‘New’ KFAC Sparks Many Fond Memories of the ‘Old’

I grew up with KFAC--the “old” KFAC. The KFAC of “Piano Parade,” “Sunset Serenade,” “Evening Concert,” etc.

One of my most cherished memories is of KFAC coming through an ugly black-and-gold Packard Bell table radio during family meals. Sometimes my father would turn down the volume when the next piece was announced so we could all play “Name the Composer.”

Perhaps more than the programs--even more than the timeless music I grew to know and love--my clearest memories of the station are of the announcers who, decade after decade, remained a constant fixture on the radio. I had never met them, never seen them. Yet, Tom Dixon, Fred Crane, Carl Princi and Thomas Cassidy were a part of my household.

Later, as a college student, I answered the station’s invitation to become a charter member of the KFAC Listeners’ Guild, and attended an introductory meeting at a packed Ahmanson Theatre. Public response was so enormous, we were told, that three sessions had to be scheduled in the hall.

One by one the announcers were introduced to the crowd. The voices suddenly had faces. Seated at a long table onstage, Dixon, Crane, et al. appeared rather uneasy suddenly thrust in the public eye. I, too, felt a bit odd as I gazed at them. I recall muttering to myself, “They look like the chairmen of the board.” Radio was supposed to be hip and young and slick. These guys were none of the above. The more I thought about it, though, the more that appealed to me.

I think of those faces as I listen to the hip, young, slick announcers now in place at the “new” KFAC. The voices recite the repertory just fine, they gamely fight off the stuffy classical-music image by offering spontaneous attempts at glib humor and friendly chit-chat.

I’m not offended by the new staff. But somehow, listening remains an unsettling experience.

Oh, sure, Cassidy is still around, although it appears that a contractual arrangement with a sponsor is all that spared his head from the chopping block. And, of course, the classical format remains intact, even improved. I personally prefer the stronger emphasis on lengthier pieces.

But I’m not comfortable with the “new” KFAC right now.

I’ve read and heard so much about the changeover, how callously those veterans of the airwaves were yanked from their jobs and put to pasture. No doubt my shock and anger will pass.

It could be worse--a lot worse--I remind myself. The station could have gone all-rock or all-news or all-aerobics.

The new management could have opted for a canned format, like an FM station in San Francisco, on which a lifeless monotone announces, “Flute Concerto in D. Franz Josef Haydn. 1771.”

But it could also be better. We all know how cruel, cold-hearted and cutthroat the radio ratings wars can get. Voices come and go, stations come and go. In retrospect, the multi-decade tenure of Crane and Dixon and Princi must stand as one of the airwaves’ major miracles. And that’s just the point.

These men deserve a better fate. We’re not talking about a testimonial with speeches and a gold watch--although enough grateful listeners might again fill the Ahmanson for such an event.

No, all that’s missing here is a simple show of respect. Not just for the announcers who’ve lost their jobs, but for the thousands of listeners who feel they’ve lost some old friends.