McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

August 28, 2009

KBCW celebrates a decade of class

From submitted reports

The late McAlester banker and philanthropist Wanda Bass and her husband, Clark, paved the way for the broadcasting of classical music over the airwaves to McAlester and southeast Oklahoma 10 years ago when they added a $50,000 gift to the $96,275 U.S. Deparment of Commerce grant that allowed for the installation of satellite-uplink equipment and the introduction of classical music radio station KBCW.

The station, whose call letters stand for “Bass, Clark and Wanda,” is a repeater station based in McAlester. All of its programming originates from KCSC FM 90.1, Oklahoma’s only all-classical public radio station, located on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. KCSC aired its first broadcast in 1966.

One of Oklahoma’s five public radio stations, KCSC stays true to public radio standards, keeping itself non-commercial, and while many other stations have changed formats, KCSC has remained steadfast to its roots and focused on classical music. The station is funded by listener contributions, foundation grants, business underwriting, the University of Central Oklahoma, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

It was one of Bass’s dreams to provide McAlester and the southeastern Oklahoma with classical music, and today, the station has acquired many members from that area. Station manager Brad Ferguson and his staff often think of their former board member, and speak of her during their two annual on-air fund drives, especially in their appeals to classical music enthusiasts in the McAlester area for funding.

“There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think of Wanda and the legacy she left, both in McAlester and here in central Oklahoma, especially in the area of classical music,” Ferguson said. “We are determined to keep and improve the service KBCW renders to McAlester well into the future.”

Programming on KSCS KBCW includes St. Paul Sunday, Sing for Joy, From the Top, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Retrospective, Exploring Music, Hearts of Space, With Heart and Voice, Cleveland Orchestra, and the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera.

Locally produced programming includes Filmscapes, a film lover’s delight; the acoustical folksy Different Roads; and Performance Oklahoma, a Sunday afternoon program highlighting Oklahoma concerts including the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and OKMozart.

In 1995, the station was named as recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award for its support of the arts in Oklahoma and its achievements in contributing to the cultural climate of the state.

The staff who runs KCSC is dedicated, and, judging by the longevity of its members at the station, has no interest in leaving.

Ferguson greets listeners at 6 a.m. and plays shorter, lighter pieces of music, followed by afternoons when listeners will hear longer and heavier pieces until drivetime, when the playlist returns to a lighter fare.

Other announcers at KCSC include Teresa Brekke, Kimberely Powell, Tory Troutman, Ralph Wise, and Lane Whitesell.

“The station’s mission is twofold: to provide the best in classical music programming and to continue the support of the arts community,” Ferguson said.

Those who work at the station do so in memory of Wanda Bass. They smile a little when they walk through a station hallway and see a photo of Bass on the framed memory of a past fundraiser.

“She considered it her gift to lay down the foundation for KBCW a decade ago,” Ferguson said, “as well as an investment in the future.”

“She felt that music was an essential element in being human,” added Mark Parker, dean of the Bass School of Music.

Towards the end of her life, Bass faced many health-related challenges, but her love for KCSC and classical music never wavered. She kept the radio by her bedside until her death in February of 2008.

It was tuned to 90.1 FM.

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