3 Classical Stations Bankrupt in Maine

Three of Maine’s classical stations are victims of the bankruptcy of Nassau Broadcasting.  The three are WBQW 104.7 in Southern Maine, WBQX 106.9 in midcoast, and WBQI 107.7 in Down East Maine. You can read more at the Bangor Daily News: The various radio broadcast licenses, radio tower leases, intellectual property and other businesses assets are being sold off to the highest bidders. The Delaware bankruptcy court is accepting bids until May 1, with the auction set to start on May 8… Mark Vogelzang, president and CEO of Maine Public Broadcasting Network, said his … Continue Reading

“Public Radio Makes Us Better Listeners”

A favorite local author, Nicole Brodeur with the Seattle Times has penned a paean to public radio for Public Radio Month, and just in time for various pledge drives. We know what we’ve got up and down the dial here — jazz, bluegrass, classical, blues — and we support it, because public radio makes us better listeners. It’s a give and take — and give. And it’s worth it. Seattle is a public radio city, staunchly supporting four stations in Seattle proper, plus community stations in Everett and Bellevue.  We also support a number of public … Continue Reading

Fabulous! Classical Radio May Return to St. Louis by Summer

There’s great news from Sarah Bryan Miller in St. Louis, who has done such a great job of keeping us informed at stltoday.com. The Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, which provided considerable financial support to the old “Classic99,” KFUO-FM, hopes to be on the air with a new FM station in early June, pending FCC approvals.  The proposed analog station will be audible “in the Highway 40-I-44 corridor,” said station manager Jim Connett. The Centene Foundation gave $200,000 to begin the process and has committed $1 million more; further fundraising will begin in earnest … Continue Reading

The Next Generation

A number of stations have been touting their outreach to the younger generation lately.  Their efforts are a response to declining audience numbers overall for classical music. We all know the statistics: classical stations appeal mostly to the over-55 crowd, and the dearth of music education in the schools is not replenishing the pool of available listeners.  Classical stations are a critical part of our infrastructure.  I applaud them for making an effort to reach out. BUT… are they really cultivating a new generation of listeners?  I have my doubts. I am a long-time professional … Continue Reading

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