# Classic FM website hate thread



## zelenka (Feb 8, 2018)

This is something rarely talked about but I just wanted to express my disgust and frustration about this spammy website, whenever I google for something related to classical music I find their links above anything of value with titles like (these are factually the greatest X EVER, 100 X you MUST know), all their content is cheap, clickbaity and spammy, ClassicFM is the Pinterest of googling classical music


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

Their broadcasting is pretty dire too unless you're satisfied with only hearing what's in their "Top 300" chart "as voted for by our listeners". I was not impressed when they (a UK station) did not broadcast one work by John Stanley on the day of his 300th anniversary, yet 3 years later rammed Tchaikovsky at us for most of the year of his 175th anniversary.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Dorsetmike said:


> Their broadcasting is pretty dire too unless you're satisfied with only hearing what's in their "Top 300" chart "as voted for by our listeners". I was not impressed when they (a UK station) did not broadcast one work by John Stanley on the day of his 300th anniversary, yet 3 years later rammed Tchaikovsky at us for most of the year of his 175th anniversary.


Shouldn't we forgive them - do as they do or your business folds doesn't it? Programme Schoenberg and advertisers go elsewhere don't they?


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## zelenka (Feb 8, 2018)

it's not just their radio, please have a look at their social media accounts and website, every video, every link, every pic is marketing-centered


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

I got completely fed up with Classic FM a few years ago and only hear it when I visit my sister. From what I see in their listings, there’s now a mixture of popular film soundtracks and video games music.
Most of their presenters don’t have music backgrounds and include: an ex-MP, a gardener, a comedy actor and quiz show host, an actor, a property show presenter, 2 news and current affairs presenters and an author. A lot of TC posters could give them a run for their money. Meanwhile BBC Radio 3 has improved a great deal and no longer has the slightly snooty atmosphere of old. Their morning schedule is really good and I listen every day.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Radio 3 is indeed a great classical music source.


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## Jim35 (Feb 3, 2018)

Classic FM is of very limited interest to me. I suppose it's OK for newbies or people whose interest in classical music doesn't extend much beyond the "Blue Danube" and "Bolero" etc. For anyone with a serious interest in classical music it becomes very tedious.

With few exceptions, Radio 3 has become almost as bad in my opinion during its main morning schedules. It used to be quite good many years ago but it has become far more trashy over recent years. 

Radio 3 has been trying to compete with CFM for the junk end of the market, playing the same old highly popular bits of classical music, punctuated with lots of largely inane chat. If you look at the Radio 3 Forum there's a section labelled "Playlist programmes". It's full of threads mainly bemoaning the dive in quality of its morning schedules.


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## Boychev (Jul 21, 2014)

WQXR is my go-to classical radio. Wonderful selection, pleasant announcers, and informative blurbs on the music and the composer's biography now and then.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I listen to *KUSC* in SoCal which presents excellent classical music 24/7 and has live, informative announcers. I do not care for hate threads. There are alternatives. The joy of such a station is that you have the chance of hearing the unexpected as well as excellent performances of the familiar. https://www.kusc.org.


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

zelenka said:


> it's not just their radio, please have a look at their social media accounts and website, every video, every link, every pic is marketing-centered


 I never bother with social media accounts nor websites for that very reason; I may well give R3 another chance, when I used to listen to it it tended to be a bit "stuffy"


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

Larkenfield said:


> I listen to *KUSC* in SoCal which presents great classical music 24/7 and has live, informative announcers. I do not care for hate threads. There are alternatives. The joy of such a station is that you have of hearing the unexpected as well as excellent performances of the familiar. https://www.kusc.org.


I'm really grateful to Lark for suggesting this station to me on another thread a while ago. Excellent selection of music, very well presented. :tiphat:


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## zelenka (Feb 8, 2018)

LezLee said:


> I'm really grateful to Lark for suggesting this station to me on another thread a while ago. Excellent selection of music, very well presented. :tiphat:


does anybody know more online radio stations?


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

LezLee said:


> I'm really grateful to Lark for suggesting this station to me on another thread a while ago. Excellent selection of music, very well presented. :tiphat:


LezLee... thank you!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

KBAQ

Our classical radio station here in Phoenix is pretty good in terms of variety and balance. KUSC, looking at just a couple hours of their morning playlist, may have slightly more variety (I've never heard Harry's Wondrous World on KBAQ before), but KBAQ is a solid radio station with hosts that inform and tell stories while keeping the music the star.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

so i listen to the classic fm station in Las Vegas KCNV. 2 DJ's call their names out and i recognize the names from the Pittsburgh, Pa station WQED. so i go to the LV station web site and rooster to e-mail them and ask if they worked in the "burgh. both names ate not there. I google and i find on of the DJ's. e-mail her and she writes back both stations carry a simulcast station out of St Paul Minn... so there is no DJ always form the local station!

and KUSC. i liked the station also with it sat or sun opera show(not the met). only thing i did not like is they do not broad cast "Sunday Baroque" with Sue Bona. both WQED and KCNV carry it

and that New York station/Jersy WQRX. listen on my phone app good stuff. there web site is neat also


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

KUSC is operated by the University of Southern California (thus the “USC”). It is not an NPR station, so most of its programs are internally produced. It claims to be a 24-hour classical music-only station.

