you tuned into WUNC-FM 91.5 this Labor Day, you may have expected to hear a symphony and gotten a stock quote instead. That's because the 25-year-old National Public Radio affiliate, which is licensed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, stopped playing classical music Sept. 3.
"Classical music and jazz represent a very small portion of the current commercial music market," Robert Parkins, professor of the practice in the department of music, writes in an e-mail. "When I came to Durham more than 25 years ago, WUNC was indeed a bright spot on the radio dial--in fact, it was the only local station featuring classical music."
The station, which formerly played classical from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and throughout the evenings, replaced its airtime with talk--including local news programs and a series of NPR staples, such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
On the weekends, Car Talk, A Prairie Home Companion and the popular folk and bluegrass shows that existed before the station's make-over will now air.
WUNC's conversion into a talk station leaves classical listeners with only one major station in the region, WCPE-FM 89.7 in Wake Forest.
The transition begs the question: Is classical music in North Carolina dying? Is WUNC's departure from classical a sign that the genre as a whole is hurting?
For the past decade, WUNC has struggled with how to best create a classical music station that "fits the needs of the people who tune into our programs," says Joan Rose, WUNC general manager.
In the end, WUNC's decision to go to a talk radio format says more about the station than it does about the art form. WUNC found talk radio more commercially viable than classical.
However, past listeners of WUNC classical haven't given up on the genre; they've just moved to WCPE.
Classical music has always been a relatively hard sell, especially to those unfamiliar with the form, so in 1995, WUNC tried to make its playlist more accessible to the average listener by playing shorter pieces with brighter sounding movements.
The station had hoped to woo listeners with its simpler sound, but instead of recruiting new ears, WUNC ended up losing old ones.
"The effect," says Rose, "was to alienate serious classic music [lovers] who either left WUNC for WCPE or started listening to their CDs."
Worried that the station was starting to lose its base, WUNC administrators did a significant amount of audience research that showed how their listeners use the station, says Rose.
According to current statistics, when both WUNC and WCPE play classical music, WCPE captures the audience by a two-to-one margin.
The station also conducted a series of focus groups with public radio listeners, and Rose says the results were quite dramatic.
When asked what they thought of when they heard "WUNC," most listeners responded "NPR," "NPR news" or "folk music." Not a single person said classical music, Rose says.
"When asked about WCPE--[they responded] classical music, classical music, classical music."
Confident that listeners weren't responding well to the station's watered-down classical offering, Rose and other officials made the decision to switch to a public talk and information format.
The new WUNC "is providing a far greater service and a real alternative by introducing more than a dozen new news and interview programs currently not available to listeners in the Triad, here in the Triangle, to the east in Rocky Mount and all the way to the Outer Banks," according to a press release posted by Rose on the station's website.
But Parkins says he's not sure what kind of social need WUNC pretends to be addressing with its change to a "public radio" station.
"After all, there are currently more radio/TV talk shows and news channels than one could possibly watch or listen to," Parkins writes in an e-mail.
Rose insists that the new format simply allows WUNC to do what it's good at, and that the conversion doesn't say anything about the state of classical music in North Carolina, or the country.
"WCPE and WUNC now have more listeners than ever before," she says. "WCPE reaches quite a significant audience, and that's a sign that when you present classical music consistently and well, [listeners will tune in]."
"I personally believe the number of people who enjoy classical music is growing," says William Woltz, WCPE's outreach coordinator and host of the station's Allegro.
"Every week we get calls and e-mails from adults who are just discovering classical music after years of listening to rock, pop, country, anything but classicalÉ. So for WCPE, the choice is clear. You choose one thing and do it well, and classical music is what we do."
Officials at WCPE say they respect their formal rival's decision, but plan to continue playing the classical music they're known for.
"Let me assure you that WCPE will always play the finest in classical music," writes station manager Deborah Proctor on WCPE's website. "It's what we do best, and it's what our listeners want from us."
Rose stresses that although WUNC is no longer broadcasting classical music, the station will still promote artistry in North Carolina.
"We are not in any way walking away from our commitment to the arts," says Rose. "We very much intend to continue presenting artists and performers."
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