Classical Public Radio Network Signs Off

The Classical Public Radio Network, an LLP between Colorado Public Radio and KUSC-FM goes off the air in Denver (and for many of it's client stations) next week. But, you won't find that information on the CPR or KUSC websites.

Referred to as CPRN, it is a 24-hour classical music service underwritten by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and marketed by National Public Radio (NPR) for distribution to public radio member stations across the US that never really caught on. In short, it was a more than 10-year failure for the LLP, except that it won some recent awards--quite ironically--listed on the Colorado Public Radio website!

I guess it is nice to know that your trusted source for news and information and for classical music prints (and presumably, broadcasts) the positive news about its operation. After all, by publicly admitting the abject failure of the development and distribution of CPRN's original classical music content, CPR and KUSC would have to admit having wasted hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars to produce a music service redundancy. After all, Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) competing service, called Classical 24 (C-24) is still in business.

In two weeks (or so), Denver listeners will find CPRN's latest classical music iteration called KVOD on 88.1 FM, after Colorado Public Radio moves KCFR 1340-AM back to 90.1 FM. But, KVOD-FM listeners in Northern and Eastern Colorado are out of luck because 88.1-FM will barely reach outside the Denver metro area.

Denver-area listeners needn't worry; however, as they will still hear familiar voices on KVOD-FM, since all but one of their classical music announcers were given jobs with the dissolution of CPRN. And, the former head of CPRN-Denver, a woman by the name of Karla Walker, will be heading up the new-and-improved KVOD--the same leader who presided over the demise of the Classical Public Radio Network. Nice work!