Places that lack a classical music station

[victorres43]

Classical radio is far less prominent compared to the past, but many cities have managed to keep their classical music station afloat through funding from donors, etc. And it's clear that classical fans in San Francisco, Austin, and Charlotte are satisfied with their local offerings.

But these Top 50 Markets have no classical radio station, certainly not on FM and/or HD1:
Houston
Atlanta
Miami
San Diego
Orlando
Nashville
Jacksonville
The Piedmont Triad
West Palm Beach

Below the Top 50 will be a mixed bag at best, as Upstate South Carolina, Louisville, and Richmond have one, but not places like Southwest Florida or the Rio Grande Valley.

 

[davideduardo]

Classical radio is far less prominent compared to the past, but many cities have managed to keep their classical music station afloat through funding from donors, etc. And it's clear that classical fans in San Francisco, Austin, and Charlotte are satisfied with their local offerings.

But these Top 50 Markets have no classical radio station, certainly not on FM and/or HD1:
Houston
Atlanta
Miami
San Diego
Orlando
Nashville
Jacksonville
The Piedmont Triad
West Palm Beach

Below the Top 50 will be a mixed bag at best, as Upstate South Carolina, Louisville, and Richmond have one, but not places like Southwest Florida or the Rio Grande Valley.

Note that all of these are Sunbelt cities and a huge percentage of them have high ethnic populations representing groups that don't tend to have a cultural heritage involving what is predominantly European music.

 

[Gregg.]

It's too bad that big cities such as Houston and Miami only lost their classical stations in the last decade. I was on Maryland's Eastern Shore recently, where I could pick from three classical stations, 89.5 WSCL Salisbury (owned by DelMarVa Public Television), 91.5 WBJC Baltimore and 90.9 WETA-FM Washington. Yet not a classical note is heard in many U.S. cities.

I noted in a separate post that WDAV is currently #1 in Charlotte. KUSC and KDB-FM (they're simulcast) are #4 in Santa Barbara, KMFA is #4 in Austin and WETA-FM is #5 in Washington.

 

[victorres43]

Note that all of these are Sunbelt cities and a huge percentage of them have high ethnic populations representing groups that don't tend to have a cultural heritage involving what is predominantly European music.

Which is interesting, considering that Sacramento, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Albuquerque have classical stations. Same with Tampa (albeit a rimshot), New Orleans, Memphis (though part-time), and the Hampton Roads.

And WIPR-FM in Puerto Rico has yet to give up the ghost.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Note that all of these are Sunbelt cities and a huge percentage of them have high ethnic populations representing groups that don't tend to have a cultural heritage involving what is predominantly European music.

San Francisco, Charlotte and Austin also have high ethnic populations (at least 33% minority), so that's a partial explanation.

The real story is that several of these markets had classical stations until recently, and they did not sustain themselves. I'm thinking specifically of Miami and Houston, but probably others too.

 

[victorres43]

The real story is that several of these markets had classical stations until recently, and they did not sustain themselves. I'm thinking specifically of Miami and Houston, but probably others too.

Both cities' stations to religious interests, no less.

San Francisco, Charlotte and Austin also have high ethnic populations (at least 33% minority), so that's a partial explanation.

Also, KUSC in Los Angeles seems to do well enough to not go away.

 

[davideduardo]

San Francisco, Charlotte and Austin also have high ethnic populations (at least 33% minority), so that's a partial explanation.

Or, as we can see by examining the stations there, it has to do with a moneyed endowment.

The real story is that several of these markets had classical stations until recently, and they did not sustain themselves. I'm thinking specifically of Miami and Houston, but probably others too.

In both cases, classical in those markets was provided by a commercial station. As the sponsors for such stations died or retired or sold their businesses, ad sales declined to the level that the stations were not profitable and had no hope of returning to profitability.

 

[davideduardo]

Which is interesting, considering that Sacramento, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Albuquerque have classical stations. Same with Tampa (albeit a rimshot), New Orleans, Memphis (though part-time), and the Hampton Roads.

