In addition to the KDFC deal, the Opera has joined a coalition of opera companies whose performances will be broadcast nationally and internationally by the WFMT Radio Network in Chicago. "And the more we talked, the more we realized we were coming down to common ground that might work for both organizations." "We were able to help them see that with the change at San Francisco Opera, we were more populist, more fun and so on," Gockley said. But in the meantime, the company has developed a collaboration with KDFC - including Nicolini's presence as announcer for the company's live Plazacasts in the Civic Center Plaza - which persuaded him and Shane Gasbarra, the company's director of artistic and music administration, to try again. Gockley said he had been pursuing a number of options to bring the company back to the radio waves, including assembling a syndicate of several local public stations. With half a million listeners, it is the second-largest classical station in the country, behind New York's WQXR, and it consistently scores high in the Arbriton ratings.īut the format has been a harder sell among hard-core classical aficionados, and adding full-length opera back into the mix could help bring those listeners back more regularly. Contemporary or vocal offerings are rarely heard.įrom a financial perspective, that format has helped make KDFC one of the rare success stories in the increasingly marginal world of commercial classical radio. Under Program Director Bill Lueth, KDFC has put an emphasis on accessibility, offering short selections of instrumental music from the 18th and 19th centuries. The deal marks the return of opera programming to KDFC, which made waves in 1999 by dropping its live weekly broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. It begins with the highly acclaimed performance of Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" with soprano Karita Mattila in the title role and continues with operas by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Mozart and more. The first nine broadcasts, running through December, will include nearly all of last fall's opera season and selected performances from last summer and this coming summer. KDFC on-air personality Dianne Nicolini will host. Under a 14-month contract, productions recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House will air at 8 p.m.
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