Community Group Looks to Keep Jazz on Radio

Representatives of "Jazz Lives in Pittsburgh," a group of jazz fans, educators and performers met with officials of Essential Public Media Thursday to discuss the future of jazz on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh.
Essential Public Media is a partnership between WYEP-FM and Public Media Company, a non-profit created by Colorado-based Public Radio Capital and has signed an asset purchase agreement to buy the license for 90.5 from Duquesne University.
Jazz Lives in Pittsburgh Chairman Evan Pattak says he met with Marco Cardamone and Lee Ferraro, the board chair and general manager of WYEP respectively. Pattak say he was pleased that they met with his group but they received "mixed signals" about the future of locally-hosted jazz on 90.5. Pattak says he was told that there would be jazz but there was not a commitment to jazz on the main channel of 90.5...
"I can't say that. They indicated that some jazz would be part of the package. They also indicated they're exploring different technologies as a delivery system."

Pattak says no specifics were mentioned about the delivery system but that could mean on a secondary HD channel or via the Internet.

Pattak says they recognize that new ownership might want to change the programming which currently features more than 100 hours of jazz per week. So, he says they suggested 6 hours of jazz per day on the main 90.5 channel but received no commitment but that EPM would take it under advisement.