Klarinet Archive - Posting 000607.txt from 2001/03

From: George Kidder <gkidder@-----.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] Pulling the plug on classical music.
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 08:25:26 -0500

And now for the good news. As of yesterday, MPBN has changed their schedule
again, restoring the Met, adding a "Opera in Maine" program once a week,
restoring "Pipe Dreams" and some other classical music shows, instituting a
mixed classical, country and jazz program, removing some of the more
objectionable talk programs (but not all of them!) and otherwise showing that
they are not immune to pressure. I have not been able to sample most of the
changes, but that is what the newspaper reports under the headline "The Fat
Lady Sings!" More important, they act as if they realize that it is
counterproductive to make such changes in an arbitrary way, without input from
their Citizens Advisory Board or anyone else outside of their own staff. And
now that the listeners are stirred up, we know how we have to react in the
future when they try this sort of thing - as I'm sure they will.

At 03:35 PM 03/20/2001 -0500, I wrote:
>A similar problem has attacked classical music on the Maine Public
>Broadcasting Network. They changed the schedule (just AFTER a pledge
>drive) so that for a solid 7 hours during the day, there are nothing but
>blab shows. As a final insult, they canned the Met opera on Saturday
>afternoons - not that I personally was ever a fan of it, but for those who
>were, it was the only way to get it in most of the state. And indeed,
>there has been a stink, and it is not at all sure at this point who will
>win. Some have demanded their pledges back - with success. Others of us
>intend to pledge $1 each time, in protest, until some satisfactory
>resolution is achieved. (Some of the more militant say they will pledge $1
>by credit card, leaving the system with a net 20 cents.) Having attended
>the public protest meetings with the managers, it is clear that they are
>not interested in education, but only in fund raising. If they won't
>listen to reason, they may have to be forced. I hope we can do it.
>
>
>
> At 12:01 3/20/01 -0700, you wrote:
>>After forty years of broadcasting GREAT classical music from KUER,
>>University of Utah, Gene Pack, host of four hours of classical music
>>programming has been told to hit the road.
>>
>>Jazz is still on in the evenings, but if one form of music for the
>>enlightened is eliminated, that other form of music that appeals to a
>>similarly enlightened listening audience can't be long for this world.
>>The bean counters are winning.
>>
>>I'm sad. I'm outraged. KUER was my link with music culture. I have let
>>them know. I don't think this decision will go by without a huge stink
>>and a lot of screaming by those who love good music.
>>
>>
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
>>Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
>>Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
>>Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org
>>
>George Kidder
>Bar Harbor, ME
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
>Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
>Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
>Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org
>
-----------------------
George Kidder
MDIBL
gkidder@-----.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org