Classical Public Radio Network
Encyclopedia
The Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN) was a national, 24-hour classical music service. Its mission was to preserve, enhance and expand experience of classical music for radio listeners. With this vision, CPRN was established in 1998 as a limited-liability non-profit company – a joint venture of KUSC
(Los Angeles) and Colorado Public Radio
– with startup funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
. In 2003, CPRN and National Public Radio (NPR) joined in a collaborative marketing arrangement to further expand the network, but ceased national broadcast operations as of June 30, 2008.
CPRN offered listeners the full spectrum of the classical repertoire from medieval times to the present – complete symphonies and orchestral pieces, chamber works, opera selections, art songs, and choral works. The announcers and music staff programmed the music with a focus on core repertoire and superior recordings. Each announcer brought personal expertise to selecting featured music, alternate performances, artist tributes and unique recordings, as well as seasonal and date-specific programming.
Enhancing the 24-hour program stream were several weekly and daily shows and features. Weekdays, Kimberlea Daggy hosts The Daily Special at noon, and Charles Andrews unearths Buried Treasures at 8:00pm. On Sunday mornings, Stephanie Wendt presented Sacred Classics, featuring three hours of meditative music for the heart and mind. Contemporary classical music was explored every Saturday evening by Alan Chapman on Modern Masterpieces. The programming was regularly enhanced with holiday programming, new releases, composer profiles, and frequent appearances by artists in the classical music world.
CPRN programming was carried across the country on the following public radio stations: KUSC
, Los Angeles; KVOD
, Denver; WBHM
, Birmingham, AL; KBSU-FM
, Boise, ID; South Dakota Public Broadcasting
, Vermillion, SD; High Plains Public Radio, Garden City, KS (KANZ
) and Amarillo, TX (KJJP
); KBYI
, Rexburg, ID; KWTU
, Tulsa, OK; WTEB
, New Bern, NC; WFCR
, Amherst, MA; WOSU-FM
, Columbus, OH; and on digital radio, WHYY-FM
, Philadelphia, PA, WJCT-FM
, Jacksonville, FL and KDFC-FM, San Francisco.
Former client stations operate a total of 53 signals and reach more than one million listeners weekly. Programming was distributed to stations via the Public Radio Satellite System
.
KUSC
KUSC is a listener-supported classical music radio station broadcasting from downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. KUSC is owned and operated by the University of Southern California, which also operates student-run KXSC and San Francisco's classical station KDFC...
(Los Angeles) and Colorado Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio is a public radio state network based in Denver, Colorado with transmitters throughout Colorado. CPR consists of three services: News & Information, Classical Music and the recently-launched "Open Air", which consists of adult album alternative music.-History:The first...
– with startup funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
. In 2003, CPRN and National Public Radio (NPR) joined in a collaborative marketing arrangement to further expand the network, but ceased national broadcast operations as of June 30, 2008.
CPRN offered listeners the full spectrum of the classical repertoire from medieval times to the present – complete symphonies and orchestral pieces, chamber works, opera selections, art songs, and choral works. The announcers and music staff programmed the music with a focus on core repertoire and superior recordings. Each announcer brought personal expertise to selecting featured music, alternate performances, artist tributes and unique recordings, as well as seasonal and date-specific programming.
Enhancing the 24-hour program stream were several weekly and daily shows and features. Weekdays, Kimberlea Daggy hosts The Daily Special at noon, and Charles Andrews unearths Buried Treasures at 8:00pm. On Sunday mornings, Stephanie Wendt presented Sacred Classics, featuring three hours of meditative music for the heart and mind. Contemporary classical music was explored every Saturday evening by Alan Chapman on Modern Masterpieces. The programming was regularly enhanced with holiday programming, new releases, composer profiles, and frequent appearances by artists in the classical music world.
CPRN programming was carried across the country on the following public radio stations: KUSC
KUSC
KUSC is a listener-supported classical music radio station broadcasting from downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. KUSC is owned and operated by the University of Southern California, which also operates student-run KXSC and San Francisco's classical station KDFC...
, Los Angeles; KVOD
KVOD
KVOD is a radio station broadcasting a classical music format. Licensed to Lakewood, Colorado, USA, it serves the Denver area. The station is currently owned by Public Broadcasting Of Colorado...
, Denver; WBHM
WBHM
WBHM is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format during the daytime and mostly classical music overnight. Licensed to Birmingham, Alabama, USA, the station serves the Birmingham area and through repeater WSGN also serves the Gadsden area. The station is licensed to the...
, Birmingham, AL; KBSU-FM
KBSU-FM
Boise State Public Radio is a broadcast service of Boise State University, which operates four programming services on several radio stations throughout western and southern Idaho and northern Nevada....
, Boise, ID; South Dakota Public Broadcasting
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
South Dakota Public Broadcasting, or SDPB for short, is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service Non-commercial educational Public television and NPR radio stations serving the state of South Dakota. The stations are operated by the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication, a...
, Vermillion, SD; High Plains Public Radio, Garden City, KS (KANZ
KANZ
High Plains Public Radio is a network of public radio stations serving the High Plains region of western Kansas, the Texas Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle and eastern Colorado. The network is headquartered in Garden City, Kansas and operates an additional studio in Amarillo, Texas.-History:High...
) and Amarillo, TX (KJJP
KJJP
KJJP is a radio station licensed to Amarillo, Texas. The station is owned by Kanza Society, Inc., and is an affiliate of the High Plains Public Radio network.-External links:*...
); KBYI
KBYI
KBYI is part of the group, and is found at 94.3 FM in Southeast Idaho. BYU-Idaho Radio originates from , in Rexburg, Idaho, USA, and comprises three stations:...
, Rexburg, ID; KWTU
KWTU
KWTU is a classical music radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Most of the station's classical programming comes from American Public Media's Classical 24, a 24-hour national service.. KWTU is owned and operated by The University of Tulsa which also owns NPR station KWGS...
, Tulsa, OK; WTEB
WTEB
WTEB is the flagship station for Public Radio East, a news and information radio network in eastern North Carolina. WTEB was launched in 1984, on the frequency 89.5, at 66 kW. Later the station moved to 89.3 and increased power to 100 kW. The station has won many awards, including...
, New Bern, NC; WFCR
WFCR
- WNNZ :WFCR provides a full-time NPR news/talk programming feed on WNNZ, 640 kHz, licensed to Westfield, Massachusetts, which was owned by Clear Channel Communications. WNNZ's grade B signal reaches into the Capital District of New York State....
, Amherst, MA; WOSU-FM
WOSU-FM
WOSU-FM — branded 89.7fm NPR News — is a National Public Radio news and talk radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio and serving the Columbus metro area. It is owned by Ohio State University. The station has multiple repeaters throughout the U.S...
, Columbus, OH; and on digital radio, WHYY-FM
WHYY-FM
WHYY-FM is an NPR member station serving the Delaware Valley area, which is the metro area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is located in Philadelphia. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.-History:...
, Philadelphia, PA, WJCT-FM
WJCT-FM
WJCT-FM is the NPR-member public radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. It is sister station to PBS member WJCT. The station has been on the air since 1972, and airs NPR news and talk during the week and a mix of news, talk, jazz and classical music on weekends....
, Jacksonville, FL and KDFC-FM, San Francisco.
Former client stations operate a total of 53 signals and reach more than one million listeners weekly. Programming was distributed to stations via the Public Radio Satellite System
Public Radio Satellite System
The Public Radio Satellite System is the interconnected satellite-distributed network managed by NPR , and used by NPR, Public Radio International , and American Public Media , as well as independent public radio program producers, to distribute programming via satellite to public radio stations...
.