Washington's Good Music Station (WGMS) now plays po(o)p

[keaggy220]

I'm in the DC area so this affects me. The public radio station will take over the classical music duties.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00579.html

Question. If you were the manager of a classical music station what would you do to increase your number of listeners?

[jbuck919]

You know, I lived in the Baltimore-Washington area for 25 years and have posted on this topic a number of times, and I never made the connection between GMS and Good Music Station.

I guess I'm acronym challenged in the first place because for a similar period of time I had been going up and down the Northeast Corridor seeing rest stop signs for TCBY. I finally had to ask my students back in Maryland what it meant. Knowing that I loved frozen yogurt, I checked it out on the next trip and was hideously disappointed. In the old days when it was fashionable stuff there were froyo places that had more varieties than Baskin Robbins.

So what are we to say the GMS in WGMS stands for now?

[Lance]

You chose a most interesting way to describe what kind of music WGMS is now playing. I like that! The public should gripe like the blazes. But if you have an NPR station, you should find some good music there. The only problem with is they are always looking for $$$. Today, while working on a piano, I had about enough of it. Yet they always find new subscribers. They were looking for 600 today, but by the time I shut it off they only had 154. A LONG ways to go, I fear!

[jbuck919]

You chose a most interesting way to describe what kind of music WGMS is now playing. I like that! The public should gripe like the blazes. But if you have an NPR station, you should find some good music there. The only problem with is they are always looking for $$$. Today, while working on a piano, I had about enough of it. Yet they always find new subscribers. They were looking for 600 today, but by the time I shut it off they only had 154. A LONG ways to go, I fear!

The problem in Washington is that the NPR stations also do not play classical. (One is, believe or not, bluegrass, and the other switched to news/talk several years ago.) For some reason, in New York, at least, it is easier to find classical stations in the boondocks than it is to find them in major cities anywhere in the US anymore. I don't know Lance's situation, but typically one engineering studio feeds into something like seven transmitters, all with different call letters and frequencies, which have a range of about 20 miles. It takes them longer to station identify than to play Beethoven's Ninth.

The configuration has changed in the 2+ years I've been away, and I'm still having trouble figuring out just where to tune in depending on where I'm located (in the car, I mean). I also discovered that we made a mistake getting rid of the old TV antenna. Apparently it makes a warp-drive antenna for FM reception, which I can't get in the house at all with the radio's internal antenna or even an extended wire.

[Lance]

You chose a most interesting way to describe what kind of music WGMS is now playing. I like that! The public should gripe like the blazes. But if you have an NPR station, you should find some good music there. The only problem with is they are always looking for $$$. Today, while working on a piano, I had about enough of it. Yet they always find new subscribers. They were looking for 600 today, but by the time I shut it off they only had 154. A LONG ways to go, I fear!

The problem in Washington is that the NPR stations also do not play classical. (One is, believe or not, bluegrass, and the other switched to news/talk several years ago.) For some reason, in New York, at least, it is easier to find classical stations in the boondocks than it is to find them in major cities anywhere in the US anymore. I don't know Lance's situation, but typically one engineering studio feeds into something like seven transmitters, all with different call letters and frequencies, which have a range of about 20 miles. It takes them longer to station identify than to play Beethoven's Ninth.

The configuration has changed in the 2+ years I've been away, and I'm still having trouble figuring out just where to tune in depending on where I'm located (in the car, I mean). I also discovered that we made a mistake getting rid of the old TV antenna. Apparently it makes a warp-drive antenna for FM reception, which I can't get in the house at all with the radio's internal antenna or even an extended wire.

Our local NPR station, WSKG, is almost strictly classical with some talk shows on occasion, book reviews, Terry Gross (whom I like very much), This American Life, etc., but as stated, largely classical, and quite diversified as well. They also broadcast Performance Today, which is one of the best programs classically.

My own radio station has several translators as well. I have a listening response of about 800,000 people over a very large area with the translators. I get quite a bit of feedback so I know people are listening with interest. Mine is not an NPR-type station, but is publicly supported nonetheless.

Well, continue to collect recordings and you'll be happy listening to what you want. That's one of the great values of having an in-depth record collection (LP or CD). It's a grand investment (grand not in $$$ but in pleasure!).

[Corlyss_D]

I have to give it to Dan DaVany and Bonneville for taking the daring step which flips the bird to the Redskins mogul, who wanted to turn the station into a sports talk excresence. The only thing that prompted Bonneville to sell to him was the 150% of market price he offered. Bonneville turned WGMS into the premier classical music station heavily invested in the Washington area community in a number of ways, even when it co-existed with WETA-FM's classical programming before they went in the tank to Giovannini's Abitron numbers. I'm sorry so many familiar voices will get the sack. Diana Hollander's struggle with her illness was an inspiration to those of us who knew about it and the toll it was taking on her. Dennis Owens, James Bartel, Renee Chaney, all of them will be missed, as will be THE model of a successful commercial classical music station.

[keaggy220]

No one took a stab at how they would garner more listeners if they were a classical music radio station manager! That's okay because I don't think there is a real good answer to the question.

Unless, it's 3 minutes, 3 chords (oops, this isn't even necessary with hip hop) and 3 verses with a good catchy hook then many are not interested in tuning in.