WQED-FM and classical music programming.

[Radio_Realist]

I just read on PBRTV that the Post-Gazette says that WQED-FM is going to start broadcasting more classical music. I must confess that I usually only tune in 89.3 for "Prairie Home Companion" every now and then, though I sometimes will sample it if all the other stations on my car's presets are in commercial break or playing a really bad song.

That changed the other day, when one of the guys at work drew the short straw and got to pick the radio station for the day and tuned in WQED and I got to sit through several hours of it.

As much as I hate the ultra-tight playlists of nothing but a small handful of well-tested "hits" on 3WS, I can see where the other extreme isn't that great either. I personally like a lot of classical music. I like symphonies. I like works like the 1812 Overture. I like most of the stuff that Wagner, Beethoven, and Bach wrote. I like pseudo-classical music, like the soundtrack to the old TV series "Victory at Sea", or any other Hollywood score with the old-fashioned symphonic sound.

But there's an awful lot of classical music that is to classical music what obscure "deep cuts" are to rock and pop music. And that seems to be what WQED-FM concentrates on.

Is my perception of what WQED-FM plays (based on one day listening to it) accurate, or did I just catch them on a bad day?

 

[kenhawk1160]

But there's an awful lot of classical music that is to classical music what obscure "deep cuts" are to rock and pop music. And that seems to be what WQED-FM concentrates on.

Is my perception of what WQED-FM plays (based on one day listening to it) accurate, or did I just catch them on a bad day?

Nope, not really. That all goes with being a publicly-funded radio station with a minority audience. Not really acceptable to the masses. The next step up from that is Beautiful Music, and that format is all but dead. Same with Smooth Jazz.

 

[Radio_Realist]

"Nope, not really. That all goes with being a publicly-funded radio station with a minority audience."

That's a real shame. It would be nice to have the option of being able to tune a station that plays popular classical music. I guess that's why they invented CD's, iPOD's, and satellite radio.

But one has to wonder. Might WQED-FM possibly get more contributions if they played classical music compositions that more people actually liked?

 

[kenhawk1160]

That's a real shame. It would be nice to have the option of being able to tune a station that plays popular classical music. I guess that's why they invented CD's, iPOD's, and satellite radio.

But one has to wonder. Might WQED-FM possibly get more contributions if they played classical music compositions that more people actually liked?

That's a very good question. When I lived in Detroit back in the mid to late 90's, they had something that was virtually unheard of...a high-power, commercial-band FM station owned by a for-profit, and it made money! Now it was satellite, mind you (Concert Music Network), and it did generate a small share, but when it changed hands towards the start of the new millenium, they switched it to Classic R&B/Disco.

The fact that WQED is delving into more obscure music could be seen as a desperate tack to try something different in the hopes of trying to get contributions up. It's no secret that QED is going through a tough time financially, and I don't think it has anything to do with what they've done in the past. They've trimmed their staff and run a much more efficient operation, but I believe there are just not enough people replacing the classical music listener of yore that's dying off by the day.

 

[Radio_Realist]

I believe there are just not enough people replacing the classical music listener of yore that's dying off by the day.

Maybe you're right. I'm 54 years old, and too old for any radio broadcaster to really care whether I listen to his station or not. And, I imagine that the schools don't send kids on field trips to listen to the Pittsburgh Symphony like they did back in my day. They used to take my entire elementary school in buses to the Syria Mosque once a month to hear symphony concerts. And when we were there, the place was packed with kids from other public schools.

But, I still think that classical music has "hit" songs just the same as oldies or classic rock or any other music format. Beethoven's Fifth symphony was a hit. Beethoven's Second was not. WDVE will play "Stairway to Heaven" almost every day. Other cuts from that same Led Zeppelin album are never played at all. Beethoven's Fifth is to Beethoven what "Stairway to Heaven" is to Led Zeppelin. Beethoven's second is album filler.

I know it will never, ever happen, but I wish that there was a small, independent FM station that could attempt to program classical music "hits". It might not be a commercial success, but I'd sure like to be able to listen to it. Maybe it will happen as a subchannel format when HD radio ever catches on.

Or, maybe when Metropolitical Pittsburgh Educational Television is on the ropes and they bring in fresh management to turn the operation around, maybe they'll try that on WQED-FM.

 

[kenhawk1160]

I know it will never, ever happen, but I wish that there was a small, independent FM station that could attempt to program classical music "hits". It might not be a commercial success, but I'd sure like to be able to listen to it. Maybe it will happen as a subchannel format when HD radio ever catches on.

This reminds me of what college stations USED to be. You usually got both popular classical music AND traditional jazz, with very little room for deviation. Now you have college stations run more by students rather than their faculty advisors, thus allowing more student input as to what goes on the air. Now you have more songs from rap, heavy metal, reggae, and folk artists that are dominating the airwaves on these smaller stations, and students really aren't learning anything from what these stations are evolving into. It's no longer the educational experience it once was.

What I particularly like is Titan Radio, which is run by the communications department at Westminster College...one of the finest programs in the country. They program a Hot AC format, with a broad playlist of popular music, and the jocks are clearly beginners, but good strong raw material. Here's the link...http://www.westminster.edu/student/Orgs/radio/radio_news.cfm so you can hear it live. Local businesses in town have this station on, and it's a good example of being an effective teaching tool. Students learn what real commercial radio is like, and Dave Barner (faculty advisor) is very much a hands-on operator.