Context? LXX

Last week, I heard an announcer say that a station had to elicit contributions from five new members before she'd "unlock" a Beethoven piece and play it on the air.  Five new members called in during the pledge drive, so she played the piece.  I wonder, though.  What would she have done if not enough listeners pledged their support?  Would she have played a discordant bagpipe concerto instead?  If so, wouldn't listeners have thought, "What on Earth is this?  Isn't it pledge drive week?  Don't stations usually play the most accessible music possible to attract more financial support?"

Also, in this time of easily accessible music and programming, it's a tough sell for an announcer who asks listeners, "Where else can you hear this music or this (national) programming?"  Many listeners likely think, "For the music, there's iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, satellite music services, cable music services, YouTube, and my own collection.  As for the national programs, I can hear them on one of your many online affiliate stations."

Probably far-fetched

Knowing how temperamental some conductors are, I wonder if any of them have taken a page out of my cat's book.  When my cat, Collette, is displeased with me for not giving her a 12th helping of food in a day, she sometimes bites me on the leg.  Although they'd have to answer to the person they've bitten and possibly the police, I wouldn't put it past a few conductors to bite some of their musicians on the leg in anger.

Peace: An idealistic but laudable goal

About 40 years ago, "Let There Be Peace On Earth" was one of my favorite hymns to sing in church.  I liked the song's goal of a peaceful planet, with everyone doing their part.  Although I don't dislike the hymn now, I look back and think, "It's easier to be peaceful when you don't have to have a job, pay bills, or have any major health issues.  The lyrics still appeal to the idealist in me, though, so no wonder that my nine-year-old self liked it."

Perspective, within reason II

My cat, Collette, continues to knock over the radio in the kitchen, but not as often.  Today, when she knocked it over, it remained on the table, on its side.  A few days earlier, she knocked it off the table, but it landed upright on the floor, still playing.

Slowly but surely, she's learning respect for the medium of radio...

...However, that won't prevent me from putting the radio out of reach, on top of the refrigerator.

Explaining the static

When your radio station is off the air temporarily due to technical problems or transmitter issues, you might have an exchange like the one I had with a listener:

Me: (Name of station.)
Listener: Yes, what's wrong with my radio today?
Me: The station is temporarily off the air.
Listener: Oh.  It must be the rain.

It wasn't the rain, but I appreciated that the listener cared enough to listen and ask what was wrong.  I also appreciated that she didn't ask me to announce on the air that the station was off the air.  You'd think that would never happen, but...

The power of a resonant voice

Upon first hearing Lou Rawls sing "Forever I Do (The Wedding Song)" in the '80s, I thought, "I wonder how many couples are convinced or not convinced by the richness and elegance of these vocals that they're making the right commitment."  Half-seriously, I also thought, "I wonder how many couples have thought of that song when deciding whether to stay together and asked themselves, 'How well are we living up to the vows we made?'"

Decades later, I still have the same reaction.

Context? LXIX

A listener once called a smooth jazz station where I worked and asked why we didn't play Led Zeppelin.  I tried not to sound incredulous, but at the time, I thought it was a silly question.  "We're a smooth jazz station," I thought.  "Why would we play Led Zeppelin?"  Then, I thought, "To broaden its bases, the station now has Chicago, Steely Dan, and Crosby, Stills & Nash on its playlist, among other rockers."

In that light, it wasn't such a silly question.