News

Dear Friends of Classical Music Rising:

We’ve put Classical Radio on the map – a Google map, to be exact! I am often asked, “Where are the classical radio stations?” and “How many classical stations are there today?” As of January 2017, 70 public media organizations provide All Classical formats (i.e. 70% or more of the programming is classical music) and 65 air mixed format News and Classical programming. (These numbers do not include repeaters and translators, of which there are dozens.) There are a few commercial classical stations as well.

So we’ve created a Google map to aid Google’s search engine in delivering your station to inquisitive searchers. View the Classical Radio Google map. Note that as you click on any station, you will get basic facts about the operation. Let me know if you have any updates to your station’s information.

Here’s the short link to the map: http://bit.ly/ClassicalRadioStations

Read on for another radio search tool…

Wende

Wende Persons, Managing Director
Classical Music Rising | www.classicalmusic.wpengine.com 
[email protected] | cell: 917-691-1282

RADIO SEARCH TOOL

Tune In To The World’s Radio Stations…
Another new online tool for discovering radio stations is called Radio Garden. It’s a virtual globe featuring stations around the world, all formats. Vermont Public Radio’s Music Director, Kari Anderson, saw a spike in listening in December from this new website and wonders if others are experiencing increases, too? Play with Radio Garden – and read more about it.

STATION NEWS

New Classical Station in New Orleans
It’s on the map! New Orleans is getting its own dedicated classical station. Launching this month, WWNO Classical 104.9 is initially taking its programming from the HD stream WWNO HD2. Read more.

Bill Johnson Named General Manager at WRTI
After 16 years as Station Manager for Philadelphia’s classical and jazz station WRTI, Bill Johnson has been promoted to GM, responsible for the administration and supervision of all activities at the station. “As a trumpet player for over 40 years, Bill has a lifelong love of music, and is committed to the ideal that classical music and jazz can build community and transform our lives,” said the announcement on WRTI’s Website. Congratulations, Bill!

Classical Colorado Public Radio Receives $500,000 Grant
Colorado Public Radio has received a half a million dollar grant to support its classical service, the largest single gift in CPR’s forty-five year history, reports Classical Program Director Monika Vischer. The gift comes from a family motivated by CPR Classical’s educational storytelling – especially their new feature from the piano in the CPR Performance Studio with Scott O’Neil, former resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony. “Scott is great with audiences,” says Monika, “and the audio is transferring beautifully on-air.” They are currently producing long form features with O’Neil for broadcast and podcast about the lives of great composers. Video of the short form audio features live on CPR’s website. View sample vignettes.

Happy 50^th Anniversary, KMFA!
Austin’s classical station KMFA 89.5 celebrates 50 years on the air this month. To honor the occasion, KMFA is doing “50 Events for 50 Years,” which include a free public birthday party, a world premiere by the Austin Symphony (KMFA: A Celebratory Overture by Dan Welcher), and loads of live and broadcast special events, community engagement events, and public appearances throughout the year. View calendar of KMFA anniversary events.

KING FM’s Bryan Lowe is Retiring
Bryan Lowe, Station Manager of Seattle’s KING FM, has announced that he is retiring at the end of June. “I have been here 37 years as of a few days ago, and pretty much seen and done a LOT in that time,” he told Classical Music Rising. “I’ve had a hand in creating every webpage, app, video and online channel we’ve ever done, along with a great team of people….  played the first CD on the radio in Seattle and… god only knows what else. I’m excited to see what innovations and ideas come next to further KING FM’s mission.”

Music Playlists Tip
Vermont Public Radio is experimenting with a way to create playlists cleared for streaming On Demand – i.e. by embedding a Spotify playlist on the station’s website. First, VPR Music set up its own Spotify account. A jazz host (and trusted guide) made a compelling holiday mixtape that got a lot of play last month, noted Music Director Kari Anderson. “We’re thinking of putting up more playlists. It’s still our brand for the curation, and because it’s embedded on VPR’s site, it holds the branding.” (Note: Listeners need a Spotify account to listen on a desktop or to download the Spotify app for a mobile phone. Both are free.) View and listen to VPR’s holiday playlist.

