How to Wreck a Great Classical Music Radio Station

[Modernistfan]

How to wreck a great classical music station (Snark Alert):

(1) Increasingly play only single movements of works, even of Baroque suites and concerti grossi and of early Classical-period symphonies that typically have a duration of 12-15 minutes.
(2) Eliminate almost all twentieth-century works except for a few popular works by Gershwin, Copland, Rodrigo, and so forth.
(3) Constantly interrupt programming with endless babbling and chattering by announcers, promotional announcements, and frequent begging and wheedling for funds.'
(4) When announcing works, do not give details of the works or the performers, and frequently immediately follow the conclusion of one work (most commonly, a single movement of a work) with another work with no announcement of any of the details of the second work.
(5) Also eliminate virtually all vocal works except for a few popular arias sung by "superstar" singers.
(6) Put more and more focus on movie music, especially movie music by composers who have never had a single work heard in the concert hall.
(7) Have your programming rigidly segmented on an hour-by-hour basis, making it virtually impossible to play, for example, Mahler or Bruckner symphonies.
(8) Be completely isolated from what is going on in the classical music world and ignore the Pulitzer Prizes awarded to Anthony Davis and Tania León or the deaths of Louis Andriessen, Frederic Rzewski, or Christopher Rouse.
(9) Send out messages regarding "diversity" but have no announcers that are people of color and completely ignore virtually all music composed by people of color over the last three-quarters of a century.
(10) Despite having large Jewish and Armenian populations in your listening area, completely ignore commemorations of the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide and refuse to play anything related to these events.
Please feel free to send these guidelines to your local classical music station if you want to wreck it for some reason.

[diegobueno]

I know what you mean. Here in DC we get Stem to Stern Strauss (Johann that is)

[Rach3]

Fww, you may want to try:

https://www.wvik.org/wvik-program-schedule

[Rach3]

Fww, you may want to try:

https://www.wvik.org/wvik-program-schedule

Another possibility: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-classical-playlists

Barney Sherman has played the Bruckner 5th on his show.

[maestrob]

Then there's always Music Choice on cable. No commercials, no talk, just wonderful music (if not always the best versions available).

I've discovered some interesting repertoire and several excellent recordings by tuning in there.

That said, I'm in agreement with everything said in this thread so far. Classical radio used to be a great source for live concerts from our best orchestras, chamber music groups, and singers giving illuminating recitals (We had a charming announcer who called himself "Fleetwood" on WNCN here in New York City during the 1970's).

All that has gone up in smoke now.

[Modernistfan]

Among the greatest failings of the station in question is their desire to minimize the power and emotional impact of this music.

For example, the following three works are essentially never played on the station in question: Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 ("Death and the Maiden"); Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 ("Hammerklavier"); and the Liszt Piano Sonata in B Minor. Clearly, all of these works are tonal and from the Classical or Romantic periods. There are also well known. (As a personal note, it was a live performance of "Death and the Maiden" by a quartet headed by Henri Temianka at the UCLA Chancellor's residence that got me interested in chamber music; I was a good friend of Temianka's son.)

It is though one owned a 700-horsepower Ferrari sports car and only used it to drive to Seven-Eleven and never even took it on the freeway.

[Rach3]

Years ago, a local FM classical had a “request” show that always played complete works.I requested the Prokofieff 6th Piano Sonata. They announced the work,without qualification. After the first mov. stopped yet claimed they had played the whole sonata.

I don’t recall the pianist.Maybe the station did not like the interpretation ?

[barney]

It is though one owned a 700-horsepower Ferrari sports car and only used it to drive to Seven-Eleven and never even took it on the freeway.

Love the analogy.