Again, where there is an endowment or a culturally blind university or government agency this format will continue.

A good example is the City of Dallas' station, which is programming European music mostly written for monarchs and oligarchs in a city that is now under 50% non-Hispanic white.

ethnicity dallas - Google Search

And WIPR-FM in Puerto Rico has yet to give up the ghost.

But WIPR is local-government sponsored. And it is full of non-classical programs, including traditional música jíbara.

Note: I owned and operated a classical station in Quito, Ecuador a half a Century ago. It ran embassy programs in the daytime, and classical after 5 PM. The sponsors were mostly Europeans who had relocated to Ecuador due to the Second World War. Once they passed away or retired, there was no financing for that station or any other in the market. I even programmed the music myself each day, setting aside the albums for the board op to play.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

In both cases, classical in those markets was provided by a commercial station. As the sponsors for such stations died or retired or sold their businesses, ad sales declined to the level that the stations were not profitable and had no hope of returning to profitability.

Should have specified. I was referring to the listener-supported classical stations in those markets. 91.7 (KUHA) in Houston and 89.7/90.7 (WKCP/WPBI) in Miami and West Palm Beach.

 

[Kent]

Below the Top 50 will be a mixed bag at best, as Upstate South Carolina, Louisville, and Richmond have one, but not places like Southwest Florida or the Rio Grande Valley.

Classical music is not commercially viable much of anywhere anymore. The audience is getting smaller every year and overwhelmingly 55+. Granted, much of the classical audience is likely to be wealthy seniors, but that's a very small portion of the senior population. Somewhere around 80% of seniors is completely dependent on Social Security. Plus, wealthy or not, advertisers aren’t trying to reach seniors.

While classical stations do often get pledges, donations, and even money willed to them by their audience, even the non-commercial stations sell underwriting announcements. Those underwriters generally don’t want to waste their time or money with an older audience. That’s a lot of why non-comm operators, like Houston, have given up the ghost on classical.

KMFA in Austin, by the way, was originally a commercial FM. When KHFI decided to transition its top-40 format to FM, it donated its music library and helped with the funding for a community FM, which became KMFA.

 

[gr8oldies]

Dayton, Ohio last I knew had a full time classical station,in non-com WDPR (and sister WDPG) from Dayton Public Radio.

Knoxville TN has WUOT with the NPR morning and afternoon lineup with classical other times

 

[TheBigA]

A good example is the City of Dallas' station, which is programming European music mostly written for monarchs and oligarchs in a city that is now under 50% non-Hispanic white.

Although it should be pointed out that the station is funded by commercials, has a very active local news department and also broadcasts city council meetings. And the city has been trying to turn over operations of the station to a non-governmental organization.

Classical music is not commercially viable much of anywhere anymore.

Except WFMT Chicago and the aforementioned WRR Dallas. Perhaps a few other places.

 

[davideduardo]

Somewhere around 80% of seniors is completely dependent on Social Security. P

Actually, that figure is about 40%

https://www.nirsonline.org/2020/01/new-report-40-of-older-americans-rely-solely-on-social-security-for-retirement-income/

 

[davideduardo]

Although it should be pointed out that the station is funded by commercials, has a very active local news department and also broadcasts city council meetings. And the city has been trying to turn over operations of the station to a non-governmental organization.

But those are "features" on a classical station.

Except WFMT Chicago and the aforementioned WRR Dallas. Perhaps a few other places.

But if you look at how WRR is subsidized by the city, it could not be self sustaining were it not getting those benefits.

 

[Kelly A]

Now that streaming has gained popular use, a lot of classical music aficionados listen via smartspeaker or PC. No longer the need to have a local classical station.

 

[TheBigA]

But if you look at how WRR is subsidized by the city, it could not be self sustaining were it not getting those benefits.

It also would not broadcast city council meetings and hire people based on the city hiring structure. That's why they're looking to hand off operations to an outside group, as has been done in other places.

