In Acquiring WCRB, WGBH May Shake Up Boston Public Radio

WCRB was getting really bad–mostly talk, with token “classical” music. This acquisition by GBH has been a great improvement.

I regret that the new frequency has left some listeners in the dark, so to speak, but something that is seldom mentioned is radio access via the Internet. Not only is GBH/WCRB available via the Net, so so are dozens of other classical format radio station all over the world. You can listen on your PC/Mac, your cellphone/iPhone/iPod Touch (with WiFi) or get an Internet radio.

We actaully have an Internet radio connected to a low-powered FM transmitter in our house. We can receive any number of excellent classical stations (WFMT Chicago, BBC Radio 3 London, Radio Classique Paris, KING Seattle, etc.) on any radio or stereo in the house (so can our neighbors!)

The iPhone alone has several Apps for streaming internet radio, that work on both WiFi and (slightly with slightly lower audio fidelity) on AT&T 3G network.

So, there are lots of ways to get WCRB or many other classical stations. Check them out!

Michael in Maine

So…I get laid off from ‘GBH and they go spend 14 million dollars for a radio station. The staff are taking furloughs (some have taken 2) and salary freeze is everywhere. But…enjoy the low frequency classical!

I’m a WGBH fan. I especially like WGBH HD2 all classical. This is what a classical station should be. The aquisition of WCRB can only be an improvement. They have decended into an easy listening station, with annoying announcers. They have a very shallow selection of music. Just listen to WGBH between 9:00 am-4:00pm. Better still listen to all-classical WGBH HD2, it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard on the radio. Also I don’t want to neglect the serious intellegent programming on WHRB Harvard Radio. I think that this is a positive move. Also people who want news won’t abandon WBUR.

>(Besides, in a boneheaded move a few years back, Washington’s WETA dropped 24/7 classical to go 24/7 NPR news/info, even though WAMU there had pretty much the same programming. The move backfired and WETA went back to all-classical)

Greetings from Northern VA. WETA’s moves were particularly bone-headed. But in their return from the “all-talk-and-blather” format that matched WAMU, WETA is now doing the pop-classics thing, including playing movements rather than full works during peak hours. What made this -former member- of WETA so angry was all these moves were made without any attempt to find out what the so-called membership really wanted; it was all an attempt to play ratings games.

Now I’m a contributor (I refuse to use the term ‘member’ for public broadcasting any more, having been burned on this) to WAMU for NPR news (my wife likes the daily talk shows, which I consider to be the blather part of the format), and WBJC in Baltimore, which plays all classical (we’re at the edge of their range.) At home, I’ve ripped my entire CD collection into iTunes and hooked a little FM transmitter to the computer, broadcasting “Radio Free Davebert” throughout the house. (Right now, RFD is playing Rodrigo’s “Hymns of the Nephytes of Qumram”, something you don’t often hear on the radio…)

When I lived in MA/Southern NH, my favorite station was the old WBOQ… And I depend on WAMU’s broadcast of “Car Talk” on Saturday Mornings to retain my New England linguistic fluency :-)

What WGBH should do with 89.7 is drop the NPR news/information programs also heard on WBUR as well as rthe daytime classical-music programming, move “The World” to 7-8 P.M. (repeating it the next morning from 4-5 A.M.), and go jazz from 5 A.M. to 7 P.M. and again from 8 P.M. to 4 A.M.

I think Boston can support a jazz station, and as ‘GBH already does jazz at night, it already has a head start.

(Besides, in a boneheaded move a few years back, Washington’s WETA dropped 24/7 classical to go 24/7 NPR news/info, even though WAMU there had pretty much the same programming. The move backfired and WETA went back to all-classical)

The above comment about WCRB’s signal is true even just west of Boston in Watertown! (Don’t they broadcast from Waltham?) I love the station, but the signal has been poor for the last few years, and they haven’t even had internet streaming for a long time.
Though I appreciate WBUR, there’s too much daily repetition (3 hours?), and it would be great if they, or now WGBH, picked up some other news shows, like Democracy Now, for starters….

Doesn’t WGBH realize that WCRB’s signal south of Boston is terrible? If WGBH gives up classical music, there will be no over the air classical at my home. Even driving in Boston the 99.5 signal often suffers from interference from other stations. Bad move ‘GBH!
WBUR already does a great job with news and information in the Boston area.