K-Mozart is back on 1260

[davideduardo]

The classical format was good for business in those days. There was a big community of audiophiles who listened to FM radio, bought FM Guide, and loved classical music. WGMS Washington DC was a great example. It was owned by RKO Radio. They were tempted many times to flip the AM to rock music, and didn't because of the public outcry. RKO was forced out of radio, but the new owners loved the money classical music attracted.

Well through the 70's, classical was a format that the FCC protected. I was involved as temporary GM of EZ Communication's FM in Richmond, VA, which was classical when they bought it in 1970 and was prevented from going to Beautiful Music by a vocal listener group that filed with the FCC. We had to arrange for a non-commercial station to commit to a certain number of weekly hours of classical and give them some money in order to make our change.

There were similar protests against classical music format changes, the most famous being in New York City but also being seen in markets like Chicago.

Few realize that the FCC supported the classical format by, essentially, requiring investigations of station transfers and even format changes if they dropped classical. Since licenses came up for renewal every 3 years, this was frightening to station licensees.

The station was extremely popular on Cap Hill. There was a well-heeled crowd that funded the National Symphony and Washington Opera. The Mars family (M&Ms), the Kiplingers (financial advice), and the founder of Geico were all huge supporters of the radio station and the classical music business. So they were able to keep the commercial classical format going for a while.

Because they were afraid of backlash back in the 70's and 80's.

Finally, they brokered a deal with WETA to move the format, the staff, and the rest of the property there, and the frequency became all news WTOP-FM.

And they were still afraid of backlash if they moved even in "current times".

 

[AlexJP]

He shut down the hd thing with KSURF back in 2020

KMZT still has HD

 

[K.M. Richards]

Few realize that the FCC supported the classical format by, essentially, requiring investigations of station transfers and even format changes if they dropped classical. Since licenses came up for renewal every 3 years, this was frightening to station licensees.

Boy, that sure seems archaic now, and I remember the NYC controversy well. I think it was the first time I realized what kind of power the FCC had.

Can you imagine how much chaos would occur if it were still that easy to challenge a station's license over a format change?

 

[Weiserguy]

Boy, that sure seems archaic now, and I remember the NYC controversy well. I think it was the first time I realized what kind of power the FCC had.

Can you imagine how much chaos would occur if it were still that easy to challenge a station's license over a format change?

Let's remember what actually happened. (Which I do, having grown up there and lived through it.*) WNCN was bought by another company, which wanted to change the format to "quad" audio, which was a fad in the mid-70's. A group of listeners banded together as the WNCN Listeners Guild (or some similar name) and petitioned the FCC to deny the license transfer, as was their right. Note that it was the transfer that they challenged, not a garden-variety renewal. The Commission provisionally approved the transfer, but scheduled a hearing. The acquirer (who's name is escaping me now, at 1:30 AM) decided to accept an offer from the GAF Company to buy the station (as their Chairman was a listener and classical music aficionado) rather than fight a long and expensive challenge.

The FCC had the power to hear all sides of the challenge, and to apply the law and the communications regulations fairly and impartially. The original owners had the right to sell their asset, pending approval. The original acquirer had the right, assuming the Commission found their license transfer application worthy of approval, to program WNCN in whatever way they saw fit, consistent with the PICN. The WNCN Listeners Guild had the right to challenge the transfer, and the Commission had the obligation to hear the challenge and decide if it was valid, and determine the appropriate course of action. GAF had the right to step in and offer a solution that satisfied the Listeners Guild and made the original acquirer whole. GAF owned the station for another dozen years or so, programming classical music to the tri-state area, until they in turn voluntarily decided to exit the radio business. Nobody did anything underhanded or high-handed, unless you consider the Listeners Guild as not having the right to challenge to transfer in the first place. (A "right" established in the WGMS/RKO-General case in late '60s, under similar circumstances.)

* In the late '80s, I took a course at NYU taught by the late Mario Mazza, who was then WNCN's program director. This was before GAF made the decision to sell WNCN and exit radio. I got a chance to spend some time with him discussing all this history, which is why it's still stuck in my mind. Though forgive me if I've misremembered any of the nits from this tale.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Let's remember what actually happened. (Which I do, having grown up there and lived through it.*) WNCN was bought by another company, which wanted to change the format to "quad" audio, which was a fad in the mid-70's.

The story of WQIV and the demise and return of WNCN was quite fascinating at the time.

NY Radio Archive - WQIV 104.3

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/09/archives/gaf-seeking-to-acquire-station-wqiv-commercial-success-seen.html

Quadraphonic sound was quite the short-lived fad in the mid 1970’s. There is an active online discussion group that focuses on vintage and modern quad equipment, records, tapes and other recorded media. Not sure if the mods here would let me link to it, but it does not deal with broadcasting, so not a competitor to RD.