Call for PMDMC 2017 Session Ideas
What are your dreams for Greater Public’s Public Media Development and Marketing Conference? Deborah Lein, Session Content Manager, particularly wants to hear from classical stations to make sure music is well integrated into the agenda. What inspired you this year? Was there a big success at your station we can all learn from? Which challenges keep you awake at night? Who would you like to hear speak or present at this year’s conference, which will take place July 6-8 in San Francisco? Who would you like Deborah to talk to in her planning? January 31 is the deadline for ideas, and the schedule will be published in March. Submit your ideas: [email protected].

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Who Wants a Million Dollars?
“Your million-dollar donor might be closer than you think,” writes Patron Technology’s Kevin Patterson. While the blog was written for performing arts organizations, the cultivation ideas work for classical station fundraising, too. Read more

AUDIO NEWS

Norway Leads Digital Radio Wave
“This is cool: Norway has become the first country to shut down its nationwide FM radio in favor of digital signals,” writes Hot Pod blogger Nick Quah, citing an article in The Guardian. WorldDAB president Patrick Hannon stated, “With the start of the switchover process, Norway is sending a clear signal across the world that the future of radio is digital.” Graham Dixon, head of Radio for the European Broadcasting Union, told Radio World that he “admired the Norwegian energy” driving the DAB switchover, but that EBU members were already running about 80 DAB-only stations across Europe. Read more

Why is YouTube the Biggest Music Service in the World?
“YouTube accounts for one in four music listening hours, according to MusicWatch. But why is it so dominant?” asks Digital Music News publisher Paul Resnikov. “Spotify has 115 million users (give or take 10 million). It works brilliantly on mobile, and pays artists 16.8 times better. It’s about 100 times better than the music experience on YouTube.

 So why is it 100 times smaller than YouTube?” Music Watch asked thousands of fans why YouTube is their preferred music service. Read more…

Nielsen Music’s 2016 U.S. Year End Report
“Music consumption Is at an all-time high” according to Nielsen Music’s Year End report, released January 9. Radio & Internet News notes that on-demand streams were the star of the past year for the industry, and that for music discovery AM/FM radio is the most popular discovery source at 44%. Read more

JOBS: CLASSICAL STATION OPPORTUNITIES

Development Director – KING FM, Seattle
Since 1948 when Dorothy Bullitt founded Seattle’s iconic classical music station, Classical KING FM 98.1 has been a major player in the arts and cultural communities of the Pacific Northwest. KING FM is looking for a Development Director to take KING FM to the next level of engagement in order to fulfill the mission. Learn more/apply

Radio Producer/On-Air Host – WHRO, Norfolk
WHRO-FM is seeking an on-air classical host that will engage existing audiences and attract new ones through a conversational, warm and inviting on-air presentation. Seeking a storyteller who strives more to entertain than to educate. Learn more/apply

Program Host – KUSC, Los Angeles
America’s #1 Classical station is looking for America’s next great classical announcer. Can you connect with a broad audience of music lovers of all kinds? USC Radio Group’s Los Angeles division, KUSC, is seeking a Program Host with a passion for and basic knowledge of classical music, someone that has an engaging personality that can weave topical elements into a show effortlessly beyond classical music. Come to sunny Southern California! Learn more/apply

NEWS, TIPS & E-NEWS SIGN UP

Send your news, tips, job openings, successes, grand failures and big ideas to share through Classical Music Rising. Do you have colleagues to add to this e-news list? Send name, title, station or organization and email address to [email protected].

About Classical Music Rising

Classical Music Rising is a collaborative project managed by the Station Resource Group of leading classical stations to shape the future of classical music radio as the field confronts evolution in delivery across multiple broadcast and digital platforms, demographic and cultural change, and significant disruption throughout the music industry. The initiative centers on strategy, innovative tactics, and collective action – all informed by ongoing research and analysis. Read the full project description.