The classical station is dead...long live the classical station

[resqgeek]

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]

Comments

[florafloraflora.livejournal.com]

I'm going to miss the Christmas music on WGMS. That was my favorite thing about that station, and I doubt WETA will keep up the tradition.

Backlash from longtime listeners

[(Anonymous)]

Go to the WETA FM Blog and read the backlash from WETA listeners to this extreme programming change. I expect thousands of people like me woke up this morning wondering what had happened to their morning dose of BBC and NPR Morning Edition while Bach tried to smooth their tempers. Overwhelmingly, listeners are against this change and are vocal about it. Many complain this change was taken without listener input or comment. Many are switching to WAMU and refusing further contributions to WETA. All in all, this seems to have been sprung upon an unsuspecting listening audience with the real winner being Bonneville International Corporation (Church of Later Day Saints). They, in effect, gave a commercially failing station to the public to foot the bill and get great publicity. One wonders just how much influence they will now have over WETA and how much less influence we the listening public will have.

Re: Backlash from longtime listeners

[resqgeek]

I'm sorry you are unhappy about the format change. However, the Washington area has no shortage of talk/news format stations for listeners to choose from. I'm not happy about Bonneville Incorporated's decision to drop classical programming, but I can't say I'm unhappy that WETA made the decision to resume classical music programming. At least we will still have one station carrying classical music in this market.

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

[(Anonymous)]

All the folks I talked to (very few of whom are classical music junkies)were FURIOUS when WETA junked its classical music and put on yet another all-talk format. The talk format mirrored WAMU and provided nothing new. I'm just hopeful that WETA will be able to migrate WGMS's hosts to their station.

Re: Backlash from longtime listeners

[(Anonymous)]

Absolutely! A lot of people stopped donating to ETA after they dropped classical for mirrored programming. (Especially people like my friend who hated the GMS pop classical format, e.g., mostly known movements of pieces as opposed to the "experience" of the whole thing.) Look, their ratings dropped, their donations fell (that's BEFORE adjusting for inflation, which makes it worse), and their demographics actually narrowed. That's what happens when you repeat the programing of another well-established station AMU. When you look at it, ETA used to compete very well with GMS for ratings in the 90s... but ETA was out of the race by 2005 when they made the switch (look at the personnel changes at ETA for why!) and lost ground with the switch. Now they will be the only classical station in the area (that other poster must live way northeast of the city to think there's another). They have a monopoly on this niche.

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

[(Anonymous)]

I wrote the "Backlash from longtime listeners opening" and I've read all your comments. I love classical music and also would like to see it remain in this area.

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?