MOVIE OF THE NIGHT Television The Bravo Odd at 8 Couple (1968) cal format of BBC 3. "We made a deal with them to teach us, then we adapted it and Americanized says Tony Rudel, vice president of classical programing for SW Networks. "Their database was loaded up with composers like Elgar, Walton and Britten. We replaced that with Copland, Barber and Gershwin." However, the main difference is in the presentation, not the playlist. "We call it 'classical music for the rest of us' for those who don't have 20 years of Juilliard says Rudel, once head of programing at WQXR 96.3 FM.
"A lot of people never even had Music 101, but they like Vivaldi. They say, 'Hey that's Classic FM filled its on-air staff with personalities who won't be ashamed to say, "Hey, that's pretty," or words to that effect. Rather than look for classical veterans, Rudel explains, the network "went for people who did good radio" and provided them with a crash course in such niceties as the proper pronunciation of The disc jockeys, to use the vulgar term, include Ken Dashow and Dennis Elsas, who will continue to hold down their weekend rock shifts on WNEW 102.7 FM. In a recent test broadcast, Dashow gave an indication of his approach by noting that bits of Handel's "Water Music" should be familiar from their use on television public-affairs shows. "People may not realize there's classical music all around them in movies, TV, cartoons," Rudel says.
"Ken came out of the studio one day and said to me, 'It was great I just did Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny back to back. He meant Chopin and Since public radio stations WNYC /93.9 FM and WSHU-FM 91.1 FM (with translators at 91.3, 103.3 and 105.7) already offer classical alternatives to commercial WQXR, it's hard to see a potential Classic FM affiliate in this area. But who knows? "Our theory is that station owners are looking for something new," Rudel says. "I really hope some rock station will go classical." Hmm. Maybe hard-rocking WAXQ 104.3 will revert to its classical days as WNCN.
Stranger things have happened, even if we can't think of one offhand. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as Oscar and Felix. Taking Gospel to the Highest Level By Terry Kelleher Classical Gas successful commercial alternative to the stuffier classi- ID AM not, Of doesn't YOU as wants you course, LOSE to question see the know. your fit. your But Mineola religion? right Gary to gospel Tee, WTHE worship the station 1520 new or general manager, has chosen "Did You Lose Your Religion? (Come Back)" as one of WTHE's image-boosting slogans, along with "Feel the Power," "Hear the Voice" and, most important, "Gospel Radio With a Though it's only a sunup-to-sundown operation, Tee says WTHE's "great signal" covers Nassau County and western Suffolk, as well as parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
(By contrast, the gospel sound of the more prominent WWRL 1600 AM, with studios in Queens, has limited Long Island reach.) Now he's signaling his intention to raise the station's profile through promotion, print advertising and increased community involvement, particularly with the African-Americans who make up its primary audience. "This has been a very profitable station with nobody hearing about it," says Tee, former station manager at WGBB 1240 AM. "I can't wait to see what we do with somebody hearing about it." In the month since Tee took charge, WTHE has been airing announcements asking listeners to tell the station their likes and dislikes. The aim is for morning personality Connie Johnson Brown and 2-to-6 p.m. host Darren Greggs to accommodate as wide a range of musical tastes as possible from "traditional quartet gospel to choir gospel to contemporary gospel that involves some rap and while middays remain reserved for purchased-time religious programing.you hear people say you can't please everybody," Tee says.
"Well, we're going to try to please everybody." As evidence, he promises "old-time Aretha Franklin tunes" while raising the possibility of "adding some white Christian artists Amy Grant, stuff like that." "We're going to take gospel to the highest level," Tee vows. And that's almighty high. Two weeks ago in this space, we were talking about the ways classical radio stations can reach the listener who has open ears but a low classical I.Q. As if on cue, Classic FM U.S. debuted Monday with an initial station lineup of WBKK in Albany, WFMR in Milwaukee and WFGR in Grand Rapids, Mich.
