In
what some observers are calling a “bonehead move," Brigham Young University
(BYU) near Salt Lake City will be dropping it’s Classical music format and
will switch to what appears to be a 24/7 infomercial for the Mormon Church. The
change is scheduled to happen as of June 30, 2018.
The
FM move is part of a larger reorganization of BYU’s broadcast properties.
KBYU-TV, for many years a public TV station, will drop all PBS programming on
the same date.
The
TV changes make some sense. KBYU-TV has unsuccessfully tried to compete for PBS
viewers with KUED-TV. But KBYU-FM – Classical
89 – has no direct competitor and has been airing Classical music for
almost four decades.
The
chart on the left shows baseline stats for the four major Salt Lake City
noncommercial stations. According to Nielsen Audio, Classical 89 had an estimated 122,300 weekly listeners in the
August 2017 PPM ratings.
Soon this huge audience will be up for grabs.
Lauren Colucci |
Some
observers are speculating that this might be an opportunity for KCPW to become
the Classical voice for the market. KCPW’s signal is not as large as KBYU’s,
but it does cover the city and first-ring suburbs very well.
In
September we published an in-depth feature story about KCPW and it’s dynamic
manager Lauren Colucci [link]. In a telephone interview, Colucci said it is too
early to tell what KCPW might do:
When I heard the news I was
as surprised as everyone else. Nobody saw this coming. We are happy with what
we are doing now but obviously a lot of listeners will be disenfranchised.
BYU's SPIN: “This is
not the Baltimore Colts leaving town in the middle of the night.”
The
quote above is by Michael Dunn, the managing director of BYU Broadcasting. Dunn
tried to put a happy-face on the FM change in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune [link]. Dunn told the
Tribune that the remove Classical music is part of BYU’s strategic plan. After
the change, KBYU-FM will simulcast programming that is now available on Sirius
XM and online channels. Dunn said:
“It’s tough, because it
involves some broadcast properties that are much-loved. It’s going to cause
some consternation. And I’m sensitive to that. But in this digital era, there
are so many resources for classical music that it just really doesn’t make
sense to maintain the status quo at KBYU-FM.”
“One of the few pressures
we don’t have is monetization pressure. Our clarion call is to do better work.”
Folks
posting comments on the Tribune’s
website saw different motives:
Comment One: Headline reality: Theocracy 'bean counters' pull plug on PBS and
classical music, so that BYU TV/Radio may be dedicated to pay, pray, and obey
core mission of the profits.
Comment Two: There is the real issue right there. Now they can do whatever
they damn well please to do. It could be…intermittent blasts from the past,
such as the wisdom of Ezra Taft Benson on race relations. Or…whatever it is
that Glenn Beck does or says that particular day. I will miss, however, the
classical collection and the informed musical guides on KBYU.
WHAT THE NEW KBYU-FM 89.1
WILL SOUND LIKE
The
plan is to broadcast programming now heard on BYU’s SiriusXM channel 143
[link]. Here are some examples of what
Salt Lake City listeners hear (and I am NOT making these up):
• The Matt
Townsend Show
Listen
to this daily 9am to Noon call-in talk program featuring a host that specializes
in energizing and involving audiences to maintain successful relationships.
Townsend blends humor and story telling with interactive, real-life solutions
that motivate and inspire his listeners.
• Eyres on
the Road
Hosts
Richard and Linda Eyre are world-traveling family coaches. Their common-sense
approach to parenting brings hope and encouragement to parents everywhere.
• Highway
89
Listen
to broadcasts from the new state-of-the-art BYU Broadcasting complex’s BYUradio
Performance Studio. Talented musicians and performers from across the campus
and around the globe, play live mini-concerts for the BYU Radio audience and
are interviewed by our hosts between the music.
• Thinking
Aloud
Host
Marcus Smith brings you thoughtful, educated voices from the Brigham Young University
community. Join Hear exclusive interviews with scholars, students, and campus
guests on a broad range of topics.
I think KBYU-FM wants to give someone else a chance to pick up the format. While it may be dumbfounded at first, if they can get another station to pick up Classical; then the format in the Salt Lake City market will be better off. If your not a Mormon/LDS faithfull but love Classical Music, your really don't like the LDS programming that has been on KBYU-FM for years.
ReplyDeleteThe format is not changing overnight, and BYU has given themselves and the audience fair warning, so their is plenty of time for positive outcome for all.