In the last couple of weeks American Public Media has tightened its belt and laid off people from several departments and shows, including three from the classical music unit. Senior Producer/on-air host Melissa Ousley, Producer Karl Gehrke, and Managing Producer Silvester Vicic have all been let go from their classical music jobs.
A music teacher in Naples, Fla., sounds off in the Naples Daily News about WGCU’s decision to drop classical music from its analog FM signal: Telling people that they will need to buy a special converter to receive classical music that is being outsourced from Minnesota is not a solution. That approach only helps to promote the idea that classical music is an elitist form of entertainment. I think that Tardiff and the management of WGCU have succumbed to the lowest common denominator, money, which always wins out in the end. But … Continue Reading
WBJC-FM, the all-classical public radio station in Baltimore, is looking for a new general manager. “[T]he General Man[a]ger is responsible for providing leadership, vision, planning and direction to Maryland’s oldest and largest public radio station, with approximately 200,000 listeners in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan markets,” says the station’s website. WBJC is licensed to the Baltimore City Community College. We weren’t aware that the station’s previous g.m. had left, but we’ll see if we can find out where he’s gone, what he’s up to and if he’d like to chat it with us a … Continue Reading
A magazine published by the University of Southern California features a lengthy profile of KUSC-FM, the classical public radio station licensed to the university, and Los Angeles’ most popular full-time classical station. The whole article is worth reading for its depth and its historical scope, but I’ll highlight here what I found particularly noteworthy about KUSC and the thinking that guides its hosts and programmers. Other classical stations should take note.