WDAV resumes fund drive; KXTR launches ballet show

November 10, 2008 | Mike Janssen | Comments 0

Good morning all. Some odds and ends for you, culled from the latest classical radio news:

WDAV-FM in Davidson, N.C., will resume its on-air fund drive Thursday, according to DavidsonNews.net. The station cut short its drive Oct. 7 amid the financial meltdown, having raised about half of its $200,000 goal. Suspending an on-air campaign is an extremely risky move for any public broadcaster,” said Ben Roe, WDAV’s general manager. “But we felt it was the right thing to do for a community that needed us to do what we do best: provide top-quality, around-the-clock classical music. Now, with the election behind us and a more stabilized economic environment in the region, we’re ready to pick up where we left off and raise the funds that are essential for us.”

KXTR-AM in Kansas City, Mo., has launched a show of ballet music, hosted by the music director of the Kansas City Ballet. “The purpose is to attract music lovers to the ballet,” says host Ramona Pansegrau.

WOUB in Columbus, Ohio, has named and dedicated its radio studios in honor of Jan Sole, a classical host who died last year.

And relevant to our recent discussions about diversity, the Public Radio Program Directors blog shares tips about attracting younger listeners, as given by Luke Burbank. Formerly of NPR, Burbank now hosts a talk show on a commercial station in Seattle. One suggestion: “You have to hire young people to host and produce programming. And pick the ones that do not sound like you. It’s better if they sound weird and different than you.”

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