How Many Commercial Sponsored classical Music Radio Stations are left ?

[recto101]

Now that KDFC has been converted to a non Profit station what happens now?

 

[weav]

Presumably when it's pledge time, they play Bartok, Webern and Stockhausen until the goal is met...

 

[TheBigA]

WCLV in that cultural capital of the world: Cleveland Ohio is one of the last.

WFMT Chicago is commercial, but owned by a non-profit.

WRR Dallas is commercial, but owned by the city.

 

[fybush]

There are a handful in New England: the three-station "W-Bach" network in Maine, WCVT in Vermont, WCRI in Rhode Island, WCCC in Hartford. Virginia has a small FM near Norfolk that's doing classical commercially. There's still a "K-Bach" (KBOQ) in Monterey, and KDB in Santa Barbara, which is operated by a nonprofit but runs commercially. Entercom has KXTR on AM in Kansas City. Seattle's KING-FM is in the process of converting from commercial to noncommercial later this year. That's about it at this point, off the top of my head.

 

[Starbucks]

Usually Classical holds it own or hangs by a thread in Liberal left leaning, bleeding heart guilt , Democratic cities. I'm suprised Portland, Or. no longer has one.

 

[Ai4i]

There are a handful...at this point, off the top of my head.

An excellant summary. By number of stations, WCN is probably the leader and by number of listeners, WFMT would win.
WCCC has always promoted themselves as "The world's classical music station", although Beethoven.com has recently gone strictly subscription. WCLV is also operated commercially by a foundation.
Would it be a stretch to include stations in Montreal, Quebec City, and Toronto, as well as a border lightbulb in Tijuana?

 

[Ai4i]

Usually Classical holds it own or hangs by a thread in Liberal left leaning, bleeding heart guilt , Democratic cities.

This is definitely a traditional country listener not fond of the Dixie Chicks ;D

 

[TheBigA]

Usually Classical holds it own or hangs by a thread in Liberal left leaning, bleeding heart guilt , Democratic cities. I'm suprised Portland, Or. no longer has one.

What a baboon you are. William F. Buckley was a huge classical music fan, and his family at one time owned WNCN, the commercial classical station in NYC. Oh, but I guess he wasn't a real conservative.

 

[Starbucks]

Hey Big Ape.....let's just say the majority listens to the classical radio stations are liberals, a selective amount of college students and people who have very high incomes. San Fran. Seattle, Portland were the few markets that had classical music on the commercial bands longer then let's say Houston, Nashville, Denver, or even Detroit and along with most other markets.

 

[Ai4i]

Why must so many people insult one of my favorite non-human primates? Sorry, I really meant eclectic, refined, intelectual, upscale country music, like Hank, Sr. ;D

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Why is there always the loudness, heat, odor and acid in the conversation on topics like this. Maybe classical music has a smaller fan-base than some other programming possibilities, but in markets where there are 30, 40 and 50 broadcast properties why do people get all upset if we suggest that if the regulations were equitable and if the advertising marketing system were sane, there would be at least one station devoting at least half of it broadcast time to fine music?

Would those of you who run out of the room screaming when the topic comes up find your life becoming intolerable if that kind of equity existed?

Is there a common denominator among the classical music stations that survive? One patron family with the resources to keep it afloat? A combination of a good local classical orchestra plus a significant university with a widely acclaimed school of music that keeps up fan enthusiasm? What is there about survivor stations that can be copied in other locations?

 

[TheBigA]

Hey Big Ape.....let's just say the majority listens to the classical radio stations are liberals, a selective amount of college students and people who have very high incomes.

You're just wrong about that. It's been my experience that the people with the highest incomes are the guys who run big companies. They tend to be very conservative, and they tend to love Mozart. I can't tell you how many of the most powerful Republican Senators on Cap Hill listened to WGMS in their office every day, and could tell you all kinds of details about Bach. Nothing is more conservative than the mathematical precision of Bach. Don't generalize about classical music around me. Conservatives don't just like Toby Keith.

 

[uncamark]

Hey Big Ape.....let's just say the majority listens to the classical radio stations are liberals, a selective amount of college students and people who have very high incomes.

You're just wrong about that. It's been my experience that the people with the highest incomes are the guys who run big companies. They tend to be very conservative, and they tend to love Mozart. I can't tell you how many of the most powerful Republican Senators on Cap Hill listened to WGMS in their office every day, and could tell you all kinds of details about Bach. Nothing is more conservative than the mathematical precision of Bach. Don't generalize about classical music around me. Conservatives don't just like Toby Keith.

And let it be noted that it's what would proudly be called "the radical left" that has been the most adamant in their disapproval of KDFC taking over KUSF. In addition, I would suspect that those who have complained for years about KDFC (or most other classical stations, be they commercial or non-com) being too timid in its programming and not playing enough (if any) contemporary music would more likely be left-of-center (at least) than the audience that prefers their classical music soft and soothing.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

And let it be noted that it's what would proudly be called "the radical left" that has been the most adamant in their disapproval of KDFC taking over KUSF. In addition, I would suspect that those who have complained for years about KDFC (or most other classical stations, be they commercial or non-com) being too timid in its programming and not playing enough (if any) contemporary music would more likely be left-of-center (at least) than the audience that prefers their classical music soft and soothing.

