Klarinet Archive - Posting 000878.txt from 1997/11

From: Michael Norsworthy <mnorsworthy@-----.net>
Subj: RE: A sad day in Detroit
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 09:14:51 -0500

Mark,

I, too, listened in horror when this happened. From one person's standpoint,
when one looks in things like the Metro Times, the Chicago Reader, The Village
Voice, etc. it's been the most depressing here in Detroit. Each time I pick
one of these papers up, I see absolutely nothing that has to do with classical
music. In the other two papers I mentioned, they're flooded (perhaps that too
strong a word) with listings of concerts, record reviews, etc. that have to do
with classical music.

I've lived in Detroit for 1.5 years now and besides the Detroit Symphony,
there's not much to go and see. In order to see something even remotely
intelligent besides the symphony I have to travel to Ann Arbor or Chicago.
I've been most unhappy in Detroit because of the lack of the arts and it seems
that it's only going to get worse with the introduction of 2 professional
sports stadiums right smack in the middle of downtown. (not to mention
traffic!!!!!)

I don't know what we can do with the exception of continuing the support that
we give each year in the form of donations, word of mouth publicity, and our
listening support. I'm very thankful for the public radion stations and the
college classical music stations as they continue to carry the torch as did
once great music stations such as 95.7 WFLN in Philadelphia.

Thanks Mark for your terrific letter, I sincerely share your concern and
distress.

Best regards,
Michael Norsworthy
mnorsworthy@-----.net

On Friday, November 21, 1997 5:12 PM, Mark Charette [SMTP:charette@-----.com]
wrote:
> I am listening at this moment to the final few minutes of WQRS as
> a classical station. Detroit, one of the 10 largest radio
> audiences in the U.S., is now without a classical radio station.
> The reason was lack of a long-term advertisers. The station was
> making money, just not enough. It is now (2 minutes after I started
> this letter) yet another rock station.
>
> If you are at all in a position to influence advertisers, please do
> so or your local classical station may be next.
>
> My hat's off to Dave Wagner, Charles Greenwell, and all the other
> staff at what was WQRS in Detroit. My house is strangely silent
> now, my teachers taken off the air, tears welling in my eyes.
>
> I'm lucky enough to be close to the Canadian border, where I'll be
> able to hear classical music broadcast from Windsor, Ontario. Thank
> you, my Canadian friends. May your radio stations be my new tutor,
> your announcers my close friends, even though I may never meet them.
> --
> Mark Charette | "This is a very democratic organization, so let's
> charette@-----. All those who disagree with me, raise
> Mika Systems, Inc.| their hands." - Eugene Ormandy
> Webmaster of http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet, The Clarinet Pages
>