WGBH buying WCRB (Updated)

This one is going to reverberate in the airwaves around here for some time. Recession-hit public broadcaster WGBH is buying all-classical station WCRB-FM 99.5 from Nassau  Broadcasting Partners of New Jersey. "The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed pending filing with the FCC," says the WGBH announcement. This plays as good news for the classical community: "The acquisition of WCRB will allow WGBH to sustain the vibrant classical music tradition of the Boston area," WGBH President and CEO Jonathan Abbott says in the announcement. And it's certainly preferable to seeing the station sold to previous commercial suitors who would have changed the format completely.

Still, the deal may mean less classical music on the air. Although WGBH-FM 89.7 is deep into the NPR talk thing and jazz with "Eric in the Evening," it also has considerable classical programming during weekdays, and it's hard to image they will counterprogram themselves when WCRB becomes the operation's classical outlet. The key sentence of interest in the WGBH release: "Over the coming months WGBH will fine-tune the formats of both WGBH 89.7 and WCRB 99.5 to create lineups that are complementary."

When I asked via email what that means for WGBH classical shows, spokeswoman Lucy Sholley responded: "We anticipate a greater focus on news and information to take advantage of the considerable resources we have in this area, but nothing specific has been decided yet."

Another key sentence in the release from WGBH: "WGBH will finance the purchase with a special capital campaign, Keep Classical Alive, inviting both major donors and grassroots supporters to participate and become founding members of its all-classical service." Still, it will be interesting to see in-house reaction to this major acquisition, given recession-related budget and staff cuts at WGBH, as outlined in this Globe article from Sept. 1.

WGBH is already moving to make sure no one is too alarmed about the classical outlook, starting a web page and lining up supporters to quote in the press release: "'This is a truly exciting development. Classical music is part of our common world heritage, and as such it is in the public interest for an institution like WGBH to make sure our voices are sustained and celebrated,' said cellist Yo-Yo Ma."

WCRB is a 27,000-watt station with a state-of-the-art performance studio and a rich performance library. Currently run as a commercial station, WCRB will switch to non-commercial operation after the deal closes.

Complete release after the jump.

Public media leader WGBH to acquire WCRB Radio
Will preserve and strengthen classical music service for region

Boston, MA – Public service broadcaster WGBH today announced plans to acquire New England’s leading all-classical music station WCRB 99.5fm from Nassau  Broadcasting Partners of New Jersey. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed pending filing with the FCC.
WCRB is a 27,000-watt station, deeply rooted in the Boston region, serving audiences for more than 60 years with a broad reach in New England, drawing some 340,000 loyal listeners each week. WGBH is uniquely poised to operate WCRB, with its extensive classical music programming experience, its state-of-the-art Fraser Performance Studio, and its strong alliance with Boston’s premier classical performing organizations, artists and audiences. With WCRB added to WGBH’s radio services -- 89.7FM in Boston, and WCAI and WNCK on the Cape and Islands -- WGBH will serve listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire, adding renewed vigor to the cultural economy of the region.
“An opportunity like this comes along once in a lifetime. The acquisition of WCRB by WGBH signals a new era for the Boston broadcast landscape, and for our city’s renowned classical music tradition,” said WGBH Board Chair Amos Hostetter. “WGBH’s depth of experience, demonstrated leadership in radio, and commitment to excellence will bring a new level of service to this market.”
“From its very first broadcast, WGBH radio has provided audiences with the best in classical music and performance. Today we are excited to reinvest in this tradition for a new generation of listeners,” said WGBH President and CEO Jonathan Abbott. “The acquisition of WCRB will allow WGBH to sustain the vibrant classical music tradition of the Boston area.”
WGBH will finance the purchase with a special capital campaign, Keep Classical Alive, inviting both major donors and grassroots supporters to participate and become founding members of its all-classical service. Although WCRB is licensed as a commercial frequency, WGBH plans to operate the station as a non-commercial service in keeping with its mission to provide public media service for audiences in the greater Boston area. Over the coming months WGBH will fine-tune the formats of both WGBH 89.7 and WCRB 99.5 to create lineups that are complementary.
“Preserving WCRB’s heritage as one of the country’s premiere classical radio stations was an important objective for Nassau. We are extremely pleased that WGBH will be continuing this heritage and are confident in their future stewardship of such an important Boston tradition,” said Lou Mercatanti, Chairman and President of Nassau. “This is a win for everyone – most especially our loyal listeners.”
Since the 1950s WGBH has taken advantage of Boston’s vital classical music tradition. From its debut broadcast from Symphony Hall in 1951, classical music and performance have been a hallmark of WGBH’s service, featuring the region’s world-class orchestras, artists and conservatories. It has partnered with music organizations both large and small, from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Handel & Haydn Society, to the New England String Ensemble and the Boston Children’s Chorus. It has nurtured young musicians with school enrichment programs, and helped launch emerging artists.
“This is a truly exciting development. Classical music is part of our common world heritage, and as such it is in the public interest for an institution like WGBH to make sure our voices are sustained and celebrated,” said cellist Yo-Yo Ma. “As both a performer and a listener I applaud WGBH for making this significant investment in our community to ensure that the classical music genre will remain alive and well on Boston radio.”
“This is great news for music and arts education,” said Linda Nathan, co-headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy. “Keeping classical music vibrant is an extremely important resource to enhance learning. WGBH’s new service will further enrich the educational experience for students of all ages.”
“For more than 50 years WGBH and the Boston Symphony Orchestra have partnered to further the cause of classical music in Boston and beyond,” said BSO managing director Mark Volpe. “With facilities that provide unmatched technical excellence for recording and broadcasting live performance, WGBH is uniquely positioned to bring heightened awareness of the beauty and power of classical music. All of us at the BSO are excited by the possibilities resulting from WGBH’s acquisition of WCRB.”
In addition to live radio broadcasts, WGBH has been a pioneer in moving classical music onto new platforms, with live streaming, an all-classical HD channel, podcasts and mobile applications. The acquisition of WCRB will greatly enhance these efforts to serve new audiences on a broad array of distribution platforms in New England and beyond.
WGBH was represented in the transaction by Public Radio Capital.

