Re: [ARSCLIST] Classical Radio, was [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes

[David Lennick <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

steven c wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Lennick" <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Actually, my original point was that this CD shouldn't have been
> broadcast, and neither should they have aired a totally insignificant
> performance of the Nutcracker Suite (Vanguard, couldn't even tell you the
> orchestra) that had the same problems. Management, engineering and announce
> staff should be made aware that certain CDs of older analog recordings are
> going to sound ghastly on the air and should make it a point to listen to
> their station as it's actually coming out of radio speakers, and the
> audience should open up a mouth as well.
> >
> Well, this makes two dangerous and probably incorrect statements!

Not at all..read on.

>
>
> First, it is highly unlikely that anybody at a 21st-century "classical
> music" station knows much more about the music and its history than
> how the composers' names are supposed to be pronounced (and in some
> cases they lack THAT knowledge!)

Except that this station isn't CFMX (which is run by idiots, programmed by
idiots, owned by a super idiot and his wife, staffed by idiots, and listened to
by..okay, Steve, you're free to go), it's a public station in Rochester NY
whose announcers have been around for a while and who generally know their
stuff. But they obviously don't listen on actual radios. Face it, nothing out
there is actually ever used by the people who design it or make it (public
washrooms,

> Second, the same applies to about 99% of the listening audience...
> who probably have about the same knowledge and understanding of
> the music that I do (and I listen to CFMX mainly because it's the
> least annoying of the available radio stations!).

Except that the audience supports the station through donations. No
commercials, except for corporate support mentions.

> So, neither group would recognize the appropriate sound of GOOD
> recordings played and broadcast properly...if it walked up behind
> them and bit them on the fundament!

Fred's Fender Fixemuppers* probably wouldn't (assuming they're one of the
corporate sponsors), but let's give the audience some credit..on the other
hand, what am I doing sitting here writing about this problem instead of
finding their website and sending an e-mail to Julia Figueras (mid morning
announcer and music director) and saying "Hey, whassa score?" When I did RSVP,
from CBC Edmonton, we listened to the program (when possible) on actual radios
to make sure we were putting out something listenable. We even used clean mono
LPs (and this was as late as 1985, since the show was only on the mono network)
because they tended to be better mixed....I once deliberately played a
CBC-produced lp that sounded thin and slushy in mono, to see if the brass in
Toronto would notice how lousy it was. Never heard a word. I guess that answers
my question.

> In my own case, too many years of standing in front of other players'
> Fender Twins turned up to 10...and two significant head injuries...have
> left me slightly less deaf than the proverbial post!
>
> Steven C. Barr

* Car fenders, not musical fenders.

dl