Classical Radio in Top 20 Markets

[Gregg.]

With the switch of WKCP to the K-Love Christian Contemporary format, Miami becomes the only top 20 market without a Classical station. For the record, here's the list of Classical stations in the top 20 markets. In Philadelphia and Detroit, the Classical stations plays Jazz at night, although some Philly suburbs have one of several WWFM stations, which is full-time Classical. And many in the Detroit market can also hear some Classical programming on CBC Radio 2 over 89.9 CBE-FM. In Tampa, the Classical station is actually in Sarasota, with a translator in Tampa. On Long Island, Classical listeners have to pull in WQXR New York, which does not have a full-power signal. In San Diego, Classical XHLNC Tijuana broadcasts to both U.S. and Mexican listeners. In some markets, the Classical station also runs some NPR News shows such as All Things Considered, although these stations still air Classical music most hours of the day. Each of these markets also has an NPR News-Talk station.

So Miami becomes the only large city with no Classical station whatsoever.


1. NYC...105.9 WQXR
2. Los Angeles...91.5 KUSC
3. Chicago...98.7 WFMT
4. San Francisco...90.3 KOFC
5. Dallas...101.1 WRR
6. Houston...91.7 KUHA
7. Washington...90.9 WETA-FM
8. Atlanta...90.1 WABE
9. Philadelphia...90.1 WRTI (Classical by day/Jazz by night, plus all-Classical WWFM in suburbs)
10. Boston...99.5 WCRB
11. Miami...no station
12. Detroit...90.9 WRCJ (Classical by day/Jazz by night, plus partly Classical CBE-FM in Windsor)
13. Seattle...98.1 KING
14. Phoenix...89.5 KBAQ
15. Puerto Rico...91.3 WIPR-FM (Spanish)
16. Minneapolis...99.5 KSJN
17. San Diego...104.9 XHLNC (bilingual)
18. Tampa...89.1 WSMR
19. Long Island...105.9 WQXR
20. Denver...88.1 KVOD

 

[TheBigA]

Each of these markets also has an NPR News-Talk station.

And sometimes the NPR news station co-owns the classical station. That's the case with NY and Boston. It's likely that WLRN will figure out a way to have a classical station. They used to run classical on one of their HDs until APM came to town. But now that there's a void, they'll probably put it on HD2. They also own 5 translators in the market.

 

[davideduardo]

Again, the issue in Miami seems to be fundraising, not programming.

The Miami MSA share was a 1.0, averaging the 12+ for the last 3 months. Most of that was over 55, with a great deal of 65 and over. In a community like Miami where retirees are getting priced out, we may have a less affluent listener base than elsewhere. What's odd is that the more affluent West Palm and Ft Myers communities did not, apparently, make up the slack.

Also difficult to understand is why they lost so much money. Until commercial classical stations essentially disappeared, they were all among the most frugal of operations with total expenses that were much less than the Minnesota folks' losses.

When WTMI, the heritage classical station in Miami switched format in late 2001, it seemed to leave a considerable void in the market since they had been billing nearly 8 million a year as recently as 1998. But somehow listener donations did not equal advertiser support here.

It does, though, seem like the station was operated with a cost structure that exceeded the ability to fund raise putting in question not the format but the management.

A couple of comments on the list:

"Long Island" is a construct; it is fully embedded in market #1.

WIPR is a variety station, even though they have a classical image. Lots of Jazz, native Puerto Rican country music and such permeate the schedule. And with the current fiscal crisis, they have been known to be off the air for extended periods.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I"m not sure I'd count WABE - it recently changed to airing news from 5am to 8pm.

 

[semoochie]

Slightly out of the top 20, KQAC(formerly KBPS-FM)Portland is full-time Classical with other stations around Oregon and a bevy of translators. It occasionally gets into the three share range, just saying.

 

[b-turner]

I have noticed many NPR Talk and Classical format stations opted to have two signals, a fulltime NPR Talker and a fulltime classical.

