Canadian critic assesses CBC; KBPS’s Allen on fundraising

Robert Everett-Green of the Toronto Globe and Mail reviews the revamped Radio 2 service from the CBC. I find his review more trustworthy than some other CBC critiques thanks to its even-handedness — it’s free of the vitriol that colored most assessments of the network’s new direction. Yet he’s not entirely satisfied, either.

The midday programming anchored by new host Julie Nesrallah draws his toughest criticism:

Nesrallah’s five-hour daily offering of what she calls “gorgeous music” pretty much defines what I call classical music defanged. In this aesthetic universe, a symphony by William Boyce is on the same level as a partita by J. S. Bach, in spite of the extreme difference in artistic quality; and modernism is mostly off-limits. I was startled the other day to hear even Henry Cowell, the most experimental of all American composers, being drafted into this mission of gorgeousness, via one of the benign-sounding pieces he wrote under the title Hymn and Fuguing Tune.

Has anyone been listening? What do you think? I’m hoping to have a programmer from stateside public radio write a guest column for us about the CBC’s new programming, so look for that soon.

Also, on the blog of KBPS-FM in Portland, Ore., General Manager (and Scanning the Dial contributor) Jack Allen reflects on the nature of listener support as his station conducts its on-air fund drive.

As we approach day 3 of our fall membership drive, we must remember that this rare and wonderful classical music service is a sound investment with far-reaching dividends: edification, education, enrichment, and enlightenment. Some folks will call and make a one-time special gift and walk away — wishing us well. We must convey that becoming a member is an act of community and sustenance.

Like KBPS, many public radio stations across the country are now fundraising. Don’t forget to show your support!