Having read each posting on this topic, I have a few comments to
make. The proverbial wisdom at National Public Radio is that vocal music
does not sell. However, I once hosted a vocal program at one of the
highest rated public radio stations in the country, and despite this
wisdom and the occasional complaint from the wallpaper listener, it was
the second highest rated program at the station (bested only by a big band
show.) The good news is that there are many more people who enjoy
classical vocal music than the folks at NPR and its affiliates would
like you to believe (Side item: one of the policy makers at NPR used
to be a hardliner on this until he married a woman who had a doctorate
in vocal music...lol) The bad news: if you've ever contributed to public
radio, you were probably asked what programs made you want to be a
contributor. VOCAL PROGRAMS ARE THE LEAST GIVEN REASONS; ergo, vocal
music lovers contribute the least. This is a national problem. Hopefully,
everyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of vocal music contributes
to public radio. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that the recent
Chevron-Texaco merger could affect the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in
the future; it would truly be a cultural loss to this country if they
should choose to discontinue their support of these broadcasts. So be sure
and vote...er...I mean, support your public radio station. Good or bad,
imagine what the musical landscape would be without them.
Mark Montgomery
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