Mike Cole mentions how a station taking largely from contemporary music
would whither away and rot.  In response...

I would rather see publically funded stations survive, but better
represent the history of classical music.  I am often not sure what to
think of the average person who generally listens to pop music
but discovers some pop-classical piece on the radio and gets a worthwhile
experience out of it.  They may go on to like many of the pop-classical
pieces played on the station.  I have some friends like this.  Some listen
to Chopin to help them fall asleep, or Vivaldi while they are folding
clothes.

Anyway, I think that coming to terms with more modern music demands
exposure to it...plain and simple.  From my experience, people that have
been conditioned to liking a certain type of music often have a difficult
time adapting their ears and hearts to foreign things.  The general public
has to truly be spoon fed modern classical music.  I would not suggest a
radio station that drew heavily from contemporary music.  I might like it,
but YES it would fail.  But I think it is the duty of these stations to
better represent this music.

I believe I mentioned the 20th century playlist for our station:

Holst-Jupiter (Saturn would certainly be inappropriate)
Barber-Adagio (really late romantic)
Copland-Hoedown (this message paid for by BEEF)

I mean would it really kill the station to play a movement of Bartok's
concerto for orchestra? Or how about John Adams? That is music of our
time!  And I consider this rather "accessible" too.  Eventually you could
squeeze in Hindemith, Schoenberg, Sessions, Ives, Part, Glass, Cage, Berg,
Corigliano, whatever!  A little at a time...and don't start with "Threnody
to the Battle Victims of Hiroshima" by Pendercki, certainly not to suggest
that is not a fine piece.

And please, don't get me wrong--I love common practice period stuff too.
But even in classical and romantic music there are lesser known (well,
lesser known to the general public, but probably well known on this list)
masterpieces that could be explored.

I think if a station doesn't at least make an effort for these goals
then perhaps they should whither away.  I imagine that your situation
in California is better than mine.

Kyle Major
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