24/7 Classical Music on Philadelphia radio, will it happen?

[Jul]

Since the end of WFLN-FM back in 1997, The only way Philadelphians can hear classical music is to listen to this format 12 hours a day on WRTI 90.1 FM from 6 AM to 6 PM ET, Do you think that we will have Classical Music 24/7 on Philadelphia radio again and WRTI going back to jazz full time or will it stay the same like it is now?

 

[fred flintstone]

The only way Philadelphians can hear classical music is to listen to this format 12 hours a day on WRTI 90.1 FM from 6 AM to 6 PM ET, Do you think that we will have Classical Music 24/7 on Philadelphia radio again and WRTI going back to jazz full time or will it stay the same like it is now?

There are several ways "Philadelphians" (and those of us who have espcaped the dred Wage Tax, Net Profits Tax, Business Privilege Tax, Property Tax, car insurance rates, PGW rates and soaring crime rates) can listen to classical music 24/7:

XM Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Music Choice (for Comcast cable customers)
Internet streaming audio
Mp3 players and files


Much of Bucks and Burlington Counties (in the Philadelphia market) can hear WWFM 89.1. Anyone who still has a roof TV antenna can get it further from Trenton than that.

It is outrageous that WXPN, also a public radio station, broadcasts a commercial format when a classical or fine arts format is not available full time in this market. Penn is West Philly's biggest landlord and receives city services without paying its fair share of taxes. The wealthy and greedy elite school does not need the money it gets from a commercial format plus related performance venue.

But the era of music on the radio is ending. FM will be talk. Already public radio stations are flipping to news and information programming (with multiple public radio news and information stations already in a few markets), and commercial FM stations are starting to do the same (NJ101.5 is the future of FM). There is no way terrestrial radio can compete in programming mainstream (not urban or hispanic) music formats.

 

[John1]

Other options: WHYY-TV broadcasts NPR's "Classical 24" via their SAP (a good service but I believe in mono), also for those with HD radio WRTI's HD-2 channel plays classical when 90.1 is playing jazz (and jazz on HD-2 when 90.1 is classical), and WHYY's HD-2 channel plays some classical & opera on weekends.

WWFM is a very good classical station, but is blocked in parts of Bucks & Montgomery counties by WRDV 89.3 in Hatboro. Also, while not 24/7, WPRB 103.3 in Princeton has played classical in the morning for many years.

 

[fred flintstone]

WWFM is a very good classical station, but is blocked in parts of Bucks & Montgomery counties by WRDV 89.3 in Hatboro. Also, while not 24/7, WPRB 103.3 in Princeton has played classical in the morning for many years.

This is a big part of the problem. Limited bandwidth in the non-commercial FM band is cluttered up student radio stations and hobby stations like WRDV. WRDV calls itself a "public radio" station, which it is not since it does not qualify for CPB funding. It's a small group of volunteers with arcane musical tastes indulging those tastes. Student stations are expensive toys for kids in rich school districts to play with, offering no educational benefit. Get rid of these stations and make room for more true public radio.

 

[WTUX]

As I write this, I am listening to KING-FM out of Seattle on the internet. This is a regular part of my Saturday morning each week. Living in Delaware, WRTI is unlistenable most of the time. True, WVUD here in Newark plays Classical for a couple of hours on weekdays, but that is no help for me since I work in Ridley Park 60 hours a week.

I still miss WFLN ( I even listened to it on AM when I would be working on the car, etc.) In several markets, AM has picked up the Classical format at times, but even though the ratings were fairly impressive, the revenue just wasn't there. And that is why you won't hear Classical on regular FM or AM in Philadelphia 24/7. The purchase price of radio stations, which is far above their real value, puts Classical programming out of the picture.
As I say, I miss WFLN, but it can never return.

 

[fred flintstone]

By coincidence, I was a pledge volunteer at WHYY-FM when they dropped classical for full time news-talk.
The classical fans tried to block the pledge lines by calling repeatedly during the pledge breaks so people who wanted to pledge could not get through.
And they wanted to complain - and complain.
WFLN was still around at the time. But that wouldn't satisfy these people. They said WFLN played "popular" classical music, not the more obscure pieces WHYY-FM had programmed. And these people were really upset that WFLN made them listen to "Volvo commercials." Now, WFLN was very careful about not interrupting classical selections for commercials and their spot load was limited. But these people (and I talked to a bunch of them, the station told us to let them vent) were rabid in their hatred of WFLN's station's commercials.
No surprise WFLN couldn't keep the lights on. If I were a Volvo dealer (or in any other kind of upscale business like you used to hear on WFLN), I sure wouldn't want to waste my money trying to sell those listeners.
You'd think classical fans would be smart enough to appreciate what they were getting from WFLN (or WHYY-FM) for free, but nooooooo.
They had a real sense of entitlement.
I understand Temple has managed mostly to make everybody unhappy with their split format. They get bitching from the classical lovers and the jazz lovers. I wouldn't blame them if they dropped one - or both - just so they don't have to deal with the buttheads.

 

[odomski]

I'm not a fan of Classical music, but I feel it's better for the Temple station to run Classical music for half of the day, instead of not at all. The Classical fans should be satisfied with the format they like being on the radio, at least part of the day.

