WFMT Executive Vice President Steve Robinson has been doing pledge drives for more than 40 years. An article in the Chicago Sun Times quotes him as saying that this year, “it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it.” Look for the entire article here.
Commercial radio
More Classical in CA, Republican Irony, and Sirius XM Filing Bankruptcy?
Where shall I start? There’s so much news!
Let’s start with the Republican hypocrisy irony, since the Stimulus Bill is on everyone’s mind. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but the final bill apparently really does cut the hoped-for $50 million in NEA funding.
UPDATE 2-12-09: A press release just sent out by the RNCC claims:
Democrats said they would fight for fiscal responsibility in Washington, but went back on their promise by voting for $335 million in STD prevention, $75 million for smoking cessation and even $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts.
Does this mean the NEA funding is back in? Stay tuned.
The author of that cut in the Senate was Tom Coburn (R – Oklahoma), whose daughter Sarah, ironically, is a top-notch opera singer. The LA Times just ran this story about her. He considers museums, theaters and arts centers “wasteful and non-stimulative projects.”
WQXR – Will the NY Times Sell the Station? It’s Still Just a Rumor.
I’m nervous about even passing on the rumor, because I don’t think there’s any real information, but various sources are speculating that WQXR is not making enough revenue. Thanks to Mike Dorner in Albuquerque for calling our attention to an article Wednesday in the New York Daily News.
The BBC, Classic FM, and Intelligence
I assume you’re reading ArtsJournal every day. If you’re not, you might as well be missing a body part.
Last week, ArtsJournal Editor Douglas McLennan (a Seattleite — yay!) and his fantastic staff posted an article from a British website that says we’re not as dumb as we think we are. We just don’t want our classical music presented in a stuffy way. If you want to feel great about classical radio, I hope you’ll read the whole article. It’s brief.