As I go about my day, I find a number of people unaware of a classic music station available on our radios. For the past few years, AllClassical FM from Portland has been broadcasting on two frequencies for The Dalles area; 88.1 which we share with the Hood River area and through the Gorge to Cascade Locks and 96.3 which I myself prefer since it seems to receive the best reception in the downtown area as well as next to the larger stores on the west end. The station also broadcasts on the web from their web site AllClassical.org.
I bring this up for a few reasons, mainly because I enjoy classic music and through the station I can receive it 24 hours a day, every day — and I have learned I share that love with others who are now discovering the station.
The hosts are personable and knowledgeable; they bring interesting facts and history into their discussions of the various selections they play. They do have a few corporate sponsors that they have advertisements for, but it is uncanned, short in duration and done by the on-air hosts.
They play classics of all eras and composers from the famous such as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, along with my personal favorites Copeland and Wagner, to the many dozens of lesser known masters. Opera, choral music, symphonies from the movies are all intertwined in their selections. It is a station well worth listening to if you like classical music.
The last reason, and why I send this letter today, is they are a not-for-profit, stand-alone (no affiliation with any other station, company or school) independent radio station and the only one of this genre and individuality in our area.
They rely on donations from the public, which amounts to about 90-plus percent of their funding to continue in operation. Currently they are on a fund raising drive to make sure this music continues for our enjoyment.
If you have not listened to them, I encourage you to do so; once you have listened to them I also encourage you to donate to the station to keep the music coming to us here in The Dalles area, and throughout our region.
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