PRPD 2023

Philadelphia, PA
September 18 – 21

We’re delighted to see you at the 2023 Public Radio Program Director’s conference in Philadelphia, PA! We have a wonderful selection of special programs coming up this fall, and the continuation of some exceptional series. We hope you’ll take a look and take a listen! If you have any questions, please reach out to Estlin Usher at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Program audio samples can be found in our Dropbox at the following link: Program Audio Samples

Composer 2 Now Has WFMT Network Playlists!

We are thrilled to announce that our programming is now available for schedule integration on Composer 2! This highly-anticipated development allows for syncing of all Network shows directly into your web calendar. We are delighted to bring this convenience to our valued affiliates, and hope that this addition is helpful in many aspects of programming.

This addition has been long-awaited, and we’re excited to finally bring you this enhanced accessibility. Check out our instructions for integration here! Should you encounter any technical issues or require assistance, please reach out directly to NPR technical support team to best utilize your Composer 2 widget.

Exploring Music Celebrates 20 Years!
Daily (M-F), Year-round

Click Here for Exploring Music on our Website!
This October, Exploring Music celebrates 20 years on the air! Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin is a creative exploration of classical music and other genres. Each week’s programs are unified by compositions that share a central theme, which might be a composer, a period of history, or a musical form. Peabody Award-winning broadcaster Bill McGlaughlin is a broadly experienced musician, conductor, and composer. Bill draws on his background, his love of jazz, and his unmatched musical knowledge to connect recorded examples with engaging commentary. McGlaughlin is an affable, yet erudite musical story teller, whose insights speak to both novice and expert classical music fans.

For new stations, join in the celebration of 20 years on-air with 20% off your costs from now until June 30, 2024! Contact us for more information and to get a quote.

Maria Callas: The Enduring Icon
1 part, 1 hour special

Click Here for Maria Callas on our Website!
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas on December 2, the WFMT Radio Network and Jon Tolansky present an exclusive documentary memoir celebrating the legendary diva. Through interviews and commentary, this special explores how after all this time Callas’s work still mesmerizes the musical world in such a unique way.

In this documentary, we hear from Maria Callas herself, singers John Dobson, Mirella Freni, and Victor Godfrey; conductors Sir Edward Downes, Bernard Keeffe, and Nicola Rescigno; and others who knew Callas and her work, such as Cecilia Gobbi (daughter of baritone Tito Gobbi), former EMI classics engineer Robert Gooch, The Earl of Harewood, President of Warner Classics Alain Lanceron, Christopher Raeburn (former Head of Opera for Decca Classics), and former General Director for Royal Opera House Covent Garden Sir John Tooley.

The Girl from Arles: A Visit to Provence
1 part, 1 hour special

Click Here for The Girl from Arles on our Website!
“On the way down to the village from my windmill, you pass a farmhouse.…” That is how Alphonse Daudet begins his evocative and poignant tale about broken love set in a small Provençal community. The Girl from Arles – L’Arlésienne – is a short story, based on a true event, in Daudet’s collection of cameos that he called Lettres de mon Moulin – Letters from my Windmill: fictional but lifelike pictures of mainly Provençal country life in mid 19th Century Southern France.

The L’Arlésienne suites for full symphony orchestra that were subsequently arranged from the incidental music for the purpose of concert performances, first by the composer (No 1) and then by Ernest Guiraud (No 2), are famously popular, but the original music for the play is hardly if ever performed, inevitably so, as the majority of it is very fragmentary. Unlike the full orchestra suites, the music for the play is very different in sentiment. For The Girl From Arles: A Visit to Provence, Jon Tolansky has made a special adaptation reading the original short story of Daudet and inserting parts of Bizet’s original music for the play at correctly appropriate places. He prefaces the production with a scenic introduction to Provence, and as a postscript he features three extracts from the well known L’Arlésienne suites for full orchestra.

 

Holiday Programming

Stay tuned for upcoming Winter Holiday programming, to be released in late September! Expect to hear some exceptional Encore Broadcasts of past holiday specials.

 

Hourly Services

Beethoven Network
9 Hours/Day, 7 Days/Week

Click Here for the Beethoven Network on our Website!
Enjoy companionship and creative programming with Peter van de Graaff! Designed for you and your listeners, all Beethoven Network hours can be fully customized as your local program product.  The service features flexibility in each hourly module, permitting network or local break opportunities, top-of-the-hour news, underwriting credits or commercials and local program promotions.

For new stations, save 20% on Beethoven Network costs from now until June 30, 2024! Contact us for more information and to get a quote.

 

Jazz Network
9 Hours/Day, 7 Days/Week

Click Here for the Jazz Network on our Website!
First-class music, informed playlists, personable, knowledgeable hosts, economical pricing, convenient file delivery – the WFMT Radio Network’s Jazz Network is the ideal way to bring the finest jazz radio experience to your listeners whenever you have hours in your schedule to fill. As we do with all our WFMT Radio Network-produced shows, we can offer you custom promos, along with biographies, photos and other supplemental materials to make publicity a breeze! Our excellent lineup of Jazz Network hosts includes vocalist Dee Alexander, jazz experts John Hill and Dave Schwan, and pianist and vocalist Jana Lee Ross. In addition to their deep knowledge of the music, each of our hosts has extensive broadcasting experience, making Jazz Network a service you can air with confidence.

