Big Picture

Classical Music: Relaxing or Stimulating…or Both?

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The most important classical music presentation at this year’s Public Radio Program Directors conference involved the results of a survey conducted by Coleman Insights, presented by Joe Eskola, Director of Research at Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media.  It was a lengthy presentation, and I’ve delve into it in more detail in a later post, but I can distill some of the more pertinent findings here with a few bullet points: The greatest potential for classical music audience growth is in a younger and ethnically diverse demographic. Of those that DO … Continue Reading

$10 Million to NY Public Radio

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From the New York Times: Not all Mondays are bad.  For New York Public Radio’s stations WNYC, WQXR, and NJ Public Radio, this Monday is one to celebrate.  Most of a $10 million grant from the Greene Foundation … is earmarked to support the development of digital operations, including a new feature called “Discover” on the WNYC mobile app. Designed originally with offline underground subway riders in mind, the feature will generate custom downloadable playlists for users who punch in the topics that interest them and the amount of time they want … Continue Reading

Here We Go Again – Journalist Writes Obituary for Classical Music

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If you read Mark Vanhoenaker in Slate Magazine, you learn all kinds of stuff, such as why movie theaters don’t have reserved seating, why the American way of using a knife and fork is inelegant, and why public toilet seats are U-shaped.  These are important topics for human beings to ponder. So, when he writes a Requiem claiming “Classical music in America is dead,” you know we have to pay attention.  I hope the thousands and thousands of professional musicians who are making a living at it will find out in time to … Continue Reading

Is it Journalism? Classical Radio and the Arts Community

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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is launching a new integrated media site called CSO Sounds and Stories, and in the subtitle of their press release they’re calling it “the first brand journalism site by a major American orchestra” (italics mine).  It’s basically an online music magazine, rich in audio (including the radio shows) and with unique content — a great place to hear the Chicago Symphony online, especially for non-Chicagoans. A thoughtful article by Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune online claims that they shouldn’t call it “journalism” because it’s really p.r. “To the best of our knowledge … Continue Reading

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