John Dodge, the Program Director of All Classical FM (Portland’s 24 hour classical radio station), has announced his resignation in an email to staff members, volunteers, and board. He is the latest casualty of the de/recession that has hit Oregon so hard. Here is the email in its entirety:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is with deep regret that I announce my resignation as your Program Director effective immediately. This is easier than you might imagine, as the position has just been eliminated from next year’s budget. President/CEO Jack Allen has offered me a lesser post at half salary, but this fits neither my professional nor my personal goals and so I will take this opportunity to step down and bid you a fond farewell.
Since beginning as your consultant in September 2005 and then accepting the full time position as VP of Programming in July of 2008, I’ve tried to be the kind of leader who steers from behind. I think it was Lao Tzu who advised that one lead so that when victory is achieved, the people believe they have accomplished everything themselves. And we have done great work together. Since I may not have another chance at horn-tooting, please allow me to list my achievements during the three years and nine months I have served our organization:
People (always our most important resource):
Christa Wessel came to Portland at my invitation (and her urging), and we are fortunate to have in her such a strong example of the new model of contemporary classical host. Additionally, I’m proud to note that in the studio together Christa and I have produced some of our station’s most lucrative pledge drive hours.
Andrea Murray had me at our initial interview when she craftily said, “What do I need to do to get you to fall in love with me?†I had to laugh out loud. It takes moxie and talent to run this gambit—and she has both in spades.
Maxine Frost got her first classical hosting experience with us. I recognized her talent and potential and knew that all she needed was the opportunity. And now she’s the Queen of KING-FM in Seattle.
Brandi Parisi politely turned down my first casting call. Then a week later called back with the news that her LA classical station had just changed formats. What a difference a week makes! Sorry it took a bit longer than expected to get you on board.
Craig Tuttle’s photography makes our web site and CD covers shine. I could say that I discovered Craig Tuttle for All Classical, and technically that would be true. But it would also be like discovering the Mississippi. As Jerry Seinfeld might say, “Like we weren’t going to find that anyway….â€
John Pitman always had the makings of a great music director, he just needed someone to recognize the fact, then do the obvious thing and make his title official. I have so appreciated his dedication and fine craftsmanship. The sky’s the limit, John.
Ratings and Revenue:
Without spending a nickel on marketing, we went from average performance (2 share) to exceptional performance (3.5 share) during the past three years. We easily outperform the national classical format average by 50%. We’re among the top five performing classical stations in the United States with a national profile to match. We’re the ones to watch. Everyone gets a merit badge for that feat of achievement!
In a commercial station, a 1.5 share ratings increase like this can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue. Perhaps we will monetize this improvement in time. Meanwhile from 2005 to 2008 our pledge drive results more than doubled—from the low $200’s to the mid $400’s. That was no accident or coincidence.
Procedures:
We achieved this doubling by instituting the first Pledge Drive Playbook based on a set of proven-effective, listener-focused topics. Also by instituting male/female pitch teams, by holding pre-drive rehearsals, by featuring a best-of playlist and by developing the right mix of music-based premiums. I’m as proud of this growth in our fundraising skills as I am of our ratings success.
In other important areas, we digitized the music library, we installed Music Master software, and we created the single-music-director model with a decidedly Portland twist: not autocracy but meritocracy rules. All input is valid. Creative collaboration is not only encouraged but required. Messy like democracy, the model works for us because it harnesses the collective intelligence we have in such abundance.
Programs:
I’m happy to have played a leadership role in the development of three of our most popular original series shows: The Score, Club Mod and First Impressions. Fingers crossed, The Score will score nationally and become our first syndicated hit. I understand we just purchased the URL www.thescore.org.
Projects:
We’re beginning our third custom compilation branded CD, a revenue and image enhancing concept I brought to the station in 2007. The first two Comfort & Joy CDs generated more than $150,000 in sales, and I wish you much success with the third.
