In the Classical Radio News

A couple of brief news items:

Bravo to WFMT for supporting more live music with its new series, Live from the Morse.  You can read about the new Morse Theater (and concert space) in the Chicago Suntimes.

Here’s my favorite quote from the article:

Mirroring the neighborhood’s rich immigrant history, chatter was heard in Russian and various Eastern European tongues as folks of all ages strolled around the lobby beforehand.  The theater offered a complimentary buffet with donuts and fruit, and patrons could even bring their coffee into the performance room. For classical music, the Morse is as casual and inviting as anywhere in town.

The more classical stations support their local arts, the more the community will protect the station in hard times.  I heard recently about a station that told arts organizations they would no longer get promotion on the air unless they bought a substantial advertising schedule.  That’s cutting off the station’s lifeblood to make a buck.

The other story comes from the Beeb, with the title BBC Radio 3 Tries to Woo Teenagers.  The reason?  Because they fear “their audience is dying off.”  I especially like this opening sentence:

The classical music station has launched a programme to help teenage music students improve their grades because its average listener is 57 years old.

What on earth does that mean? Makes for a chuckle, anyway.