More often than not, the classical format is represented by one of the two classical satellite services: Classical 24 or Beethoven Satellite Network. Both options lack options for full length symphonies and various other 'longer works' in order to attain the right 'mix' and enough breaks for affiliates to be happy. Classical 24 has music bridges to cover breaks and roll in to the :01 NPR News with that 5 minute piece to cover. I this the results would be mixed on such offerings. The biggest money in classical radio seems to come from the serious classical music listeners who are riled up by a station playing just a movement or some attempt at the classical version of the safe 300.

In Houston and San Antonio, the NPR News/Talk station has a classical FM but both the classical stations are now satellite delivered.

Even the successful KMFA in Austin, fulltime classical 24/7, has opted for satellite in the overnight. The change was so obvious. Before the satellite days the jock read PSAs and promos and underwriting. Now it is all recorded. Funny thing, when the jock back announced, did a station promo and maybe a PSA before announcing the upcoming selection, it seemed to take less time and felt much less intrusive than hearing the jock back announce, then fire off a PSA, maybe Underwriting spot with a second voice and then a third voice with a promo before a recorded ID acts as a bridge to the next music selection. Now if they'd get sung jingles...sing along now, "Austin's Classical Music, (brass stinger) Eighty-Nine-Five, K-M-F- Aaaaaaaaaaaa.

Back to the subject at hand: Classical Music Radio is suffering from an aging market and I believe a disconnect between the financially supporting classical music base and the station. You might get some dollars but if you really had what the givers really wanted, there might be much more. I see many stations that seem to have no clue how to market to their audience and do way too little research on the programming side. I think this is a way for the entity to blow off the classical audience because the money is more easily had in the NPR Talk format.

If you'll notice, a format that fails is never the station's fault. They never blame themselves. Many stations that fail fail because of themselves. It might be too big of a budget the audience will not support. It might be egos or other reasons including poorly trained staff. In almost every case, no matter where you are, if you do enough of the right things you will make it.

 

[TheBigA]

I believe a disconnect between the financially supporting classical music base and the station.

Absolutely. Especially if they're using a satellite service rather than something local. You really have to do outreach with the community if you expect them to support you.

 

[K6JHU]

I believe that KMZT in LA on AM and HD-2 also is classical.

And down here in Market #69 we have KHFM. Full time classical.

 

[CTListener]

Market 52 here -- Hartford. No classical at all in-market since K-Love made its offer that couldn't be refused for WCCC (which was classical [Beethoven Radio] on AM and, for a while, simulcast on the rock FM's HD-2). WNPR and its network are 100 percent local and NPR talk, aside from "A Prairie Home Companion," and the HD exists only to simulcast the main signal. They've never had an HD-2 or 3.

WFCR Amherst (Springfield market, but nice signal over much of the Hartford market) is classical daytime and overnight, but mostly jazz or NPR news/talk at other times. I believe the daytime portion of the classical music is locally produced, while overnights are Minnesota Public Radio's classical snippet service.

 

[davideduardo]

Absolutely. Especially if they're using a satellite service rather than something local. You really have to do outreach with the community if you expect them to support you.

If they are using satellite for programming, how did they manage to lose so much money? I can't see engineering expenses and tower / office rental being over $80 thousand a month. And that is assuming that $0 came in from donations.

 

[TheBigA]

If they are using satellite for programming, how did they manage to lose so much money?

Apparently they paid a lot for the Miami station, and financed the purchase:

American Public Media Group, the parent organization of Minnesota Public Radio, has bought a Christian radio station in Florida with plans to program it with classical music. The $20 million purchase will be funded through bond financing and paid off with donations from listeners and contributors.

 

[Mediafrog+]

We may simply be reaching a demographic tipping point in many markets where Classical is simply no longer viable, even for a non-comm. The audience, for the most part, is extremely old. And despite the stereotype of "wealthy retirees" most in that age bracket are living on little more than Social Security. And many are being hit with money issues due to medical costs, assisted living, and end of life care. They may not have the money to keep Classical going.

