The "new" Classical 88.7

Announcer and program changes prompted by loss of national classical music network

On June 30, the Classical Public Radio Network, a partnership of Colorado Public Radio in Denver and KUSC in Los Angeles, ceased national broadcast operations. Public Radio Tulsa's 88.7 KWTU was an affiliate and much of the programming heard over Classical 88.7 originated from CPRN.

The University of Tulsa is committed to hosting a classical music radio station on the Northeastern Oklahoma airwaves and Public Radio Tulsa spent months searching to find affordable classical programming of the same excellent caliber as what had been heard since KWTU's sign-on in 2004.

Programs that we were sorry to lose included Sacred Classics on Sunday mornings, The Daily Special at noon weekdays, Buried Treasures on weekday evenings, and Modern Masterpieces on Saturday nights. The voice of morning announcer David Rutherford is being missed, as are many other voices heard throughout the day and night.

Through a special arrangement with Colorado Public Radio, we're able to continue to bring you many of the same hosts that you've enjoyed hearing over the years. We've added the voice of Peter Van De Graff of WFMT, Chicago, to the overnight hours and a number of wonderful concert programs that we've been wanting to bring to you for some time.

We're excited about our new daily noon program, Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin. If you've ever wanted to know more about the story behind classical compositions, orchestras, or composers, this is the program for you. Bill also hosts St. Paul Sunday at noon on Sundays, where he leisurely chats with musicians who drop into his Minneapolis studio for live performances.

If you're young at heart, then you won't want to miss From the Top at 7:00 pm Sunday evenings. This fun and fast-paced NPR program showcases the amazing skills of young classical musicians. It's followed by The MTT Files, hosted by The San Francisco Symphony's charismatic conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas and singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega. Afterward, listen to the fantastic San Francisco Symphony in concert.

Let us know what you think about this new program lineup. Contact information is at the bottom of this page. Thank you for listening and supporting KWTU 88.7- Northeastern Oklahoma's only full-time classical music radio station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Send your question about our new classical format to answers@publicradiotulsa.org

Why are Classical 88.7 announcers giving out the wrong time?

You've lately heard our announcers say "Good Morning - it's 5:00 am" at 4:00 in the afternoon, haven't you? It's not their fault - they aren't sleep deprived because we keep them locked in a tiny windowless studio or because we pay them so little. (OK, that last part is true.) It is five in the morning when they say those words - in Denver, last night. Daily between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm Tulsa time, we are time-delaying by ten hours what's heard on Colorado Public Radio. Because the folks at our sister station in Denver are now struggling to program their airwaves with half of the staff they had before CPRN ceased operation, they're recycling some hours from years past. We promise those jarringly incorrect time checks will disappear over the next few weeks as all-new classical programming makes its way into the pipeline.

Where can I find out what just played? That information used to be on your web page.

Another casulty of the loss of CPRN was that nice up-to-the-minute playlist, where you could determine what played and find a link to be able to purchase CDs. Because we're now time-delaying the Colorado Public Radio feed by ten hours and crossing over into a different day by doing so, that playlist web page is in the shop being worked on. Our intrepid web mechanic (neither Click nor Clack, thank goodness) has the hood up and virtual parts are flying everywhere. (No trees have been harmed in the process, but many electrons are being terribly inconvenienced.) Expect to see that song-by-song playlist reappear on our web page soon. To determine what played from 10:00 pm - 7:00 am overnight, surf over to the WFMT Network and click on the "Beethoven Satellite Network Playlist" page.

---

Today in Music History