Opera violations

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April 18th: I wrote WRR about the abysmal commercials that disrupt the live feed from New York of the Metropolitan Opera Saturdays during the winter and spring. They drive me crazy. Opera is sacred to my soul. Texaco sponsored this thing for so long, dated back to before I was born even. Mama always said I got my love of music from her: She listened to the opera broadcasts while I was inside her!!!! But I just had to write WRR and let them know they were allowing a scrolled to occur!


April 18th: I wrote WRR about the abysmal commercials that disrupt the live feed from New York of the Metropolitan Opera Saturdas during the winter and spring.

Sirs:
 
I know you have heard this before, but the commercial messages that interrupt the Met Broadcast each Saturday this year are an abomination. Not only does it break the mood of the broadcast, it covers up valuable information that us opera lovers find indispensable. For many this is the most sacred time of all radio that we have. It is a deep annoyance at least, and a most, a slap in the jaw!!!!
 
I am going to pass this message to all those that advertise, even the cultural societies, and the Campbell Art Gallery, to name one I know and love, even, people that ought to know better. They and WRR ought to be ashamed of their insensitivity.
 
Some of us are too poor to ever get to see a Met performance live again (or ever),[sob sob poor me] and this outlet has been a life-long habit for me and many other old and new opera buffs. These wonderful broadcasts should not be ruined with the dead beat commercial distractions. I will never buy another drop of Texaco again, for abandoning us, and not support the companies that demand their commercials to be played while valuable opera programing is in progress. Sometimes even the music is covered over!!!
 
Intolerable, it is, and insulting.
 
Faithful listener, anyway
 
Preston Faggart
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Isaacs reply:


Mr. Faggart,
 
Since Texaco dropped their long-term exclusive sponsorship of the Met, it’s been up to those stations who wish to carry the broadcasts to find sponsors.
 
In perspective, an average four-hour Met broadcast includes about five commercials.  That same four-hour time frame during mid-day Saturday,  with no Met broadcast, would include up to 40 commercials—quite a difference!
 
As we look ahead to next season’s broadcasts, we will certainly evaluate all financial options available to us to fund such broadcasts and keep any commercial interruptions to a minimum.
 
Gary Isaacs
 
Gary M. Isaacs
Sales Manager
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My response:


Thanks Mr. Isaacs,  appreciate your reply, and I do understand the problem.  Last week the broadcast of "Marriage of Figaro" was much better.  Fewer commercials.  Better placed!  Considering the nature of the live feed from New York and all.....  But the intermission features are important to us also. The Met does a complete package.    We were just spoiled by the Texico sponsorship all those years. They understood this.   I wish those wind-fall profits from the high gas prices were put into opera sponsorship.  

Like a lot of your listeners I am a supporter of public radio, and their broadcasts at KERA are to me the golden standard, knowing you cannot do that.  Maybe some of us opera lovers could start a fund to buy commercial time and have anti-commercials... let the streaming feed flow!!!!  That would take a real campaign, of course.

Over all, WRR is still the best commercial station on the air for many of us and long may it live and thrive!!!

Preston

PS.   I wish the Saturday afternoon operas could continue all year.  Guest hosts could present recordings of their favorite classics would be nice....

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Gary’s reply:
 
Mr. Faggart,
 
Believe me….we are VERY open to the concept of a non-commercial broadcast of the Met for this next season---if we can find a company(s) to help underwrite the program.
 
If you know of any firms which love the cultural arts as much as we all do, please advise me and you and I can begin to work out this concept.  Thanks for your loyalty to WRR and thanks for being open to a new idea!
 
Gary