WETA-FM, the Arlington public radio station that has been an outpost of classical music programming for more than a generation, is considering scrapping the sounds of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart for an all-news and talk format, people at the station say.
Although WETA officials say they have not finalized their plans, the station's management intends to present a proposal to overhaul daily programming to the board of directors next week. The station has called its employees to a mandatory meeting the day after the Feb. 10 board meeting.
If the board approves the changes, the classical music heard on WETA since 1970 would be largely replaced by month's end. Station management is considering keeping its Saturday broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, but such staples as its Thursday night New York Philharmonic concerts would end.
A programming switch at WETA would be the second for a venerable Washington area radio station this year. Last month the longtime alternative-rock outlet WHFS-FM (99.1) abruptly adopted a Spanish music format.
If WETA (90.9) changes format, it would be following other public radio stations around the country that have dropped classical for news. The primary influence has been money: News programming tends to keep public radio listeners tuned in longer, and as a result, attracts more donation pledges. Listener donations typically account for half or more of a public station's annual operating budget.
But the drift toward news in public radio has not been without controversy. People in public radio have debated for years whether programming decisions designed to build larger audiences blur the distinction between public and commercial broadcasting. One faction argues that public radio should remain true to its roots and provide important, if less than broadly popular, alternative cultural programming such as jazz, classical, bluegrass and blues music. Another side counters that fiscal pressures, including dwindling government support, makes audience-building a priority.
Dan DeVany, WETA's vice president and general manager, said in an interview yesterday that his station faced "a dilemma." With the audience for classical music in decline, he said, "we have to ask ourselves if we are truly fulfilling our public service mission."
He declined to provide specific ratings figures, but DeVany noted that WETA's audience is "quite low, lower than it's been in several years. It's a trend we've been witnessing over time. I'm not pleased with where we're at." He added, "I'm not sure we're performing a public service the way we are, given the size of this station and the size of our potential audience."
He said financial support for the station has remained steady, "but we're getting money from fewer people."
At the same time, he added, "what public radio does well, what defines us," is news programming from National Public Radio.
Classical music programming dominates WETA's daytime and evening schedule, but the station has gradually moved toward more news. It received thousands of letters of protest when it dropped its morning classical show in 1999 to begin broadcasts of NPR's "Morning Edition." The protests were driven in part by the fact that WETA was duplicating a program that could already be heard on Washington public station WAMU-FM (88.5).
Adding more news and talk would make WETA sound even more like WAMU, which features NPR programming and talk shows hosted by Diane Rehm and Kojo Nnamdi. If WETA drops its classical format, it would leave WGMS-FM (103.3), which airs commercials, as the only station in Washington that plays classical music.
Some WETA sources said this week that a move away from classical was signaled in early January, when the station hired a new program director, Maxie C. Jackson III. Jackson, the former acting general manager of public station WEAA-FM in Baltimore, came to WETA with a reputation for developing news and talk programs, particularly shows aimed at African American audiences. He has little background in classical music.
Jackson has been a prominent member of the African American Public Radio Consortium, which created the now-defunct "Tavis Smiley Show" and the new "News & Notes With Ed Gordon," both syndicated by NPR.
In an interview earlier this week, Jackson said, "I haven't considered anything new. I'm new to the facility and am still in the process of understanding the system around here. So it's a bit early to consider changes. . . . I've told the staff that by no means am I here to turn the ship upside down."
Asked about potential changes yesterday, Jackson said, "I'd rather stick with what Dan said. Dan is able to articulate what's happening at the station."
