Classical KUSC 4+

I downloaded the KUSC app when they began to promote the Classical Holiday Music Playlist in 2019 and I just loved it! I enjoyed it again in 2020, I wish it was a perpetual playlist!

The Classical California Movie Music Playlist they created this year for Oscar season has been equally as great, though I do wish they would include more actual movie music scores than soundtracks of classical music used for the movies. Current movie music composers such as Danny Elfman, Thomas, David and Randy Newman and Hans Zimmer have as much music to draw from as the well known and beloved John Williams, and newer composer Michael Giacchino has more movie music to utilize than just the score from ‘Up’ which has been in heavy rotation. And how about the great Max Steiner?! I’d love to see the movie music playlist expanded next year to share actual scored movie music than to hear the same classical music played in the regular rotation. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing Beethoven and Mozart but it’s time to include ORIGINAL movie scores as classical music.

If KUSC can play Gershwin (which was a marriage of Jazz with a classical music orchestra) then including more music by ALL the movie music composers would be a great step in a great direction, especially when movie music might be the first entry to classical music for young folks. Let’s foster classical music in the young!

I have been listening to your wonderful station music beginning with my preteen years. My angel of a mother saved up Blue Chip stamps, we glued them into the books, then over time went to the Blue Chip stamp store. It was our special project, just the two of us. She asked me to pick out anything I wanted. My choice was a transistor eight radio using 9 Volt batteries. I tuned around to the various stations and stopped at 91.5, KUSC, and never moved the dial again. Your wonderful playlist gave me endless pleasure and enjoyment, getting through the difficult times and challenges. There was no music of any kind in our home whatsoever. Nothing. your station placed me into a wonderful world, and there my journey of classical knowledge began. This has continued now for over six decades. Thank you for providing and sharing an outstanding service to the community and now to the world. You are the best, first and last! Mary Lou, Escondido, California

I like classical music, and KUSC is the only classical station in L. A. I have been listening to and supporting the station for over 40 years. Recent changes in the station have forced me to become critical for the first time: playing excerpts from symphonies and concertos instead of playing the entire piece. Ex: They play the second movement of The New World Symphony instead of all of The New World Symphony. Every 3-4 pieces of music are played without telling the audience the name of the piece, or the composer until it is over. They have “listener requests” in the morning, early and late afternoon- usually with a description of why the listener likes that music. I don’t want to hear what listener request or what they like about the music. I just want to turn on the radio and hear classical music - like I have for decades. They have added another feature - have the audience vote for their 250 favorite pieces of music. The station invites listeners to vote at least twice an hour all day long. After hearing the request to vote 9-10 times in a day it becomes very annoying - day after day! Just play classical music!