After 40 years of regular classical music programming, KBYU-FM is taking a break to bring listeners lighter fare from 4–7 p.m. on Saturday afternoons.

The station will air music from movie soundtracks and Broadway musicals hoping to attract a wider range of listeners. Christine Nokleby, marketing coordinator for the station, said this type of music might appeal to more listeners than classical music does.

“The music appeals to the classical listener, but it’s also a way to bring people from the fringes,” Nokleby said.

At 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Classical 89.1 FM will air “The Perfect Score,” a program produced by students at BYU-Idaho. The program will showcase music from movie scores, which are probably familiar to the average listener.

Broadway fans can tune in at 5 p.m., when “Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical” begins. This program highlights the Broadway and Hollywood songs of the 20th century.

“Call from the Top,” a national program featuring talented young artists, will air at 6 p.m. The three programs replace the normal classical programming on Saturday afternoons.

Jon Pinney, a senior majoring in media music from Sacramento, Calif., said he rarely listens to Classical 89.1, but that he would be interested in the new programming.

“There’s some Broadway I don’t like and some classical I don’t like,” Pinney said, “but I might listen on Saturdays if I’m in the car.”

Students help piece together the broadcasts and even produce some short programs for the station. Each producer at the station has an assistant to help work on the broadcasts.

Eric Glissmeyer, program manager for the station who also hosts Sunday morning programming, said he got his start at KBYU when he was a student. Recently, he helped students produce “About Shakespeare,” a program which airs on Thursday nights.

“It was a great place to work, and I enjoyed the music,” Glissmeyer said. About the change in programming, he said he “grew up with Broadway music. The first records I listened to were the original cast recordings for Camelot and the Sound of Music.”

Although he doesn’t listen to Broadway music as much anymore, he said that, because Broadway and film music is where most people get their introduction to orchestral music, it’s a good way to get more people interested in classical music.

More information and streaming are available on the station’s Web site, at http://kbyufm.org/.



Copyright Brigham Young University 1 Feb 2005