 

[Mediafrog+]

KMFA in Austin, by the way, was originally a commercial FM.

KMFA has always been a non-comm, signing on in January 1967, almost three years after the demise of Classical on the old KHFI-FM 98.3, which was a commercial station.

When KHFI decided to transition its top-40 format to FM, it donated its music library and helped with the funding for a community FM, which became KMFA.

KHFI-FM flipped from Classical to a Beautiful Music format in 1964, following an ownership change. It went to part-time, followed by fulltime Progressive Rock at the beginning of 1971 before returning to Beautiful Music mid-1972. A further flip to oldies came in 1973, then the Top 40 format in 1974.

KHFI (AM) 970 was a MOR station 1959-69, originally under the KASE call (unrelated to the current FM.). It flipped to Top 40 KTAP in 1969.

Sibling KHFI-TV donated tower space for KMFA’s original transmitter.

 

[victorres43]

Classical music is not commercially viable much of anywhere anymore. The audience is getting smaller every year and overwhelmingly 55+. Granted, much of the classical audience is likely to be wealthy seniors, but that's a very small portion of the senior population. Somewhere around 80% of seniors is completely dependent on Social Security. Plus, wealthy or not, advertisers aren’t trying to reach seniors.

While classical stations do often get pledges, donations, and even money willed to them by their audience, even the non-commercial stations sell underwriting announcements. Those underwriters generally don’t want to waste their time or money with an older audience. That’s a lot of why non-comm operators, like Houston, have given up the ghost on classical.

Speaking of classical skewing very older, news/talk is also an older skewing format. Perhaps paradoxically, however, right-leaning news/talk seems to perform at least fairly well within 6+ in Houston, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and the Piedmont Triad. (KOGO in San Diego used to be a strong performer, but they have fallen lately, in contrast to a resurgent KPBS.) Spanish-language news/talk in Miami is split between multiple stations, and Orlando has a bigger appetite for "hot talk" than politically-minded talk.

 

[Kent]

Except WFMT Chicago and the aforementioned WRR Dallas. Perhaps a few other places.

True, though neither of those would likely be airing classical music today if they were owned by commercial operators. About the only classical station I can think of that's owned by a commercial operator is WFCC 107.5 on Cape Cod. That doesn't mean there aren't any others; it just means it's the only one I can recall. Thirty years or so ago, many, if not most, top-100 markets had a commercial classical station. Most of them went away in the early to mid 1990's, though some hung on longer. The classical audience has gotten older, and higher station values as ownership limits got relaxed have also likely contributed to the demise of commercial classical radio.

KMFA has always been a non-comm, signing on in January 1967, almost three years after the demise of Classical on the old KHFI-FM 98.3, which was a commercial station.

That was what I was trying to say. Sorry if I didn't communicate that well. I thought the time frame was a little different, and I forgot about the beautiful music phase of 98.3. I'd always heard, however, that KHFI helped start KMFA at least partly due to the concern that its license might be challenged if it dropped classical. I was thinking it was closer to the time WNCN in New York flipped to rock as WQIV only to go back to classical after its license was challenged. The FCC took license renewal and sales challenges more seriously prior to the early 1980's. Your timeline is almost certainly more accurate than mine as I was crawling around in diapers when the WNCN fiasco happened. I know what I know of that time from periodicals and what people have told me. I have occasional fleeting memories of my life before preschool, but they're not many and have no context. Certainly, radio stations themselves aren't among those memories!

 

[rjoc]

KLEF 98.1 Anchorage, Alaska has been a commercial classical station since it came on back in 1988 while I was living and stationed in Alaska. When I was visiting Alaska again, last September, they sounded very healthy, plenty of commercials running. Their latest Nielsen ratings show them #8 of 16 stations reporting in the latest Anchorage book. When they first came on I never thought they would last a year or two, One hardly associates Alaska with classical music, but they must be doing something right.