Bernard Chasan said: >The public broadcasting establishment has clearly made a conscious >decision that classical music is marginal to mainstream listener's >tastes. The "common wisdom" I've always heard is that the people who listen to the news/talk stuff contribute more to the fund drives. I expect there's some truth to this. The majority of Connecticut Public Radio's airtime is classical music, but the only time I know they're having a fundraiser is if I listen to All Things Considered or something. It's like they barely even try to put the touch on music lovers. >And then there is us. Outreach is way beneath our dignity. We would >much rather argue the merits of the latest recording of Blatavsky's >Concerto for kazoo and horse than figure out how to get more people >interested about this wonderful stuff we all love. Not that its easy. Like the punk-rockers of 25 years ago (I was one) who spent more time sneering at the metalheads than enjoying our own raucousness. I have no answers to this ongoing problem -- not even glib, mediocre ones -- but I have made a private vow not to bust on anybody else and their choice of music, rather than present myself as an arrogant classical know-it-all. Or if I've got to bust on them, I've vowed at least not to be snarky about it. It's a start. Eddie