KUSC Deejay Quits, Citing ‘Attacks’

Amid ongoing controversy over KUSC-FM’s departure from a traditional classical-music format and criticism of his casual style, afternoon drive-time host Tom Crann is quitting to return to his previous job in Buffalo, N.Y.

Crann, who joined KUSC (91.5) last June, said that there were several reasons for his decision, but prominent among them was that he simply had had enough of being subjected to “nasty, thoughtless personal attacks.”

“I think the people here are just louder and more vituperative and just less pleasant and they’re nastier,” Crann said. “I just don’t have much time for nasty people. . . . It’s not just the criticism, it’s the quality and the offensive nature of it. Criticizing one’s work--that’s one thing. But when people criticize you personally--which you open yourself up to when you’re on the radio--that’s a little harder to take.”

KUSC General Manager Wallace A. Smith, architect of the station’s effort to inject more personality into its classical-music format, expressed regret at Crann’s resignation and vowed to hire someone like him to fill the 3-6 p.m. weekday slot. Crann’s last day on the air will be May 8.

“We’ll try to find somebody that can replace Tom that will be equally charming and witty and personable,” Smith said. “We’ll try to find someone who represents that newer style and form of classical-music presentation.”

KUSC has been under fire for the past several years from many listeners and professionals in the classical-music field for its departure from the traditional format, a change that Smith has defended as being necessary to attract new and younger listeners to keep the franchise healthy. The bulk of the criticism has been directed at Crann and Bonnie Grice, the morning drive-time host (who is married to Smith), although each also has a cadre of supporters who find their chatty approach accessible and refreshing.

Crann, 27, who will be an afternoon host and production manager at classical-music WNED-FM in Buffalo, said that his decision to return there also was influenced by lifestyle considerations and a desire to be closer to his family.

“Did the negative criticism in general have something to do with my decision? Of course. But it wasn’t the only reason,” he said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “I wouldn’t want to give these petty people the satisfaction that they’ve driven me away. But they can believe what they want.”

Smith, however, sees it differently.

“They got their wish,” Smith said of KUSC’s critics. “They drove him out of town, which I think is real sad. . . . He didn’t have that experience in New York; he was more positively received there. He’s wondering why he should be taking that when he could go back home and be loved.”

Crann--who emphasized that he is not a musicologist, but a music appreciator--defended his informal on-air style as a means of drawing a younger audience to classical music.

“You see, people my age are used to a very different style of radio,” he said. “When they listen to a traditional classical station, they are put off by the affectations, the pomposity, the deadly dullness, the convention of it. They are used to radio that is more of a companion, that is quicker-paced, that, like it or not, is a little less serious and profound.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t play serious and profound music,” Crann added. “We need to reach a newer audience and make them feel more comfortable with listening to the music, without, hopefully, debasing ourselves in the process. And I don’t think we’ve even come close.

“There’s nothing wrong with sharing enthusiasm about Mozart. I’ve decided to enjoy being on the air and enjoy sharing my love of classical music. If I’m to be criticized for that, then so be it.”