Classical Service Update
We're thrilled to announce that Iowa Public Radio launched its second statewide service, the Classical Network, on September 10, 2007. KSUI-FM in Iowa City, KHKE-FM in Cedar and WOI-FM in Ames/Des Moines will carry the same classical and cultural programming presented by the same on-air hosts.
View the classical schedules!
The new service will look and feel very familiar to our previous classical schedules' listeners but there'll be a few surprises, surprises that we think will delight you. The majority of what you'll hear will be music—weekdays will feature classical music presented live from IPR studios by knowledgeable Iowa hosts. But the Classical Network will also have a good mix of elements that move beyond the studio and bring the arts to life around us. From interviews and arts reports on events happening here in Iowa to original IPR programs like "Know the Score," "The Choral Tradition," "Symphonies of Iowa," "Stage and Screen," and "Folk Music with Karen Impola," you'll feel the pulse of a vibrant arts community and be able to participate in the joy of artistic accomplishment. We'll also be offering high-quality national programs like "Saint Paul Sunday," "Exploring Music" and "American Routes."
The Classical Network was designed not only with you in mind, but with your input! Many of you shared your musical tastes with us online in our recent IPR Classical Music Survey. And under the leadership of IPR's Director of Content and Media Todd Mundt, a staff team conducted informal listening sessions with classical music listeners in Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Falls in June 2007. They drew on those sessions, the survey results, the feedback gathered during the IPR Listening Project, and on their own vision for the new service, to develop a set of values to guide the design of the new service. Those values commit IPR to ensuring that the classical service:
- Reflects our respect for the audience
- Enhances Iowa's cultural life
- Connects listeners to the world of music, culture and the arts
- Shares Iowa's cultural treasures with the rest of the nation
- Always strives for excellence
As with the unified news and information service, the creation of a unified classical service will allow IPR to streamline staff efforts and eliminate redundancy between all of the stations. By doing so, we'll be able to redirect staff talent and energy into making IPR's local programs stronger and into making those programs available across multiple media platforms, including the Internet. Be sure to listen for these changes and for more Iowa-produced arts and culture programs and reports.
The new classical schedule has been developed with careful consideration, substantial feedback, and thoughtful analysis. We're confident that after getting used to the new schedule, you'll agree that the statewide service takes public radio in Iowa to the next level of excellence. Please take a look at our new schedules and get in touch if you have questions or comments.
We're proud of our work creating a statewide public radio service that's greater than the sum of its already impressive parts, and we're grateful for your support and encouragement during our evolution. Give us a listen.
Meet IPR's Classical Staff!