We’ve been ruminating and prognosticating lately about the Future of Classical Radio, but it’s equally important to follow present-day developments in good old terrestrial radio — for many still the primary source for classical.
So I took notice when not one but two public radio stations announced in the past few weeks that they’re moving away from the dual news/classical format and giving more daytime hours to news and talk. They join several other stations that have made similar changes since we launched this blog in March. As I’ve written before, 200-plus public stations in the U.S. air both news and classical. But the format is saddled with some inherent drawbacks, the main one being that few listeners enjoy both kinds of programming.
One of the stations to dump the dual format is going whole-hog — not just taking classical out of middays, but taking it off its primary signal entirely.
The station is WGCU in Fort Myers, Fla. Operated by Florida Gulf Coast University, the station serves a weekly audience of 100,000 and is the only station in its listening area that airs either classical or NPR news. Today it airs music from Classical 24, one of public radio’s satellite-fed music services, during mid-weekdays, weeknights, and some weekend and overnight hours.
But for years the station has received “hundreds of requests every month” for more news and talk programming, says Barbara Steinhoff, WGCU’s director of marketing. Many of the station’s listeners, like lots of Floridians, come to the area from elsewhere in the country, she says, where they were able to hear news and talk shows not available on WGCU. And they’re vocal about asking for these shows in their new surroundings. “In order to air those, you have to move something,” Steinhoff says.
So on September 8 WGCU is adding a slate of programs including The Diane Rehm Show, Living on Earth, Speaking of Faith, The Splendid Table and some BBC offerings. The station is even expanding jazz by a few hours on weeknights. And goodbye to classical.
Classical isn’t going away entirely, though — WGCU is putting it on an HD Radio multicast channel. Which, for all intents and purposes, is equivalent to putting it in a space capsule and shooting it into the airless void. Okay, that’s exaggerating, but not by much. To hear digital multicast channels, you need a digital radio that can tune into them. And very, very few people own digital radios.
Some of WGCU’s disenfranchised classical fans might become new customers, though, because Steinhoff and her colleagues are offering to sell them Visteon HD Pulse Radios marked down from a list price of $199 to $99. “Requests for those radios are coming in every day,” Steinhoff says. (UPDATE: I called back to check on how many requests WGCU has received. About 30, Steinhoff says. The station could supply up to 700 radios, though Steinhoff doubts demand will climb that high.) The station has also been directing callers to local and online vendors.
Furthermore, Steinhoff has been pointing out to callers that, if they don’t want to buy an HD Radio, they can always tune in the music stream from WGCU’s website — that is, if they have a computer. “Lots and lots have said, ‘I don’t have a computer,’” Steinhoff says.
Which kind of puts that “Tear down the broadcast towers” edict in perspective, doesn’t it?
Note: The other station that moved away from the midday format is the one I mentioned in my last post — KUNR-FM in Reno, Nev. It’s moved classical to the evening and filled its middays with news/talk. I haven’t yet managed to chat with the station’s general manager, so I don’t have as much to report about it. But here are a few paragraphs from the station’s explanation of the changes (PDF). (The argument about not being able to hear classical over road noise is, as far as I know, a new addition to the programmer’s toolbox of explanations for a programming change.)
Help me understand what’s happening with classical music.
Throughout the country, listening to classical music on radio is continuing its years-long decline. That saddens and baffles some of those who enjoy it. As the trends have continued, many stations nationally have dropped classical music from its airwaves altogether for lack of a sustaining audience. Public radio stations have an obligation to serve their audiences in proportion to their needs and expectations.Why move classical to the evening?
Evenings and nights are perfect for classical music, when it can be enjoyed while listeners are unwinding at home, perhaps over dinner or with a glass of wine or even a good book. Naturally, a high percentage of daytime radio listening occurs while people are driving in their cars. Even classical music aficionados aren’t able to hear the delicate notes over engine and road noise. The evening hours are when every note can be savored.
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