Comments on: all-classical FM program director resigns post

By: Art Scatter » Not out of the woods yet: Arts groups in a fiscal thicket

Art Scatter » Not out of the woods yet: Arts groups in a fiscal thicket — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:10:14 +0000

[...] radio: Charles Noble reports that John Dodge, program director of All Classical FM, has resigned. In an email to staff that [...]

By: curtis heikkinen

curtis heikkinen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:04:05 +0000

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.

By: Charles Noble

Charles Noble — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:52:00 +0000

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.

By: curtis heikkinen

curtis heikkinen — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:49:11 +0000

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.