 

[TomásEstefan]

Well through the 70's, classical was a format that the FCC protected. I was involved as temporary GM of EZ Communication's FM in Richmond, VA, which was classical when they bought it in 1970 and was prevented from going to Beautiful Music by a vocal listener group that filed with the FCC. We had to arrange for a non-commercial station to commit to a certain number of weekly hours of classical and give them some money in order to make our change.

There were similar protests against classical music format changes, the most famous being in New York City but also being seen in markets like Chicago.

Few realize that the FCC supported the classical format by, essentially, requiring investigations of station transfers and even format changes if they dropped classical. Since licenses came up for renewal every 3 years, this was frightening to station licensees.

Because they were afraid of backlash back in the 70's and 80's.

And they were still afraid of backlash if they moved even in "current times".

Way back in the day in Los Angeles when KWKW 1300 (later 1330) and KALI 1430 were the only game in town for Spanish language radio, some folks complained about the "garbage" on these stations, and collected signatures for petitions and what-not to approach the FCC. However the FCC replied that they could do nothing because, "By law", we (the FCC) have NO authority over program content"! Really? how 'bout the seven prohibited words, etc.

 

[TomásEstefan]

The story of WQIV and the demise and return of WNCN was quite fascinating at the time.

NY Radio Archive - WQIV 104.3

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/09/archives/gaf-seeking-to-acquire-station-wqiv-commercial-success-seen.html

Quadraphonic sound was quite the short-lived fad in the mid 1970’s. There is an active online discussion group that focuses on vintage and modern quad equipment, records, tapes and other recorded media. Not sure if the mods here would let me link to it, but it does not deal with broadcasting, so not a competitor to RD.

Speaking of Quad if you played an SQ encoded disc over an FM stereo station your station was by default broadcasting in Quad as any listener with an SQ decoder in their system would hear it about the same as if they were playing the actual SQ record at home.

To this day I'm still a vinyl fan and I do have dozens of SQ (mostly Columbia/CBS) encoded discs. They play quite nicely through a Dolby II Surround processor.

 

[michael hagerty]

Way back in the day in Los Angeles when KWKW 1300 (later 1330) and KALI 1430 were the only game in town for Spanish language radio, some folks complained about the "garbage" on these stations, and collected signatures for petitions and what-not to approach the FCC. However the FCC replied that they could do nothing because, "By law", we (the FCC) have NO authority over program content"! Really? how 'bout the seven prohibited words, etc.

You know better. Indecency and obscenity are covered in the original 1934 Communications Act. Anyone filing for a license is essentially agreeing to follow those rules and regulations. There's a huge difference between "program content" and content in violation of the Communications Act.

 

[semoochie]

You know better. Indecency and obscenity are covered in the original 1934 Communications Act. Anyone filing for a license is essentially agreeing to follow those rules and regulations. There's a huge difference between "program content" and content in violation of the Communications Act.

More to the point: After WNCN, congress told the FCC that it was unconstitutional to interfere with a station's programing.

 

[davideduardo]

You know better. Indecency and obscenity are covered in the original 1934 Communications Act. Anyone filing for a license is essentially agreeing to follow those rules and regulations. There's a huge difference between "program content" and content in violation of the Communications Act.

An important thing to re-mention is that the FCC has its own "rules" which are what are commonly called "administrative law". There is also "case law" where prior decisions by the FCC can be cited to strengthen... or refute... an argument.

And then there are Federal, State and local laws that in one way or another affect the operation of a station.

A good example of conflict is the issue of marijuana advertising in states where it is legal. A station taking ads for such products may be in compliance with state laws, but marijuana is not legal under federal statutes and so a federally licensed station might be in jeopardy if it runs such ads.

 

[CTListener]

A good example of conflict is the issue of marijuana advertising in states where it is legal. A station taking ads for such products may be in compliance with state laws, but marijuana is not legal under federal statutes and so a federally licensed station might be in jeopardy if it runs such ads.

Unlike sports betting, which is still illegal in 11 states but is OK under federal law. Has the NAB or any radio ownership group lobbied for a change in U.S. marijuana law or the carving out of an exception to allow broadcasters in states where cannabis is legal to take cannabis advertising, just as stations where sports betting is legal carry ads for betting and tout services? After all, print media, which aren't licensed, can take advertising for both if they want to.

