The New WQXR

by

Thursday night, at 8 p.m., the new WQXR as owned and operated by WNYC hit the airwaves.  The station moved from 96.3 to 105.9 and became a public radio station, while continuing to broadcast classical music. The new version of the old station started with a few introductory remarks and a concert performance by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra broadcast live from Carnegie Hall.

But what’s next?   How will the station’s overall sound change? Playlists for the few hours of operation so far are online (lots of standard orchestral music, but also Arvo Pärt and an opera aria), but it’s hard to tell the overall direction from such a short sample.

Continue Reading

Tech study sheds light on classical listeners’ habits

by

A few weeks ago I paid a quick visit to the Public Radio Program Directors conference in Cleveland. I’m working on an article for Current about the application of midday classical music research, which was discussed on the conference, so I can’t get into that subject on this blog quite yet. But there’s one thing I can share: links to the second annual Public Radio Technology Study.

This extensive study by Jacobs Media surveyed more than 28,000 public radio listeners about their use of technology. Respondents were grouped according to their preferred radio formats, so there’s lots of information to digest about classical listeners in particular, and it’s interesting to compare their habits to those of other listeners.

Continue Reading