At a recent PRPD conference there was a lot of discussion about how to bring public radio music programming to life. The fear is that downloading and services like Pandora will make music on Public Radio obsolete. Some of the discussion has been about picking the right music. More of the discussion has been about how to engage the audience. After all, a public radio service depends on listener support to sustain itself. The music service must be engaging enough to motivate listeners to support the programming. That means not only a consistently appealing selection of music, but hosts that can connect the music to the listener.
Susan Campbell's column in the Hartford Courant brought this into focus. In music, there are shared moments that can reach the soul. During the presentation by the Interfaith Amigos, a Rabbi, a Christian Minister and a sheik, they talked about their continuing dialog. They're bringing their message of love for one another that is a big part of the three Abrahamic faiths. Campbell wrote in her column, "And then? Something happened. The audience joined in, and back in the sinners' section where I sat, they even swayed to the music, and that's not just people who were alive when that 1933 song was big. These were kids, too. People looked at one another like they couldn't believe they were sitting in a Hartford church singing an old song, and then? They opened their mouths and belted out the chorus." "Mackenzie and his friends are onto something. You sing together, it's hard to hate."
Public radio programming, when done well, can tap into that sense of community. Well thought out topical connections can put the music into context, and at times reach something in all of us. A musical jukebox like Pandora can't go there. Public radio music programmers, producers and hosts can pick all the right stuff but, by putting the music in the right context we can create moments when the music can mean something more.
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