Globe: improved sound for new WCRB?

[raccoonradio]

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/11/30/its_time_for_klb_crb_fans_to_change_presets/

"WCRB fans will hear a few changes. Nassau has begun upgrading equipment, says Mercatanti, who promises better sound quality. As for what the new WCRB will play, Mercatanti stresses "more consistency." That means a tighter play list with less variety, he acknowledges"

Greater Media and Nassau both say the change should sound seamless on air, with "the flick of a few
switches"

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I can't imagine how more restricted WCRB's playlist could be than it is now unless they take away even 20th-Century music that sounds as though it was composed in the 19th!

 

[Smoke]

As for what the new WCRB will play, Mercatanti stresses "more consistency." That means a tighter play list with less variety, he acknowledges"

In other words, the music selection is now going to be exclusively pulled from Time-Life's Classical Music which the station just paid $49.99 for 12 CDs.

Classical music fans will certainly be switching to iPods in droves if this continues. Maybe it is intentional so the station can change formats citing "declining listenership"?

 

[Mickey37]

There are only a handful of classical fans still out there, apparently.
I know one of them, and she complained to me last year about the lack of variety on WCRB.
The station would do better piping in content from a network, if one exists. I think ABC/Disney/whatever it's about to become has music networks for different genres on the satellite feed.

 

[raccoonradio]

Isn't Nassau putting together a classical network of sorts, with WCRB and the Maine stations? In fact I
think there already is some kind of network approach, World Classical Network or something...In any case
whatever they do for programming might be reflected in other stations they own in this new "network"...

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I have read that if they haven't already, the NY times (owner of WQXR, NYC) and WFMT, Chicago, will combine to offer a classical network. WFMT at present distributes what they call "The Beethoven Network" (good choice, my favorite composer) heard locally on low-power FM WCNH, Concord, NH. And there's already a classical network for non-comms...I doubt Lou and the gang will be able to compete in this arena. You should visit the Northern New England Board and see what some of those folks are saying about Nassau!

 

[Oldbones]

I have read that if they haven't already, the NY times (owner of WQXR, NYC) and WFMT, Chicago, will combine to offer a classical network. WFMT at present distributes what they call "The Beethoven Network" (good choice, my favorite composer) heard locally on low-power FM WCNH, Concord, NH.

How do they get away with this? I thought LPFMs were supposed to originate all (or a substantial amount of) their programming locally. So much for the promise of "local" radio.

And there's already a classical network for non-comms...I doubt Lou and the gang will be able to compete in this arena. You should visit the Northern New England Board and see what some of those folks are saying about Nassau!

Nassau DOES seem to be the R-I whipping boy du jour...not sure why...the stations of theirs I can receive sound as good as or better than the competition. I usually take owner-bashing with a grain of salt.

 

[Garrett]

As for what the new WCRB will play, Mercatanti stresses "more consistency." That means a tighter play list with less variety, he acknowledges"

In other words, the music selection is now going to be exclusively pulled from Time-Life's Classical Music which the station just paid $49.99 for 12 CDs.

Classical music fans will certainly be switching to iPods in droves if this continues. Maybe it is intentional so the station can change formats citing "declining listenership"?

As much as I respect the format of WCRB, you don't actually believe their listeners (whatever listeners they have) will care much about it? The demographic that listens to WCRB mostly likely has more things on their mind then to worry about how often Beetoven's 5th played.

Seroiously? You think anyone outside us radiogeeks even cares?

 

[robbbc]

I have read that if they haven't already, the NY times (owner of WQXR, NYC) and WFMT, Chicago, will combine to offer a classical network. WFMT at present distributes what they call "The Beethoven Network" (good choice, my favorite composer) heard locally on low-power FM WCNH, Concord, NH.

How do they get away with this? I thought LPFMs were supposed to originate all (or a substantial amount of) their programming locally. So much for the promise of "local" radio.

Very easy. See all the Christian LP-FM stations. According to Wikipedia one of the major criticisms of LPFM:

"The majority of the licenses have been issued to religious broadcasters who tend to have little locally-produced programming and syndicate broadcasts originating elsewhere. Religious broadcasters counter that few secular groups are equipped to fund the continuing operations of an LPFM station. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LPFM