Note: a version of this piece originally appeared in the Traverse City Record-Eagle as part of the "Tuning In" series.
Longtime public radio listeners will remember the syndicated program “Adventures in Good Music with Karl Haas,” which was broadcast for nearly half a century. The show always began with Haas playing the second movement of Beethoven’s “Pathetique” piano sonata, followed by his trademark greeting, “Hello, everyone.”
Haas stopped producing new episodes in 2002 at the age of 89, and he died two years later. Radio stations around the United States continued broadcasting “Adventures in Good Music” until 2007; that is, five years after any new episodes had been produced and three years after Haas’s death.
I have heard that, both at IPR and at other stations around the country, listeners were everything from devastated to infuriated when syndication of “Adventures in Good Music” finally stopped.
What is a station supposed to do when the host of a long-running program dies? Is there a point when it becomes inappropriate to continue airing programs in the voice of a person who is no longer alive?
We’re facing this issue head-on right now at Classical IPR following the death of Bill McGlaughlin, who had hosted the beloved syndicated program “Exploring Music” for 22 years. “Exploring Music” was widely regarded as the successor to “Adventures in Good Music,” by the way.
Earlier this year, the WFMT Radio Network announced that Bill McGlaughlin would no longer host “Exploring Music.” The Chicago Tribune reported that WFMT had not renewed McGlaughlin’s contract.
WFMT continues to feed previous episodes of “Exploring Music” hosted by McGlaughlin to Classical IPR and other stations around the country even after he had departed as host.
Sadly, Bill McGlaughlin died this past July.
I’m left with a sticky situation.
Do we continue to pay the syndication fee to WFMT for reruns of “Exploring Music” featuring a host who is no longer alive? Is there a point where the fact that the host is dead outweighs the educational and entertainment value of a program?
I have heard from some listeners that they will gladly listen to reruns of episodes hosted by McGlaughlin in perpetuity. Others have said they find it a bit morbid that McGlaughlin’s shows continue to be broadcast following his death.
The night before McGlaughlin’s death was announced this summer, I had been listening to an episode of “Exploring Music” in which McGlaughlin was interviewing the composer Stephen Paulus.
Paulus died in 2014, so I knew that the episode I was hearing was at least 12 years old. I remember feeling uncomfortable listening to it because I knew Paulus had been gone a long time, and it felt a bit surreal to hear him being spoken of in the present tense.
I feel a similar twinge now whenever I hear reruns of “Exploring Music” hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. It makes me wonder if there’s a realistic amount of time to keep airing a show after the host has died before it’s most respectful to bring it to a close.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Email me at amanda.sewell@interlochen.org
