Dwindling Fans Led to ‘Playhouse’s’ Demise

In response to the Counterpunch of July 30 (“Can Radio Drama Be Tuned Out So Easily?,” by Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason), I want to explain why we canceled “KCRW Playhouse.”

The audience for the program had been steadily declining over the past several years. It drew fewer listeners than any other program currently airing on the station between 6 a.m. and midnight.

Yet our audience for National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” continues to grow. And our recent dramatization of Walter Mosley’s novel “Black Betty” attracted an enthusiastic, diverse listenership.

Radio drama is not ending at KCRW. The station will produce a new Mosley mystery. We are currently selecting material for a new story series, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. We intend to continue producing and broadcasting live radio performances.

This year, our studio co-production of “Ten by Maugham,” a 10-hour collection of short stories by W. Somerset Maugham, received a first-place Audie Award from the Audio Publishers Assn.

The audience for “Playhouse” was declining at the very same time that the station’s audience was growing. And other cultural programs on KCRW--”Bookworm,” “The Treatment,” “The Politics of Culture,” “This American Life,” “Studio 360,” “Fresh Air”--are also doing well.

“Playhouse” went off the air in April--18 weeks ago. But until a Los Angeles Times story appeared on July 24 (“Radio Drama Troupe Assails KCRW’s Cancellation of ‘Playhouse,”’ by Elaine Dutka), the station had received few inquiries.

When KCRW notified L.A. Theatre Works in March that it was replacing the series, the station offered to continue its funding through the end of the season. The station would continue paying for the productions, the group would have the cassettes and CDs to sell and the time to make other arrangements. L.A. Theatre Works accepted the offer. But it evidently chose not to notify the actors, nor did it inform its theater audiences until the very end of its season, even though the programs had been off the air for months.

KCRW is an important resource for this community. It has managed to create an audience from 18 to 60-plus, an audience that crosses generations. I do not apologize for the large numbers of younger listeners in our audience. We are introducing another generation to public broadcasting, and we are proud of it.

We partner with the L.A. Opera, the L.A. Philharmonic, the Getty Museum, the Museum of Television & Radio and UCLA. These organizations understand how necessary it is to build a younger audience for the arts.

RUTH SEYMOUR

General Manager, KCRW-FM

Santa Monica