My email is humming with messages from Albuquerque about KHFM. I listened online for a couple of hours today, and though two hours in a week are not necessarily representative of a 24/7 station, I did hear some things worth commenting on.
I heard six to seven short pieces per hour, and three or four commercial breaks per hour, with either three or four 60-second spots per break. In every break I heard pre-produced station I.D.’s with music beds, and in every break the host said his name. (Truly, once an hour would be more than enough!) He would announce a piece, and then instead of going into the piece would play an I.D., then a commercial spot, then start the piece. Virtually every piece of music started unannounced directly out of the commercial spots, so I never knew what I was listening to until after the piece was over.
The six to seven short pieces an hour included Medieval, Renaissance, two Baroque, a Mozart concerto, a movement of a Schubert Sonata, a Wagner Overture, an arrangement of a folk song for trombone, and a very schlocky new piece. With all the short pieces, some 14 spots per hour, and two station I.D.’s per break, the total was around 26 events per hour, not counting the talk. Busy, busy, busy.
The whipped cream on the top was a wonderful description of a BAR CAROL by Chopin. Apparently a BAR CAROL is something composers write when they want to imitate the motion of the sea. The announcer said it three times and went on to explain patiently what a BAR CAROL is. I wanted to ask, “in what respect, Charlie?” I’ll never think of a barcarolle the same way again.
The cherry on top of the whipped cream was this comment: “If you like Vivaldi, then you might like Mozart.”
Well, my dear friends in Albuquerque, it’s a privately-owned station, so you have no recourse. All I can say is, either get satellite radio, use your i-pod, or listen online to a better station until they get their act together. You can find better quality than THAT!
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Huzzah Huzzah! Thanks for a great post!! This station just does not get it.
>>RSM
Oh, my! Reminds me of a station that hired a country jock to do classical music. He was talking over music, and a host of other things that made me shudder. At least the Bar Carol gave me a laugh!
I am so glad I found this website. Things are not right. The old KHFM is gone and I feel like I’ve lost a friend. One morning I got up, turned on the radio and didn’t hear Kip Allen’s comforting “Good morning, it’s 6 o’clock”. I have listened to KHFM for 16 years. What was wrong with the old format? I miss Bob Bishop’s afternoon show. KHFM is what started my day. I am thinking seriously of not listening at all. And Marty, I missed you when you left years ago.
I’ve noticed the same thing and agree with your comments about KHFM. In addition to the evisceration of complete works into single movements, the announcers who obviously know next to nothing about the music they present and their increasingly frequent omission of information that might be of interest to the listening audience (such as the performer, the orchestra, the conductor, or even the composer!), the herky-jerky programming, the interruptions you mention, and the constantly repeated and soupy easy-listening blurb about the station, there’s also, with the exception of the occasional warhorse, an almost complete absence of music composed after the 19th Century.
KHFM used to be one of the reasons to be proud of Albuquerque, and we’ve lost something important. Thanks for addressing this, Marty.
I posted a response yesterday, which said basically that we members at WNYC, New York, experienced a similar fate when after 9/11, we lost daytime music on FM.
What many did was go to publicradiofan.com and find outlets which satisfied our needs.
WNYC is back in tghe musi9c business in a big way with wnyc2, our 24/7/365 web stream and HD cast; and our totally revitalized Evening Music.
I hope that this response meets with the moderator’s approval.
Where are Kip, Bob, Dan and other now?