KFAC: GOOD RIDDANCE

You folks have certainly made it clear that you don’t approve of the changes at KFAC.

In two weeks, you’ve published two condemnatory articles (three, if you count Marc Shulgold’s recollections that went with Dennis McDougal’s “Dismay in the Voices Dismissed at KFAC,” Jan. 15), followed by a group of letters from irate listeners (Calendar Letters, Jan. 18).

Enough.

Yes, KFAC is a venerable station. Yes, it helped introduce classical music to Los Angeles. Yes, the personnel were fired awkwardly, to say the least.

In fairness, though, you really should mention that until the new management took over, KFAC was a civic embarrassment.

It was a station where musical works were happily torn to pieces--a movement here, a few bars there--and shoved in between commercials. Where announcers plainly in love with their own voices prattled as if paid by the word. Where Nino Rota movie scores were dished up with the same reverence as Beethoven symphonies. Where commercials occupied about a third of the air-time and no effort was made to weed out the ones with hard-rock scores. KFAC never ceased to demean the very music it professed to love.

You’ll forgive me if I don’t miss any of that. I’ll miss Karl Haas and Doug Ordunio. That’s about it.

DANIEL WILCOX

Los Angeles