Another reason radio matters

In case you need the encouragement, here’s more testament to why radio matters. Composer Arvo Pärt credits his start in music to his country’s classical radio programming.

When I was ten years old I was able to hear good classical music in Rakvere mainly in the broadcasts of YLE [the Finnish Broadcasting Company]. I listened to all of the concerts and music programmes, and I wanted to start composing.

Full article in the Helsingin Sanomat.

So keep up the good work — another Arvo Pärt might be listening. (Or, if you don’t like his music, visualize a composer you do like!)

About Mike Janssen

Mike Janssen Served as Scanning The Dial's original co-authors from Mar, 2008 to Jan, 2010 and is a freelance writer, editor and media educator based in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He has written extensively about radio, mostly for Current, the trade newspaper about public broadcasting, where his articles have appeared since 1999. He has also worked in public radio as a reporter at WFDD-FM in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he began his career in journalism and filed pieces for NPR. Mike's work in radio expanded to include outreach and advocacy in 2007, when he worked with the Future of Music Coalition to recruit applicants for noncommercial radio stations. He has since embarked on writing a series of articles about radio hopefuls for FMC's blog.

Mike also writes regularly for Retail Traffic magazine and teaches workshops about writing, podcasting and radio journalism. In his spare time he enjoys vegetarian food, the outdoors, reading, movies and traveling. You can learn more about Mike and find links to more of his writing and reporting at mikejanssen.net.

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2 thoughts on “Another reason radio matters”

  1. I adore the music of Arvo Part. Where did I learn it? Public Radio. WNYC. In those days I was buying CD’s. I have sixteen CD’s of music by Part. And, while many of his pieces are short, I think that I have no repeats.

    I admire Michael Gordon from BOAC. The first work of his that heard was “Decasia”. I heard it on wnyc2, I went to BOAC and bought it in mp3. When I saw news of “Trance” on Seq21, I went right to BOAC and bought it.

    Mark O’Connor, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Sir John Tavener, all in my collection because of Public Radio.

    That’s how it works, folks. If you can hear it and if you like it maybe you will buy it, and the composer
    will work for another day. We are a part of the process, Public Radio is the catalyst.

    Mark O’Connor was interviewed on ATC about his new “Americana Symphony”. I have a bunch of Mark O’Connor CD’s and they are getting old. So, I bought the new work, but in mp3. It is solid O’Connor.

    More than that, ATC’s reach was extended when I wrote about the O’Connor work in my own weblog. My sister, my faithful reader, still a CD buyer, hopped right down to the fabulous Princeton Record Exchange, Princeton, NJ, and bought not only the new work, but O’Connor’s “Retrospective” CD. So, with a little help, ATC got two for the price of one, me and my sister.

    Thank you, Mike, for bringing this article to your readers.

    Reply
  2. Richard,

    Not to be *too* promotional…but I’ve got an interview with Mark O’Connor over on our little ol’ blog: http://www.wvpubcast.org/blogs.aspx?id=9244&blogid=312

    Now, on to a different post here to reply to you about “listener relationship managers.”:)

    -Mona

    p.s. I love and miss the Princeton Record Exchange! We have a local record shop here, but I don’t think they have classical music. I’ve been a little scared of going there because they claim to also sell “adult products.”

    Reply

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