Daytime programming tends to be “light” and mostly popular standards, sometimes even single movements of longer pieces. Evening programming is more serious – for instance, last night they played Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, a rarity on radio due to its length.

I’ve read that KUSC is listened to by more people than any similar station in the US.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Tried the new Scala station. Switched it off after 10 minutes. I felt as though it sounded like a pop station playing classical music


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I like Classic FM in the car. Great for listening./ If you don't like their website then don't go to it. I don't think we realise just what this station is doing in introducing people to the classics. They deliberately have this non-technical (eg no opus numbers) approach so people can just tune in and identify. OK not for connoisseurs but when I'm driving a car I'm not a connoisseur!


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

^
I listen to classical fm in the car also. Works ok for driving, popular stuff. Tried to switch to bbc3 once, but it didn't last. When i'm on the road I don't like hear long talks - analytical they may be and worthwhile, but it doesn't suit me for car journeys. Adverts and hourly news annoy me as it is. Seriously, who needs news every hour? If I drive 4 hours a day or more, I sometimes hear them 4, 6 times, I switch classical music radio for music not news.. adverts eat into music playing time already. I switch off sound during talking and news and depressing adverts. And who needs to hear news every hour on Sundays?? that's my beef with classic fm. Music is ok.


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## zelenka (Feb 8, 2018)

DavidA said:


> I like Classic FM in the car. Great for listening./ If you don't like their website then don't go to it. I don't think we realise just what this station is doing in introducing people to the classics. They deliberately have this non-technical (eg no opus numbers) approach so people can just tune in and identify. OK not for connoisseurs but when I'm driving a car I'm not a connoisseur!


people thought I was talking about the radio station even though I was talking about their website and that I can't google anything related to classical music without seeing their spammy links above anything of value. I meant the website not the radio station!


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

KenOC said:


> KUSC is operated by the University of Southern California (thus the "USC"). It is not an NPR station, so most of its programs are internally produced. It claims to be a 24-hour classical music-only station.
> 
> Daytime programming tends to be "light" and mostly popular standards, sometimes even single movements of longer pieces. Evening programming is more serious - for instance, last night they played Mahler's 3rd Symphony, a rarity on radio due to its length.
> 
> I've read that KUSC is listened to by more people than any similar station in the US.


Nobody seems to know what the 'K' stands for.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

The K means it is a radio station in the western United States. Eastern states have W as the first letter of their call sign. The Mississippi River is the dividing line when making assignments today. For more on the subject, here is a helpful article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_signs_in_the_United_States


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

bharbeke said:


> The K means it is a radio station in the western United States. Eastern states have W as the first letter of their call sign. The Mississippi River is the dividing line when making assignments today. For more on the subject, here is a helpful article:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_signs_in_the_United_States


there are 2 exceptions i know of KDKA radio and tv and KQV am both in Pittsburgh Pa, i think both stations started befor the W and K call letters


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

As a tax accountant, I am used to there being exceptions to just about everything. As a general rule, though, you can tell what side of the country you are on by the radio station call signs.


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## Schoenberg (Oct 15, 2018)

Just today one of the classical FM stations I have access to played the 9th symphony of Beethoven--but they skipped the entirety of the symphony up til the climax of the final movement.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Schoenberg said:


> Just today one of the classical FM stations I have access to played the 9th symphony of Beethoven--but they skipped the entirety of the symphony up til the climax of the final movement.


the station here in Vegas does that. only airs parts of the symphonies. and plays many opera overtures. some i don't know!


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## DBLee (Jan 8, 2018)

ldiat said:


> there are 2 exceptions i know of KDKA radio and tv and KQV am both in Pittsburgh Pa, i think both stations started befor the W and K call letters


Also WBAP in Dallas-Fort Worth.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

There’s also...
WACO-FM	99.9 FM	Waco	Capstar TX LLC	Country
WOAI	1200 AM	San Antonio	CC Licenses, LLC	News/Talk
WRR 101.1 FM	Dallas	City of Dallas, Texas	Classical
WTAW	1620 AM	College Station	Bryan Broadcasting License Corporation	News Talk
WTAW-FM	103.5 FM	Buffalo
But why should the exceptions in the call letters be considered important at all, whether east or west coast, when they’re unrelated to the station’s content...


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

LezLee said:


> I got completely fed up with Classic FM a few years ago and only hear it when I visit my sister. From what I see in their listings, there's now a mixture of popular film soundtracks and video games music.
> Most of their presenters don't have music backgrounds and include: an ex-MP, a gardener, a comedy actor and quiz show host, an actor, a property show presenter, 2 news and current affairs presenters and an author. A lot of TC posters could give them a run for their money. Meanwhile BBC Radio 3 has improved a great deal and no longer has the slightly snooty atmosphere of old. Their morning schedule is really good and I listen every day.


On the site devoted to BBC Radio 3, there is continuous griping about the lowering of the standards of the presenters


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

Yes, thanks to this thread I’ve discovered the R3 forum which I’d no idea existed! Have thrown my hat into the ring. Thank you!


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## juss100 (Apr 10, 2019)

There's literally no reason to listen to Classic FM. There are so many other options. Just plug your phone into your car stereo and play spotify, for instance.


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