Children, children, children. Come sit beside daddy on the sofa and let's have a chat.

Would you tell me on what page of the Constitution, what chapter, what section number does it tell us that people who shall in future years be called "The Liberals" are not full citizens of the U.S. What year did congress pass a law that says liberals are not allowed to have an opinion and are not allowed to express in public what their desires and wishes are?

And please tell Daddy which teacher in school informed you that "radical liberals" have a very tightly defined music taste that is noticeably different that common, garden-variety liberals.

Well, that's it for today. After school tomorrow we will sit down and have a chat about the fact that Conservatives are also full citizens of the country, and we will talk about how you can tell conservative from a neo-con from a radical conservative from a Tea-party conservative just by finding out what kind of music they listen to. Or not.

I suspect on Radio-Info we couldn't have a discussion of how many sheets of toilet tissue it takes on an average visit to the bathroom without someone jumping in turning it into a conservative vs. liberal free-for-all.

Can anyone name any additional commercial stations playing classical music.... that haven't been flushed down the toilet yet?

 

[RadioWest]

Back on the original topic here, KHFM Santa Fe/Albuquerque signed on as a Classical station in the 60's and has managed to survive the Wal-Marting of American radio through consolidation in the 90's all the way through to now.

http://www.classicalkhfm.com/

This station has managed to keep the classical format alive due in large part to a very active arts community which supports the businesses that continue to buy ad schedules, most of which cater to the very up-scale and high income demographics. You can't sell Classical Radio advertising with a cookie-cutter mentality like you can Rock and Roll. Like any good marketer, "Know your Product and Know your Customer". This is an area of the country that has a high demand for a classical formated station. Not the same can be said for other areas of the country. It survives in what is called the Rio Grande Arts Corridor because it still works for the audience there, political affilation and idealistic preferences aside.

 

[Starbucks]

Why must so many people insult one of my favorite non-human primates? Sorry, I really meant eclectic, refined, intelectual, upscale country music, like Hank, Sr. ;D

Sorry , it won't sell.

 

[K6JHU]

Albuquerqe/Santa Fe has KHFM (commercial classical music). If the format is viable here, it ought to be viable almost anywhere

 

[Kent]

Keep in mind that KHFM, much like KDFC, has been through quite-a-few changes in its lifetime. It was purchased by Citadel right after the Telecommunications Act of '96 passed. Citadel proceeded to gut almost its entire lineup of local talent replacing it with the former Sony/Warner classical satellite network. I believe it shifted to the Beethoven Network after the SW network went away. However, after shifting the SW classical, it got lots of complaints because, unlike the locally originated KHFM, it very rarely played entire pieces (usually just a movement or two), and the announcers frequently mispronounced the names of the composers. The Beethoven Network, which originated out of WFMT in Chicago, did a much better job but still wasn't local. It may be local, or more local, again now, but I know it went through a period of 3-5 years where it didn't have very many local announcers.

KHFM also was originally on 96.3, which is one of New Mexico's most powerful FM signals located on Sandia Peak. Citadel didn't really want the classical format, but it made money. So, they offloaded it to what was then American General Media's Mega 95.5. 95.5 broadcasts from the Jemez Mountains far to the north of Albuquerque. That's why it now has a translator in town at 102.9.

By the way, I was told the reason KHFM has always made money is a combination of the large amount of small stores in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe that can't afford to buy on many of the bigger stations and a classical loving population that's heavily into shopping locally. I can't judge the veracity of that theory, but I know small local stores and restaurants are historic no-pays. Also, I would've thought smooth jazz would've done better in Albuquerque if that were true. However, classical has outlasted smooth jazz in San Francisco, too.

 

[icybluelake]

Usually Classical holds it own or hangs by a thread in Liberal left leaning, bleeding heart guilt , Democratic cities. I'm suprised Portland, Or. no longer has one.

Not convinced that classical music listenership falls along ideological lines. But nice try, thanks for playing.

 

[LKellerIII]

And let it be noted that it's what would proudly be called "the radical left" that has been the most adamant in their disapproval of KDFC taking over KUSF. In addition, I would suspect that those who have complained for years about KDFC (or most other classical stations, be they commercial or non-com) being too timid in its programming and not playing enough (if any) contemporary music would more likely be left-of-center (at least) than the audience that prefers their classical music soft and soothing.

And please tell Daddy which teacher in school informed you that "radical liberals" have a very tightly defined music taste that is noticeably different that common, garden-variety liberals.

I suspect on Radio-Info we couldn't have a discussion of how many sheets of toilet tissue it takes on an average visit to the bathroom without someone jumping in turning it into a conservative vs. liberal free-for-all.

OK - first of all, it's a well know fact that "radical liberals" have very tightly defined musical tastes because they secretly imbed subliminal socialist messages in the music. That's a lot easier to do with a small play list.

Second, it's well known that conservatives use more toilet tissue than liberals on their visits to the bathroom because they enjoy wasting natural resources.