It's obvious to me that different NPR stations have different policies
toward classical music, although it seems clear that the trend is moving
away from classical toward yuppie talkety-talk.  In this backwater,
off-the-beaten-track town where I live (New Orleans), where cultural and
other literacy (even among the college-degreed) rises little higher than
the curb, we seem to be doing better than the major markets.  My home
town of Cleveland, Ohio, notorious among the sophisticated of both coasts
as a nest of rubes, boasts at least two classical-music NPR stations AND
a commercial classical station, the latter many decades old.

I think part of the problem is that cultural literacy was a sign of
status, rather than a good in itself, particularly among yuppies.  When
the guy you're trying to impress is classically clueless, why should you
burden your mind with clutter?  I've got nothing against Car Talk per
se, but I do wonder why a publically-funded station carries it.  NPR
news is probably the best this country broadcasts, but does anybody need
more than four hours of it a day?  This American Life, Terry Gross, and
the other chat are fine programs - Gross is one of the best interviewers
around - but they don't contribute anything basic to the culture, as
classical music, roots, and jazz do.  Instead, Gross and Glass are
primarily hot-house efflorescences of the news culture.  They are superior
to, but not fundamentally different than other outlets.  Resources are
too scarce to cater to a one-sided indulgence.

Steve Schwartz