 

[sdwulfdawg]

While we're on the subject of classical stations branding themselves as K-Mozart, K-Bach or whatever, it's interesting to note that one of San Diego-Tijuana's previous classical stations (XLNC-1) went to extreme lengths NOT to mention the word "classical" or famous composers in their ads. IIRC, one of their campaigns just said the station played "the greatest hits of the last 300 years."

That's the reason they eventually went kaputski. Overall, however, they were pretty lousy from a programming standpoint. You would get one movement of a Beethoven symphony followed by an excerpt of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

 

[Weiserguy]

That's the reason they eventually went kaputski. Overall, however, they were pretty lousy from a programming standpoint. You would get one movement of a Beethoven symphony followed by an excerpt of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

It was similar in NYC with WNCN, and in San Francisco with the old and current iterations of KDFC. The concept was/is to treat the music like it was an AOR station, with rotations based on how familiar and popular any piece (or movement, for full symphonies or concertos) was. So for example, they might play the first movement of Beethoven's 5th a few times a day because everyone knows it, but the more obscure second movement might only get aired once or twice a week. Also, shorter pieces provided the ability to break more often, run more spots, and generally have more programming flexibility.

 

[vchimpanzee]

That's the reason they eventually went kaputski. Overall, however, they were pretty lousy from a programming standpoint. You would get one movement of a Beethoven symphony followed by an excerpt of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

Someone wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in The Charlotte Observer some years ago. Charlotte has a very good classical station, 100 kw and occasionally very high in the 12-plus numbers, which of course runs on donations and is owned by a college (whose students got two hours a day late at night for a while to do their own thing, then that was moved to AM and I think online later).

I don't recall what the complaint was but the letter stated a classical station should not play part of symphony but should play all of it.

And I remember when a nearby classical station was playing mostly short songs and possibly just a movement from a longer work. Except for concerts, it was simply a beautiful music station which happened to include classical in its lineup, and sacred music at night and Sundays. From ultraconservative Bob Jones University.

 

[K6JHU]

KHFM here in Albuquerque does the same thing. That is why I listen to Sirius/XM

 

[kevtronics]

The concept was/is to treat the music like it was an AOR station, with rotations based on how familiar and popular any piece (or movement, for full symphonies or concertos) was. So for example, they might play the first movement of Beethoven's 5th a few times a day because everyone knows it, but the more obscure second movement might only get aired once or twice a week. Also, shorter pieces provided the ability to break more often, run more spots, and generally have more programming flexibility.

Isn't that considered "Pops" rather than Classical? Basically Pops is to Classical like what Smooth Jazz is to "real" Jazz.

Sirius XM had a Pops channel until 2014.

 

[TomásEstefan]

That's the reason they eventually went kaputski. Overall, however, they were pretty lousy from a programming standpoint. You would get one movement of a Beethoven symphony followed by an excerpt of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

I don't recall that at all. I enjoyed that the station played a large number works from Spanish and other related composers not often heard on many other Classical stations.

 

[K.M. Richards]

And I remember when a nearby classical station was playing mostly short songs and possibly just a movement from a longer work. Except for concerts, it was simply a beautiful music station which happened to include classical in its lineup, and sacred music at night and Sundays. From ultraconservative Bob Jones University.

Similar situation, but not entirely the same: The first station I worked for (1973-77) was MOR in the daytime with a Big Band program on Saturday, and Classical from 8:00pm to midnight every day but Sunday (a program devoted entirely to Opera aired that evening.)

I was the Saturday night "producer" of Great Music To Midnight my entire senior year of high school, and then after graduation was hired full-time to do GMTM on weeknights, plus a short airshift ahead of same. We never aired only excerpts ... it was always the full work. We did run some shorter pieces in the 11:00pm hour for timing purposes, but those were still standalone works.

I have never had any reason to believe Classical should be executed otherwise as a format.

 

[CTListener]

In WCRB Waltham/Boston's final commercial years on 102.5, it played "classical's greatest hits." As you might expect, Pachelbel's Canon in D was in power rotation, along with other warhorses of the genre.

 

[TheBigA]

In WCRB Waltham/Boston's final commercial years on 102.5, it played "classical's greatest hits." As you might expect, Pachelbel's Canon in D was in power rotation, along with other warhorses of the genre.

That was pretty much the same for all the commercial classical stations. They sucked as much juice as they could out of the orange before selling.

I have a friend who runs a local symphony. He's found lots of creative ways to get butts into seats of his beautiful marble concert hall. His annual pops series usually pays for most of his annual budget. I bet that's the same in Boston. With the government cutting NEA grants, that will kill a lot of new classical music development. That used to be a funding source for local symphonies. Not anymore.