears, Christina Agulara, Snoop Doggy Dogg, 2 Live Crew...
***
You forgot Paris HIlton. *snicker*
www.beethoven.com
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