I’m all for change. Change is good. Winston Churchill said, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it’s in the right direction.”
Everybody loves a good list, especially at the beginning of a new year. So, as we look to improve our stations this year, what comes to mind in terms of what you’d eliminate, or stop doing, and, what would you add to the mix? What needs to change?
Some good news and some bad news on the classical radio front:
Peter van de Graaff, the congenial host of the Beethoven Satellite Network, has won the Karl Haas Prize for Music Education from KXMS in southern Missouri. You can read about it here.
A practicing classical baritone and a competent linguist, Peter’s command of the complex raw materials of classical music radio hosting has enabled him to fashion a first-rate service imbued with rare, relaxed charm.
The prize is given annually by The Klassix Society/Friends of KXMS to honor and promote music educators who make a difference on the air.
Stations are still not out of the woods. Not In Chicago or in any city for that matter. Revenue realities are coming into focus, but what about expense realities? We’re in fiscal-year-end mop up mode with a mini-June drive here in Portland, closing a revenue gap. It will indeed be interesting to watch as KING in Seattle moves to a listener support model.
Back in 1992, I spent 3 days in Warsaw, not really thinking much about Poland or Chopin, but intent on wrangling a visa to get into Russia. It wasn’t easy at the time. Warsaw was the back door. Those 3 days turned out to be life-changing for me. Yes, Chopin just happened to be my “desert island” composer, but my focus was a quick transit to Moscow to explore joint-venture opportunities in a newly open, former Soviet Union. Don’t ask. In any event, I was completely caught off guard – Warsaw charmed me.