Recently, according to an article in the Morning Sentinel, as quoted on Current.org (http://www.current.org/2013/07/main...ture-of-classical-music-after-hosts-departure), longtime MPBN late-morning classical music hostess Suzanne Nance is leaving the network and that as a result, the network is "assessing" the future o0f classical music.
Like many NPR member stations, MPBN Radio has reduced music in recent years. Today, it runs classical music on weekdays from 9 A.M. to 12 Noon and from 8 to 11 P.M., along with a Saturday-afternoon opera block (featuring Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in-season) and a Sunday-morning classical block.
If I were a betting man, I am convinced that when Nance leaves in September, MPBN Radio will drop classical music (and probably also "World Cafe" and their Sunday-night jazz show) to go 24/7 NPR news and information programming, like most other NPR member stations have done.
The morning block could be replaced by the "BBC Newshour" and the live feed of "On Point", while the evening block could be replaced by a repeat of "Maine Calling" along with "As It Happens" and "Q" from CBC Radio One.
One option MPBN could do to keep a classical music presence, which Vermont Public Radio did over the last decade, is to launch a separate 24/7 classical-music network. In VPR's case, launching "VPR Classical" allowed the network to maintain and indeed increase it's classical music schedule while converting their original statewide network to 24/7 NPR news and information programming. But I don't know if MPBN has the financial resources to acquire stations for this purpose (I believe there is a "W-Bach" network of commercial classical-music stations in Maine; MPBN, if they had the money, could purchase them and use them for a 24/7 "MPBN Classical" network (along with an HD-2 feed on the current MPBN radio transmitters). This would free-up MPBN's current service to go 24/7 news/information.
The reason I think Ms. Nance's departure will mean the end of classical music on MPBN Radio (unless the network launches an all-classical service) is simple:
News and Information programming brings in big pledge dollars to NPR member stations. Music programming usually does not.
And that's why over the past dozen or so years, numerous NPR member stations have dropped music and gone 24/7 news and information. MPBN wil likely be next.
Like many NPR member stations, MPBN Radio has reduced music in recent years. Today, it runs classical music on weekdays from 9 A.M. to 12 Noon and from 8 to 11 P.M., along with a Saturday-afternoon opera block (featuring Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in-season) and a Sunday-morning classical block.
If I were a betting man, I am convinced that when Nance leaves in September, MPBN Radio will drop classical music (and probably also "World Cafe" and their Sunday-night jazz show) to go 24/7 NPR news and information programming, like most other NPR member stations have done.
The morning block could be replaced by the "BBC Newshour" and the live feed of "On Point", while the evening block could be replaced by a repeat of "Maine Calling" along with "As It Happens" and "Q" from CBC Radio One.
One option MPBN could do to keep a classical music presence, which Vermont Public Radio did over the last decade, is to launch a separate 24/7 classical-music network. In VPR's case, launching "VPR Classical" allowed the network to maintain and indeed increase it's classical music schedule while converting their original statewide network to 24/7 NPR news and information programming. But I don't know if MPBN has the financial resources to acquire stations for this purpose (I believe there is a "W-Bach" network of commercial classical-music stations in Maine; MPBN, if they had the money, could purchase them and use them for a 24/7 "MPBN Classical" network (along with an HD-2 feed on the current MPBN radio transmitters). This would free-up MPBN's current service to go 24/7 news/information.
The reason I think Ms. Nance's departure will mean the end of classical music on MPBN Radio (unless the network launches an all-classical service) is simple:
News and Information programming brings in big pledge dollars to NPR member stations. Music programming usually does not.
And that's why over the past dozen or so years, numerous NPR member stations have dropped music and gone 24/7 news and information. MPBN wil likely be next.