Classical radio needlessly silenced in city
With Houston Public Media’s recent announcement that it will sell the frequency and transmitter for KUHA (91.7 FM) and relegate the station’s classical music format to online streaming and one of its HD Radio subchannels on KUHF (88.7 FM), classical radio in Houston will effectively be silenced.
Most of the public dialogue about this announcement has centered on the stillsmoldering controversy about the way in which the frequency and transmitter were acquired from Rice University, where they had been previously operated for 40 years as the student-run KTRU. However, that is just one aspect of the unfortunate evolution of noncommercial radio in Houston.
In purchasing KTRU’s frequency and transmitter, with their limited reach and coverage, the outfit then known as Houston Public Radio created some inherent obstacles for classical radio in Houston. But they weren’t barriers that were insurmountable.
The perfect storm of circumstances that led to this development began when the University of Houston merged its radio and television operations into what is now known as Houston Public Media and placed at its helm a leader whose experience came from commercial television and not from public broadcasting.
As it previously existed, Houston Public Radio was, by all accounts, prepared to shoulder the burden of its new acquisition and steward the fledgling classical station into a healthy existence. However, when Houston PBS (Channel 8) entered the picture, things changed. Suddenly, the newly formed conglomerate acquired the debt burden of both a new radio station and that of a television station whose business practices had long been marked by overspending.
Another conclusion being drawn about this topic relates to the viability of classical music as a radio format or about the future of FM radio as a whole.
Contrary to popular narratives, both classical music and FM radio are far from being dead. Recent audience statistics from Nielsen show that 244.4 million Americans listen to radio each week. That’s 92 percent of the total U.S. population over the age of 12 and, surprisingly, that number is growing. Radio continues to expand its reach.
In a survey of radio stations around the country, consulting firm Jacobs Media shows that of those who listen to radio, more than 90 percent of them do so via FM radio while a paltry 15 percent listen to HD. FM radio continues to dominate in terms of media usage.
In fact, a new study from Station Resource Group, a national alliance of public media organizations, shows that over the past three years, on average, there’s been growth in classical radio audiences across the nation’s 30 largest radio markets. Classical music is still a viable format for a noncommercial radio station, particularly in markets where a priority is placed on local content and talent.
For decades, public radio has grown and thrived because of its attention to a mission of community service. And despite the current landscape of media usage, with its multitude of options for listening and viewing, people still continue to make personal investments in the mission of public broadcasting. They do so not because a station has an app, or because it offers an array of digital listening options. Those things are required for doing business, but they are not what build loyalty.
Listeners support classical radio because they develop personal relationships with the local hosts. They listen to them daily, and then see them in their community. Though we may sometimes disagree about whether to play more Brahms or less Bach, we come together during on-air fundraisers because of a shared passion for an art form that continues to stand the test of time. That celebration is made more meaningful through a collective pride in our diverse and vibrant community of local artists and musicians. A local classical station helps the arts community grow and thrive, giving it a voice that all can hear regardless of age or income.
When classical radio disappears in Houston it will not be because of a lack of interest or support, or because of a changing media landscape. It will happen because of the changing priorities of the University of Houston and the leadership of Houston Public Media, and that’s a shame. Houston, one of the greatest and most culturally vibrant cities in this country, deserves better.