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Times Co. Sells WQXR, City's Sole Classical-Only Station
By
Jon Hill
Published Jul 15, 2009
Modified Jul 15, 2009
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By
Jon Hill
Published Jul 15, 2009
Modified Jul 15, 2009
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The Great New York Times Company Fire Sale of 2009 continues this week as the media company announced Tuesday it has sold WQXR-FM, the last classical-only radio station in New York. In a deal worth $45 million, WNYC and Univision will take over operation of the station but won't change its format, pledging to continue its broadcast partnerships with the Philharmonic, Met, and Juilliard. What listeners are likely to notice is a change in WQXR's spot on the dial—105.9 will be the new home for the station. It's also going to be broadcasting a weaker signal, which will reach about 4.5 million fewer people. So, with its future a little more certain, now all WQXR has to do is find funding, and WNYC's already raising money on that front, having begun a campaign to pay for the station that concert pianist Emanuel Ax calls "the sonic equivalent of saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecker’s ball."
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