Opera

A Brief Rant: The Metropolitan Opera Quizzes Have To Go

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I’ll start by admitting that I rarely tune in for the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.  When I do, it’s usually because I’m in the car and when I turn the ignition, the radio comes on, and it is almost always tuned to the station that employs me.  So I’ll listen for as long as it takes to get where I’m going.  It’s even rarer that I listen to an entire production from start to finish, and in those cases it’s usually when I’ve had to step in to run the board due to the … Continue Reading

NEA Shows Little Love for Classical Radio

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In what was a surprise to virtually all the major producers of classical radio, the National Endowment for the Arts has taken a hard left turn, and diverted long-standing television and radio funding to gaming, mobile, and web projects. A detailed and scathing article in the New York Times gives examples of organizations that have lost some or all of their funding after years of building partnerships with the NEA.  The MET Opera, PBS, and American Public Media (Performance Today and SymphonyCast) all had their funding decimated.  Some of these organizations regularly received large grants, but … Continue Reading

KUSC Leading the Way Again

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Business Wire reports that KUSC, that intrepid Los Angeles classical station with the gigantic audience, is joining the iHeartRadio digital platform.  You can listen online at iHeartRadio.com, where you can customize your listening and even make your own radio station.  I’m not exactly sure how it works, because when I searched for KUSC it took me to a generic classical station, so I’ll update when more info is available. KUSC is a forward-thinking station that’s not afraid to play a wide playlist, superserves its audience, and has a good mix of national and local programming, including the Met Opera … Continue Reading

Chicago Broadcaster Norm Pellegrini Dies

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Venerable classical broadcaster Norman Pellegrini passed away early this morning in Chicago.  He was 79 years old.

Pellegrini started at Chicago’s legacy station WFMT at its founding in 1951, and served as the station’s Program Director for an amazing 43 years.  He was responsible for the station’s eclectic mix of classical music by day, plus  comedy and folk music on The Midnight Special.  Norm hated the loud advertising and ubiquitous jingles on most commercial classical stations, and he is revered for sticking to his principles and keeping the advertising on WFMT quiet and dignified.

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