Julius: since you brought up a topic that has interested some folks, what are YOUR thoughts on the topic...Classical music? Do you feel the Classical format should be back full-time on a Philadelphia station? If it's not back full-time, do you feel Philadelphia will remain a "bad radio market" (you have said numerous times Philadelphia is a "bad radio market" because of no playoff ball games on the radio...they were on last night and you didn't listen)? What are YOUR thoughts?

 

[Jul]

I think that classical should return to the airwaves here 24/7. Every other city has 24/7 classical station, why can't we have one.

 

[odomski]

Every other city in the country has a full-time classical station? Is there proof of this? Do you mean every city, or every other radio market except Philadelphia?

 

[Jul]

Every other city in the country has a full-time classical station? Is there proof of this? Do you mean every city, or every other radio market except Philadelphia?

I meant the other top 9 markets in the USA I think has a 24/7 classical music station. I'm not sure.

 

[Frasier]

Every other city in the country has a full-time classical station? Is there proof of this? Do you mean every city, or every other radio market except Philadelphia?

I meant the other top 9 markets in the USA I think has a 24/7 classical music station. I'm not sure.

Houston... BZZZZ
Detroit... BZZZZ
Atlanta... BZZZZ

Suppose Philadelphia gets a commercial classical station once again - what if they music got pre-empted for World Series coverage?

 

[eyg2181]

there is 96.3

if you have a good antenna in your house, or in your car, you can get that

 

[8638]

there is 96.3

if you have a good antenna in your house, or in your car, you can get that

That would depend on where you are. Certainly not south or west of Philadelphia. Northern 'burbs, it is a possibility. And I suspect the same whiners who attacked WFLN under Marlin ownership (spot load) would say the same about WQXR, even though it is owned by their beloved New York Times. Rarely do I find common ground with 'Fred Flintstone,' but he's spot on here. Classical doesn't bill enough to cover the costs, especially if you overpaid for the stick in the first place, as most all did after deregulation in '96 (thank you, Bill Clinton!). I say all of this as a Classical music lover. The music is available, albeit not universally on terrestrial radio. Philly's radio dial doesn't meet my needs for the most part, so I've become quite the internet stream listener. Jack the AUDIO OUT into a stereo receiver, and it sounds great, especially if the stream is 64k or better.

Fred is right here...terrestrial radio is on the way out.

 

[fred flintstone]

I think that classical should return to the airwaves here 24/7. Every other city has 24/7 classical station, why can't we have one.

Don't assume that something not available on Philadelphia radio IS available everywhere else.

For the record:
1. New York: WQXR Full-time classical (commercial).
2. Los Angeles: KUSC Full-time classical (non-commercial)/K-Mozart Full-time classical (commercial).
3. Chicago: WFMT Full-time classical (commercial).
6. Houston: KUHF-FM Public radio news and fine arts (non-commercial)
7. Philadelphia: WRTI-FM Part-time classical/part-time jazz (non-commercial)
8. Washington, DC: WBJC, Baltimore Full-time classical (non-commercial)/WGMS, Baltimore Full-time classical (commercial)
9. Atlanta: WABE Public radio news and fine arts (non-commercial)
10. Detroit: WRJC Part-time classical/part-time jazz (non-commercial)

Public radio news and fine arts includes NPR News in morning and afternoon drive with classical music middays and evenings. Weekends include a mix of different public radio program types.

5. San Francisco and 6. Dallas do not have classical music regularly scheduled. 8. Washington is able to receive regular classical music programming from Baltimore in much of the market (as part of the Philadelphia market can receive classical music from Trenton). 10. Detroit has a split-format classical/jazz station like WRTI. Public radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington and Detroit have discontinued classical music programming mostly due to poor response from classical music listeners at pledge time. Other stations on this list may drop the format, as well.

 

[8638]

Fred:

WGMS (now those are heritage calls in the Classical community) was moved from 103.5 Washington to 104.1 Waldorf, MD, not Baltimore, rimshotting the District. They simulcast on class A 103.9 Braddock Heights/Frederick, MD, covering the limousine lib crowd in Montgomery County, MD.

 

[deepstblu]

Suppose Philadelphia gets a commercial classical station once again - what if they music got pre-empted for World Series coverage?

Would you believe it wouldn't be the first time? When WFLN affiliated with NBC around 1969 NBC had the World Series contract (and the Super Bowl every other year, I think). They let FLN out of carrying Monitor but the games had to go on...stayed that way till about 1975.

 

[radiophiler]

San Francisco has a full-time commercial, Bonneville-owned classical FM.

In Dallas, WRR-FM is full-time commercial classical, owned by the city.

Satellite radio seems like a no-brainer to me for classical music lovers. Sirius has three different classical music channels.

 

[odomski]

But it seems to me that Julius wants classical music back on full-time on commercial radio, because he has claimed in the past that he can't afford Satellite radio. Therefore, a commercial station should give in to his demands, and change the format to all-classical, all the time...so Philadelphia won't be a "bad radio market" anymore.

 

[eatspaste]

Satellite radio seems like a no-brainer to me for classical music lovers. Sirius has three different classical music channels.

Get XM - one of their classical channels (XM 113) is not only commercial- and pledge-drive free, but broadcasts in 5.1 surround sound 24/7 ("XM HD Surround Sound"). Who needs classical on FM?!

 

[radiolover78]

Most likely not.

Julius, as I always say, buy CDs or get an iPOD or listen to classical music online.

There are so many sources for music these days, even inexpensive ones. You obviously have the internet. Hook up some speakers and play basically whatever music you want while online.