As WQXR prepares to move from 96.3FM to 105.9FM this Thursday, October 8, at 8:00pm, its new parent company, WNYC, has announced some of the changes that will occur.

One benefit will be a reduction in commercials. The NYT article says “underwriting announcements” will only take up about 4 minutes per hour, compared to almost 12 minutes per hour of commercials currently.

In addition, many of WQXR’s broadcasts will remain. The station will continue to broadcast from the Met, the New York Phil, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The article does not mention the fate of Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin.

Read on for changes to expect.

What will change however, is the list of works deemed radio worthy. The move will include the creation of a new internet radio stream called Q2, which will program new and modern works too edgy for radio listeners. The surprise however, is that works like Beethoven’s late piano sonatas and string quartets will be relegated to Q2, along with Mahler’s entire portfolio.

WQXR will also be cutting large choral works and all religious programming—the latter is banned by National Public Radio.

The station’s white list, which includes Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Wagner, will serve as a guide for programming. Other composers included are Copland, Janacek, Gershwin, Satie, Sibelius and Vivaldi. While this is certainly not a comprehensive list, absences such as Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff create unsettling uncertainties.

Finally, listeners seeking a familiar voice can expect to hear those of Jeff Spurgeon, Midge Woolsey and Elliott Forrest, who will be rejoining WQXR as hosts. Source: NY Times Arts

Posted on October 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm | Filed under Articles of Interest, General |