Comments

[Jane Thankful Smith]

Mr. Jonathan Abbot, CEO
WCRB
One Guest Street
Boston, Ma 02143

Dear Mr. Abbott:

The Reverend John B. Streit, Dean of the Cathedral of St. Paul, Tremont St., Boston, Massachusetts, has told us, his radio congretation, that this may be the next to last broadcast of the morning worship service at St. Paul's. I am writing to you to ask that you reconsider this decision. This has been a fixture in the lives of many of us in the radio audience for decades, and means a great deal to our spiritual lives. Its loss would, indeed, be great.

Please be assured that the program is not only for Episcopalians who cannot come to the Cathedral, but for thousands of Christians who receive spiritual sustenance from this beloved program. Again, please reconsider your decision to end broadcasting this valued program, and know that countless of your listeners would be most grateful if you would do so.

Most sincerely,
Jane Thankful Smith

[Barry Pease]

Mr. Jonathan Abbott
WCRB
One Guest Street
Boston, Mass.02176

Dear Mr. Abbott,

For many years I've been listening to radio broadcasts from the Cathedral of St. Paul, Tremont Street, Boston Massachusetts. I've heard the program for well over ten years as I delivered newspapers from my car. This was my religious service for the week. Many of the ministers including the present minister John B. Streit Jr., Dean of the Cathedral, have given me religious, ethical and moral imperatives in my life and in return I can only thank you and them for airing this program. In short I think it would be tragic to lose such an important voice, musically and spiritually for many of your listeners. It is not necessarily the Episcopal message that enthralls me to the program but the reaching out to an audience that for what ever reason cannot attend church. I hope you reconsider the idea of canceling the program. I feel the program can benefit peoples of all faiths.

With love and peace,
Barry Douglas Pease

[Mike Mikuski]

I had high hopes for the repetition of selections to subside under the new ownership. Today I heard Till Eulenspiegel in the afternoon and again this evening.

[Richard Mitnick]

I just found you, I hope that I am not too late. I like the line "...vibrant classical music tradition of the Boston area,..."

Do you know that seven of the ten regular on-air hosts for WCRB/WGBH are actually Minnesota Public Radio people?

This probably means "Classical 24", pure pabulum, described by one noted Classical music critic as "musical wallpaper" designed not to intrude.

You can visit http://classial24.publicradio.org . You can see a list of on-air hosts and compare them to the hosts listed in the yellow section of the WCRB/WGBH weekly schedule for music.

MPR is being described around Boston as "a Minneapolis syndicate". Sort of sounds like "The Mob".

Boston is one of the great cultural meccas of the world. Boston listeners deserve better.

If you get bored, visit http://www.wqxr.org. We have two 128kbit web streams, the traditional Classical music programming of the 105.9 FM station where we actually have live hosts, and Q2, the 24/7 eclectic serious music stream, which is not hosted.

Please visit my weblog, "Whither Public Radio and serious music" at http://richardmitnick.wordpress.com