Mark my words—our Lang Lang All Classical pledge pitch video will win an award yet. I wrote and directed this short (not that Lang Lang needed much direction). Remember that this superstar makes north of $25 million per year in product endorsements. We got him for free.
And finally:
We’ve done much more together than this over the past three years but those are a few of the highlights. I’m not a man who puts his awards on the wall, but I want you to know how proud I am of my record with All Classical. I’m so pleased with the things we have achieved together.
On a personal note, I want to say thanks for the tenderness and support you showed last year as I grieved the loss of my best friend and parents. I tried to repay that support by donating my last month’s consulting salary to the station but truth be told, your kindness was too great to repay.
I have known since I programmed the Boston classical station in 1992 that one day a radio station with a beautifully and scientifically constructed classical playlist, a station strategically programmed and smartly marketed like a sophisticated Adult Contemporary station, a station targeted toward Baby Boomers that combined the best business practices of commercial radio with the best ethos and stylistic sensibilities of public radio could be a whopping great success. That’s why I came to Portland. We have begun to accomplish what I have long dreamed; the goal is now within your reach. It’s been a career highlight working alongside you and I wish you nothing but blue skies as far as the eye can see.
Warm regards,
JD
4 replies on “all-classical FM program director resigns post”
It is certainly no secret that I have been critical of KQAC in recent years. However, I found John Dodge to be articulate, thoughtful and willing to consider my view in my correspondence with him. That said, I think the emphasis he brought to increased ratings resulted in a much duller station, at least from the standpoint of the music that is generally played. The station has undoubtedly experienced improvements in original programming, signal strength, scope of coverage and total volume of listeners. However, all this, in addition to actions such staffing increases, has come at a steep price. Pledge drives must now raise very substantial sums a few dollars at a time in order to support an ever increasing budget. I have to believe that pressures not to alienate listeners in order to increase donations to support the budget has affected the musical selections one typically hears on KQAC, especially during the daytime. KQAC is fine if your preference is a heavy dose of Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and other warhorses and easy listening pieces. However, if one desires more creativity and adventure in their listening, then the last few years have been a disappointment. I personally would like to see more creativity from hosts at KQAC regarding musical selections. I too often get the impression that they just sit back and play the warhorses again and again. It would be nice to see more thematic connections made between the pieces. Why not, for example, devote an afternoon to an exploration of the treatment of Shakespeare in classical music and opera? That could be fun and educational. I can’t help but feel that the apparent emphasis on musical selections that satisfy the greatest number of people stifles creativity in their hosts and makes for a much less interesting station. Just one listener’s opinion.
I largely agree with your assessment, but there is the standout program Club Mod that Robert McBride hosts – it’s good to have an island of newish music on the station.
Yes, I am aware of Club Mod and applaud the station for having it. I just wish was there was more programming like it. I don’t neccesarily mean living composers. I believe there is plenty of repertoire from established, mainstream composers that just does not get played. For instance, about all we hear of Prokofiev symphonies or piano concertoes are the first (especially) and fifth symphonies and the first and third piano concertoes. I believe that the sixth and seventh symphonies certainly deserve air time, and not just at night. The other piano concertoes are worthy of a listen on occasion as well. My comments also pertain to Vaughan Williams, whose second, third and, very occasionally, fifth symphonies get played. He composed nine, I believe, so let’s hear some of the others. Shostokovich certainly composed a great deal more than the fifth symphony, which is the one that usually gets played. His violin concertoes are marvelous and should be heard (not to mention his string quartets). Then there are the great song cycles of Schumann, Mahler and Schubert, which rarely if ever appear on most classical stations. KQAC is not alone in cautious musical selections. From what I can ascertain from my travels and the internet, most other classical stations are similarly conservative, especially during the day. I know all the arguments against playing unfamiliar music and lengthy, challenging vocal works. It’s just sad that so many people are willing to settle for the same old thing played over and over again. I remember Terry Ross, a host many years ago at then KBPS, played Britten’s War Requiem one afternoon. It was a memorable experience. I cannot conceive of KQAC ever doing something like that again. And that’s the pity.
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