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WVIK Classical Debuts May 1

CEO and General Manager Jared Johnson
WVIK News
CEO and General Manager Jared Johnson

Beginning May lst, classical music will have its own radio station in the Quad Cities. Tuesday WVIK announced the upcoming launch of WVIK Classical.

CEO and General Manager Jared Johnson says after 43 years of sharing the 90.3 fm frequency with news and talk programs, classical music will move to 98.3 fm full time. But he emphasizes that because of so much competition, the new station will be more than just music.

"That's why WVIK Classical will not just be a computer playlist running classical music on autopilot. This new station will be a one stop shop for news and information about everything going on in our region's vibrant arts community."

The Executive Director of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, LaDrina Wilson, says the arts and culture are an important part of the local economy.

"And so while this may seem like an opportunity specific to public radio and WVIK, I also see it as a broader opportunity to connect us outside of this region, to show us as the arts and culture hub that we truly are and can be."

QCSO Conductor and Music Dir. Mark Russell Smith appeared remotely for the WVIK announcement. QCSO cellist Liz Logan played before and during the event.
WVIK News
QCSO Conductor and Music Dir. Mark Russell Smith appeared remotely for the WVIK announcement. QCSO cellist Liz Logan played before and during the event.

And Johnson calls this the most important strategic move by WVIK since the station first signed on in 1980.

"When they want news, WVIK will be there for them at 90.3 fm, WVIK News. And when they want music, arts, and culture, maybe a little escape from the news, WVIK will also be there for them at 98.3 fm, WVIK Classical."

Tuesday WVIK also announced the promotion of Johnson from interim general manager, to general manager and ceo. He succeeds Jay Pearce who retired last fall.

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.
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