Orchestra Series

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
2 Hours, Year-round

Click Here for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on our Website!
Hailed as the number one U.S. Orchestra by the venerable British publication Gramophone, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra continues with concerts from Symphony Center, the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Produced by Brian Wise and hosted by Lisa Simeone, this weekly, two-hour series offers a unique format of engaging and lively content, including produced segments created to provide deeper insight into the music and programmatic themes found within the CSO’s concert season; interviews with CSO musicians, guest artists, and composers; and an exploration of the stories found within the CSO’s rich heritage of recordings and the Orchestra’s illustrious history in Chicago.

New York Philharmonic
2 Hours, Year-round

Click Here for the New York Philharmonic on our Website!
The New York Philharmonic This Week gives millions of listeners around the world the opportunity to hear select recent performances as well as programs curated from the Orchestra’s archives and commercial recordings. The series’ honors have included the Grand Jury Prize at the New York Festivals International Broadcast Competition and multiple top prizes for Best Director, Best Sound, and Best Regularly Scheduled Music Program from The New York Festivals, the AVA Digital Awards, and the Hermes Creative Awards.

WFMT Orchestra Series
2 Hours, Year-round

Click Here for the WFMT Orchestra Series on our Website!
The WFMT Orchestra Series combines exceptional concerts from the San Francisco Symphony, the LA Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and more! Featuring an incredible spread of conductors and soloists, the repertoire is varied and represents the best performances from California, Minnesota, and more. Stay tuned for exciting news about the Winter Quarter schedule.

 

Chamber Music

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
1 Hour, Year-round

Click Here for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on our Website!
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is one of the world-renowned chamber music series, featuring the best performers with enticing and ambitious programming. The  52 one-hour programs, hosted by Elliott Forrest, feature live recorded performances by leading chamber music players from around the world, with enlightening commentary from CMS Co-Artistic Director David Finckel, and the performers.

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
1 Hour, 13 weeks

Click Here for Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival on our Website!
Join us on a musical journey to the foothills of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains for thirteen new, music-filled hours from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Founded in 1972, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is one of the world’s leading performing arts festivals, earning both critical praise and dedicated audiences for its lasting commitment to tradition, artistic excellence, and vision. Our series reflects the Festival’s high standards through a varied selection of superbly recorded concerts featuring the finest classical musicians of our day.

Gateways Radio
1 Hour, 13 weeks

Click Here for Gateways Radio on our Website!
The WFMT Radio Network is proud to present Gateways Radio, a collaboration with WXXI-FM in Rochester, NY, celebrating the performances, artists, and artistry of the Gateways Music Festival. The Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is a 125+ member ensemble of musicians of African descent under the leadership of conductor Anthony Parnther. The Orchestra made its stunning Carnegie Hall debut on April 24, 2022 as the first all-Black orchestra to be presented by the famed venue.

 

Hosted Series

Collectors’ Corner with Henry Fogel
2 Hours, Year-round

Click Here for Collectors’ Corner on our Website!
Collectors’ Corner presents a wide range of recordings that are true classics of the industry. Recordings feature either unusual repertoire that deserves a wider public, or performances unique in their interpretive profile, sense of commitment, and intensity. Many of the recordings heard in the program are long out-of-print, or hard to locate in the United States. Treat your listeners to a deep dive into the classical music canon!

Early Music Now with Sara Schneider
1 Hour, Year-round

Click Here for Early Music Now on our Website!
Early Music Now with Sara Schneider is a one-hour program showcasing music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque: from sonorous medieval chant and polyphony to delightful renaissance madrigals, dances, and consort music to magnificent baroque cantatas and keyboard music. Host and producer Sara Schneider brings knowledge, charm, and passion to her presentation of seven hundred years of music history. From the latest recordings by today’s vibrant young ensembles, to classics from the dawn of the early music revival, Early Music Now makes this repertoire accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience. Produced by 89.5 Classical KMFA, in Austin, TX.

Fiesta! with Elbio Barilari
1 Hour, Year-round

Click Here for Fiesta on our Website!
Fiesta provides a valuable platform for the sound, culture, and history of classical music in Latin America.  Barilari enriches our listeners by introducing them to a genre that does not typically receive much exposure. Fiesta fosters an appreciation for Latin American classical music and creates a meeting place for listeners of diverse backgrounds. Hosted by artist and educator Elbio Barilari.

The Midnight Special with Marilyn Rea Beyer
2 Hours, Year-round

Click Here for The Midnight Special on our Website!
Welcome to The Midnight Special, the enduring and beloved folk music radio program! The Midnight Special first aired in Chicago on WFMT-FM in 1953, and went national in 1971.  Rich in tradition and history, the program has remained current through decades of change by retaining its topical bent while delighting listeners worldwide with gentle irreverence, touchingly candid observations, and the unveiling of new music.

 

Opera

The WFMT Opera Series
Variable Timing, 25 weeks

Click Here for the WFMT Opera Series on our Website!
The WFMT Opera Series complements the MET Opera Broadcasts, filling out the year from June to December. Each year presents special performances from Europe and China alongside productions from American opera companies. This season has featured performances from France, the UK, China, and more–coming up, we’re delighted to feature Music of the Baroque, Opera Festival of Chicago, Opera Southwest, the Bayreuth Opera Festival, Haymarket Opera, and LA Opera. Treat your listeners to an exceptional spectacle on the radio!