As of yesterday, WGMS-FM, which has played classical music for the Washington, DC, radio market for 35 years, has changed its format to play music from the 1970's and 1980's. With the format, the station is acquiring a new identity as George 104 (WXGG-FM). That's the bad news for classical music fans.
The good news is that classical music will remain on the air. In an unusual partnership between for-profit and non-profit radio stations, Bonneville International, the company that owns WGMS/WXGG, and public radio station WETA reached a deal that allowed classical music to remain on the air, uninterrupted. Yesterday, WETA dropped its news/talk format and returned to the classical music format it dropped in 2005. Bonneville International donated WGMS's library of 18,000 classical music CDs to WETA along with the rights to use the "WGMS" call letters. Both stations will cross promote each other for about six months (in fact the old URLs for WGMS now redirect web browsers to WETA's website).
This transition comes on the heals of an attempt by Dan Snyder to purchase WGMS, which in turn appears to have caused Bonneville International to explore the format change.
[via The Washington Post]
The good news is that classical music will remain on the air. In an unusual partnership between for-profit and non-profit radio stations, Bonneville International, the company that owns WGMS/WXGG, and public radio station WETA reached a deal that allowed classical music to remain on the air, uninterrupted. Yesterday, WETA dropped its news/talk format and returned to the classical music format it dropped in 2005. Bonneville International donated WGMS's library of 18,000 classical music CDs to WETA along with the rights to use the "WGMS" call letters. Both stations will cross promote each other for about six months (in fact the old URLs for WGMS now redirect web browsers to WETA's website).
This transition comes on the heals of an attempt by Dan Snyder to purchase WGMS, which in turn appears to have caused Bonneville International to explore the format change.
[via The Washington Post]
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Date: 2007-01-23 02:48 pm (UTC)Backlash from longtime listeners
Date: 2007-01-23 03:02 pm (UTC)Re: Backlash from longtime listeners
Date: 2007-01-23 03:13 pm (UTC)As for Bonneville dropping classical music because it was "commercially failing," I don't believe that is an accurate characterization. My understanding is that it was the highest rated, most profitable classical music station in the nation. I don't know why Bonneville changed the format, but it wasn't because they were losing money on the classical programming.
In the best of all worlds, WGMS would still be providing classical music, and WETA wouldn't have changed format. But I prefer WETA carrying classical music to having no classical music option at all. As for WETA's fundraising, we'll have to wait to see if classical music fans are willing to contribute to the station's future. If not, then maybe we don't deserve to have a classical music station here.
Re: Backlash from longtime listeners
Date: 2007-01-23 04:12 pm (UTC)Re: Backlash from longtime listeners
Date: 2007-01-23 06:14 pm (UTC)And they sold advertising to AMU!!! It's a smart move on their part to let their listeners know where they can go for the old format.
Re: Backlash from longtime listeners
Date: 2007-01-23 08:37 pm (UTC)But please think about this. WETA FM has the highest output (75,000 Watts) of any station in the area. Until yesterday it carried a wide variety of programming, catering to many interests, albeit voice only. It provided diverse news, comment, and opinion...sometimes controversial...providing a basis for an informed public. It now serves a niche public audience, providing non-controversial safe programming. Is this really in the best interest of the public? Couldn't they have struck a more balanced approach to satisfy a diverse public audience?