San Antonio Lays Off On-Air Staff

Classical station KPAC , 88.3 in San Antonio has laid off its entire on-air staff, including our good friends Randy Anderson, John Clare, James Baker, and Ron Moore, and plans to run Classical 24.  Deirdre  Saravia was also cut from full-time on-air, but has accepted a part-time post.

From mysanantonio.com:

Wayne Coble, vice president and interim general manager for Texas Public Radio (KPAC and KSTX-FM 89.1), said the station is now using “Classical 24,” a Minnesota Public Radio service that is picked up by many stations across the country and features Minnesota announcers.

Though the changed fomat already has prompted complaints, Coble estimated that the cuts would save Texas Public Radio about $200,000 a year. He said it also will enable TPR to use donors’ money to beef up the intended recipient: news and information station KSTX.

“For many years, we’ve been running in the red at KPAC,” Coble said. “The cost to run the 24-7 classical music format (with local hosts) far exceeded the donor contributions.

Randy, John, et al: this STINKS.  How can we help?

 

 

About Marty Ronish

Marty Ronish is an independent producer of classical music radio programs. She currently produces the Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcasts that air 52 weeks a year on more than 400 stations and online at www.cso.org. She also produces a radio series called "America's Music Festivals," which presents live music from some of the country's most dynamic festivals. She is a former Fulbright scholar and co-author of a catalogue of Handel's autograph manuscripts.

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4 thoughts on “San Antonio Lays Off On-Air Staff”

  1. Listeners of KPAC in San Antonio are saying they will not support the station anymore. They better if they know what is best for them or they will lose the station all together. I do not live in Texas but at least San Antonio still has Classical music on the radio to listen to in the car or house. You could lose that if you do not support it which is far worse than just not having local announcers. Here in Springfield, IL on WUIS we have classical 24 on an HD 2 digital station and I like it and bought several HD radios. They could sell WPAC and put classical on the news stations HD2 like here in Illinois and everyone would have to buy HD radios. Many stations across the country are doing that. Satellite radio costs money that would be better used to support WPAC. Internet radio also costs money and is not as convenient to listen to in a car or home stereo. I listen to Classical on the internet but that does not help me listen in the car as I do not have a smart phone and a smart phone is not as easy as just turning the HD radio on. KPAC is smart to go to Classical 24 if it preserves classical on the radio because they were losing money. That is a lot better than completely losing classical on the radio.

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  2. Also like they said almost all NPR news stations also carry national programs with not many local programs. That makes just as much sense for music too. The music is the most important thing not the announcers.

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  3. KPAC follows so many other classical stations. As has been often said, we are reaping the harvest of elimination of arts appreciation courses in high schools for the past number of decades. I recall young people telling me that they hated classical music until the school music teachers opened their eyes–or should I say, ears?

    Sad times, these.

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  4. My favorite AMPPR conference was 1999’s San Antonio shindig, attended by over 200 folks and hosted by KPAC and Nicola Lubitsch…I wish the station’s gifted and passionate announcers the best of good fortune.

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