A 24- hour satellite service from Sony's SW Networks, Classic FM U.S. is a Yank version of Classic FM U.K., a AROUND THE DIAL WDRE 92.7 FM has ousted program director Russ Mottla in the wake of the spring-quarter Arbitron ratings, which saw the Garden Citybased "underground" rock station's share of the Nassau-Suffolk audience sink to a subterranean 0.7. (WDRE's programing is also heard on 98.5 FM in Westhampton, and via satellite in Albany, Philadelphia, Memphis and Little Rock.) General manager Dan Zako says WDRE will take its time choosing Mottla's successor. Meanwhile, management is giving WDRE a "more familiar" sound and phasing out the "Underground Network" identity it introduced early in the year WABC 770 AM's Lionel, whose ratings continue a slow but steady climb in morning drive, returns to the Brokerage in Bellmore Saturday night for another of his live comedy gigs Celebrating the first anniversary of its boost from 1,000 to 25,000 watts and its affiliation with National Public Radio, WPBX 88.3 in Southampton will hold a cocktail reception for invited guests Saturday at the Meadow Club. Linda Wertheimer, cohost of "All Things Considered," and NPR foreign correspondent Tom Gjelten will be on hand.
Next Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m., the station throws a party at its Southampton College location to thank members, underwriters and contributors to the "Buy-a-Watt" fund-raising campaign. NPR correspondent Anne Garrels will be there. CBS Hopes Patinkin Won't Quit 'Chicago' Entirely he ELL, turned veteran Mandy gone? IS in HE a stage gone Patinkin, stand-out actor or isn't per- who the formance as a high-strung and somewhat unbalanced surgeon on CBS's "Chicago Hope" last season, is expected to leave the show next fall after the first eight episodes. But a spokeswoman for Patinkin and the show said yesterday that he may return for additional episodes. "He would like to come back for more," the spokeswoman said, adding that a final decision "just isn't quite there yet.
It may be the end or it may not be. He just has to play it by ear." Pantinkin has said he wants to spend more time with his family in New York. Because of his production schedule on the show which is shot at the Twentieth-Century Fox lot in Los Angeles -he was unable to spend much time with them last year. However, Pantikin reportedly signed a contract for 22 episodes. At the press tour in Pasadena Saturday, CBS Entertainment president Leslie Moonves, when asked about Patinkin's status, said, "Mandy right now is committed to the first eight episodes.
Past that, we're not He added, "We could hold him but we are discussing that B53 PART STAFF WRITER By Verne Gay STAFF WRITER NBC-PBS DEAL. As they did in 1992, PBS' "MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour and NBC News announced yesterday that they will again collaborate on coverage of the 1996 political conventions. Details have yet to be worked out, but it's expected the coverage will resemble 1992's, in which PBS' Jim Lehrer and NBC's Tom Brokaw hosted alternating segments. BOOK 'EM. Two high-profile authors, John Grisham and Larry McMurtry, were on hand at the TV Critics Tour in Pasadena Monday to tout the new CBS series "John Grisham's The Client" and the miniseries "Streets of respectively.
Grisham said he would be peripherally involved, perhaps suggesting story ideas for "The Client," which he called the only one of his novels that lends itself to an ongoing series. Asked how he feels about adaptations of his work, Grisham quoted this advice from Stephen King: "When you deal with Hollywood, you, get all the money you can up front, you kiss goodbye, and you expect it to be something different." "Streets of Laredo" is McMurtry's sequel to "Lonesome with a prequel, "Dead Man's Walk," to begin prepping next month for a May ABC telecast. McMurtry suggested that CBS, having lost out on that project, would have "another chance" at a second prequel in the works. Variety ANIMATED BLUES BROTHERS. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's widow have taken steps to turn the Blues Brothers into a prime-time animated series through a deal with Film Roman, producer of animation for "The Simpsons" and "The Critic." Aykroyd would serve as the voice of his original character, Elwood Blues, with James Belushi providing the voice of his late brother's persona, Jake Blues.
Variety Compiled from staff, trade and wire reports. TONIGHT ON TV Northern Exposure (WCBS 2 at 9) airs its final original episode, ending a memorable five-year run. Dateline NBC (WNBC 4 at 9) examines the hot-button issue of affirmative action. Prime Time Live (WABC 7 at 10) investigates crime in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In the Spotlight (WNET 13 at 10) presents singersongwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, in performance from Wolf Trap, Va. of Patinkin as Dr. Geiger on 'Chicago Hope' right now." Patinkin, who plays Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, is as intense offscreen as he is on; he once complained directly to Don Ohlmeyer, NBC Entertainment's presidentWest Coast, when NBC decided to air a rerun R's" two-hour pilot opposite "Chicago Hope" on a Monday night. Production on the show's new season gets under way shortly.
NEWSDAY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 26. 1995.
