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Media Matters
Feb. 12, 2003
Music Hath Charms? Not for Some NPR Listeners
By Jeffrey A. Dvorkin
Ombudsman
National Public Radio
Among the most discussed parts of NPR News programs are the music pieces that are chosen for the programs. How does the music get chosen? Who decides? Does it have an editorial role? Who decides if there is a conflict between the musical tastes of the producers and the demographic demands of the listener? It may seem simple, but picking the right music appears to be more obscure art than hard science. At least it seems like an arcane mystery to the uninitiated.
We do know that music can be highly subjective and that not all of what goes on NPR is to the tastes of the listeners. Some listeners are concerned that they rarely hear their particular favorites; others are convinced that whoever picks the music is allowing their own taste to determine what gets on the radio.
Some examples:
Not Enough Opera?
Willene Clark from Marlboro, Vermont writes:
"The number of people who are complaining with increasing bitterness,
even anger, about the lack of fine, serious vocal music on NPR stations
in New England (Boston's GBH excepted)... is growing steadily. One friend said he had heard, regarding the music of trained operatic and concert singing, that NPR stations had been told that 'people don't like it.' Maybe some people do not, but a great many do."
NPR and many NPR member stations still provide some important cultural programming that concentrates on classical music. NPR for example broadcasts Performance Today seven days a week. But it is true that stations are finding that the number of listeners to classical music is not growing. Result? Many stations are shifting to a news and classical music format. For the long time devotees of classical music on public radio, this is not a welcome move.
Conversely, I received an e-mail from an NPR employee who thinks that so-called "elite" musical tastes are over represented in the NPR music selections:
Too Much Opera?
He protested (to me at least) that he was fed up with the "massive amounts of opera being foisted on the listeners..." According to this person, All Things Considered is the worst culprit, placing at least eight stories involving opera on the radio in the last few months.
In checking through the archives, it is true that All Things Considered has done eight stories involving opera since Dec. 1 of last year. But one happened to be about a punk opera (sic), while another was an interview with a new young tenor at the Met who got his start singing disco in Italy.
But overall, NPR News has aired 242 stories about music and musicians since Dec. 1. They have included a wide range of subject material -- everything from Eartha Kitt, to an obit of Mongo Santamaria to the special symphony composed for the space shuttle Columbia. And yes, there were eight stories about opera.
'Let Me Count The Plays...'
Bob Boilen is the producer/director of All Things Considered. As such, he chooses the interstitial music known as "buttons" that plays between news reports on the program.
He also is the host of All Songs Considered, the online program that plays the "buttons" in their entirety. The program also gives a lot more information about the artists. In spite of -- or perhaps because of -- its unique selections and presence on the NPR Web site, All Songs Considered is considered a huge success for an online music program.
Boilen has also heard from listeners and from musically outraged employees about the range of music on NPR. Many are convinced that we are hearing less of some things and far too much of other musical genres. Specifically, some listeners have complained to me about NPR's over-emphasis on one or two formats (folk, Celtic) at the expense of others such as classical or "world" music.
So Boilen surveyed the music stories and interviews on NPR, and compared 2001 to 2002. Excluding the "buttons," here's what he found:
All NPR News Programs, 2001:
Pop: 21
Rock: 23
Urban: 5
World: 12
Classical: 12
Jazz: 14
All NPR News Programs, 2002:
Pop: 13
Rock: 26
Urban: 7
World: 18
Classical: 6
Jazz: 15
All Things Considered, 2001:
Pop: 4
Rock: 13
Urban: 3
World: 9
Classical: 4
Jazz: 7
All Things Considered, 2002:
Pop: 8
Rock: 16
Urban: 4
World: 12
Classical: 6
Jazz: 6
So in fact, classical music (including opera) is down overall, but not on All Things Considered.
'Con Molto Brio...'
Still the range of musical knowledge, interest and tastes of the listeners is impressive.
Two recent examples:
Robert Nutt writes to remind NPR that:
"On a program devoted to the history of various songs it was said that the music for Brecht's "Mac the Knife" was written by Kurt Weber. It was, of course, Kurt Weill. In the same context the announcer referred continually to Louis Armstrong as "Louie" Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong much preferred the pronunciation "Lou-iss." I know; I interviewed him several times. Let's give this icon of the 20th century his due."
And F. Hudkins writes that:
"...a report on Senator Thaddeus McCotter, introduced an
Elvis-like guitar lick played by the Senator with words to the effect of
'he becomes a Motown guitar player'. Granted, one of Motown's three
guitarists was white, but the report went on to describe the Senator's
love of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, none of whom
recorded on or were associated, at least professionally, with Tamla-Motown or Hitsville, USA."
It's All About Choices
The quality of music on NPR is very important to many listeners. But finding ways to provide unique yet broadly acceptable choices that please the audience is more complicated than it appears.
NPR still provides a lot of different music in its programs. But for music-lovers the choices seems less varied than they once were.
While that may be the way it appears on NPR, there have also been huge changes in what and where Americans listen to their music, caused in large part by the even greater corporate concentration in the music industry.
Commercial radio seems to have been formatted into the same bland offerings everywhere around the country. The decline of Internet music (Napster) has people looking around for alternatives.
The focus of NPR on news and information also appears to have limited what is available on public radio, with some notable exceptions. Over the next few years, the arrival of a new kind of radio technology -- digital radio -- will likely enhance what can be broadcast, compared to today. But that's the subject of another column.
Until then, perhaps it's time for NPR and the public radio community to rethink how it might provide more of that astonishing variety of music in order to be a true alternative.
Listeners may contact me at 202-513-3246 or at ombudsman@npr.org.
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
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