 

[b-turner]

I'm not sure if the aging or financial means is the issue with classical as much as how the listening habits of the classical music listener have changed. From those I know who are big fans of classical music also enjoy several other types of music. I'm thinking there are fewer classical music listeners that are fairly exclusively classical, so that might be a big factor.

With APM buying in Miami, you can be they have a plan and I'd wager they have several ways to succeed in the market with the station.

 

[TheBigA]

With APM buying in Miami, you can be they have a plan and I'd wager they have several ways to succeed in the market with the station.

The quote I posted about APM was from 2007, when they originally bought the stations. They just sold to EMF, which is a Christian broadcaster that syndicates K-Love. This will give them the chance to compete against WAY and Moody in the Christian format.

 

[davideduardo]

The quote I posted about APM was from 2011, when they originally bought the stations. They just sold to EMF, which is a Christian broadcaster that syndicates K-Love. This will give them the chance to compete against WAY and Moody in the Christian format.

They closed on Miami in 2008, then added West Palm and Ft Myers each at two year intervals.

The aggregate price was $29 million for the three.

You'd think that by 2010, when they made their second purchase, they would have been able to predict their ability to raise operating funds.

 

[TheBigA]

The closed on Miami in 2008, then added West Palm and Ft Myers each at two year intervals.

That's correct, and I just edited my previous quote to 2007. Specifically September of that year.

The debt service on a $29 million loan could be about $2.4 million a year.

Looking through some of the history, the Palm Beach station alone had been losing money for over ten years. The small college that owned it was looking to unload it.

Reading the interview with Bill Kling, they really thought they could replicate the cash flow that had existed for WTMI. They were very mistaken. Obviously there has to be a reason why so many NPR stations around the country have replaced classical music with news/talk. Now we know what it is.

 

[davideduardo]

The debt service on a $29 million loan could be about $2.4 million a year.

That's likely the issue. Consider that bonds for that sort of organization are pretty much junk bonds and loans in the middle of the recession were likely in the typical 10% to 11% that other companies like LBI were paying. Heck, we've been reading that Clear Channel has been retiring 12% and over debt with 8% to 9% offerings.

So the debt service with no principal amortization could be as high as $3.3 million.

If they converted the decade-in-the-past WTMI billings to donations, they could have made it particularly as a non-profit. But WTMI flipped because the billing was sliding fast. While it had been near $8 million in the mid-90's, it closed the decade with just $4 million in 1999 and soon came the format switch.

The audience had evaporated.

 

[Gregg.]

It seems when PBS does fundraising weeks, most of the special shows are targeted at the mature audience. All those concerts of The Big Band Years, Sinatra, Mamas & Papas, Early Rock & Roll. And the instructional specials are also aimed at the mature viewer... How to Improve Your Brain, Suze Orman, Dr. Joel Furman, Longevity, Managing Your Retirement.

For the 50+ audience, commercial TV and Radio are aiming much younger than their tastes. But at least they still have TV and radio programs directed at them on non-commercial stations. After all, NPR News/Talk stations continue to air Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion in reruns because a mature audience still enjoys the shows and sends in donations.

Classical still seems to be viable as a non-commercial format, even if it isn't as good a fundraiser as NPR News/Talk. In places where there are two full-power non-commercial FM stations (not including those owned by religious organizations), we often see the first as an NPR News/Talk outlet and the second as a Classical station. Minnesota, Vermont and South Carolina Public Radio each have two networks. News/Talk is on the more powerful stations but Classical is on the secondary stations. In Salt Lake City, the local PBS TV station has a full power FM that's NPR News/Talk. And Brigham Young University has a full power FM that is Classical most of the week.

It would be a shame if even non-commercial radio today has no place for Classical music, a format that's been a staple of radio since the 1920s.