Well I have had to jump in...and I'll try and be brief.

I was turned on to "classical" music by FM...but it took some fine hardware
too.

I wont go into stereophile stuff, but the day (4 years ago) I got a
wonderful set (I had a fine stereo before!) was the day I 'converted'
to classical music.  (the sound quality of the station is important...I
enjoyed for the first time the 'sensual' quality of the music now I find
lacking in much 'amplified' pop music.  since then I have been to literally
hundreds of recitals, concerts, operas and ballets (I live in San
Francisco, so it is relatively easy to facilitate)

'classical' music is fragile stuff, doesnt translate on clock radios, or
really work in sound-bytes.  or many other mass-medium levels, doesn't
sound right amplified really.  in fact I hope we all agree that the live
experience is where it is at, where it was born, and where we should be
defending it's merit.

therefore FM IS an unlikely forum for it's introduction or propogation, but
it can help, yes, the programming can be insulting, but I think (though I
can talk myself out of it if the station is THAT bad) it is better than
only pop stations in a location.

Does the internet provide hope? too big of topic...future hard to grasp,
yet I am a firm believer in the importance of rich, true,and quality sound
(to a reasonable degree) to convey and preserve the sensual quality of
'classical' music.  In my humble opinion (i am not an internet music guy),
I feel that the supply of music and music playback hardware is, for most
pocketbooks, going towards cold and sterile, not warm and live sounding.

one more thing,

once I became keen on 'classical' music and especially a piece, I recognize
the value of some PERFORMANCES even with vintage sound quality, like
Flagstad's Isolde to take an extreme example.  So sound quality is not
everything by any means, I just contend it helps the uninitiated to enjoy
it and maybe get into it and it certainly helps the music-lover enjoy it
even more!!

David Robertson