On January 22, 2007, WETA-FM became Washington, D.C.’s broadcast home for classical music. Due to a planned format switch by another radio station, Washington was about to lose its only full-time media outlet for classical music and the leadership of WETA made the decision to commit itself to providing classical music on the airwaves to the Greater Washington Community.
Now seventeen years later, WETA Classical boasts a quarter of a million weekly local listeners (Source: Nielsen Audio) to its radio signal. And each month, over 60,000 listeners across the United States and in 12 countries tune into WETA Classical’s digital stream.
Each service WETA Classical provides, on-air and off-air, is guided by our public service mission to bring this rich musical tradition to the widest audience possible. WETA Classical’s listenership crosses generations from young children to seniors. We take our mission very seriously and are proud to share our musical resources and expertise with the Washington community and beyond. A radio, a smartphone, or a smart speaker are all you need to access hundreds of hours of some of the most beautiful music ever created. Music selected by humans and presented by humans for humans.
Our audience is passionate about WETA Classical, and we are constantly reminded through email and personal interactions with listeners just how important the station is to them. For some, WETA Classical is on in their homes throughout the day providing companionship and a calm and civil environment for everyday activities. For others, the car is their concert hall and WETA Classical is there to accompany their drive with music.
The WETA Classical audience is also motivated to support the station with financial contributions all of which are essential to keep the music and services alive. It is through listener support that WETA Classical has been able to thrive for the past 17 years and it will be listener support that will sustain the station for years to come.
What’s On?
In addition to our core programming, WETA Classical also delivers special music programming and features to our community of listeners:
Front Row Washington – Monday nights at 9:
Produced and hosted by John Banther, Front Row Washington is a showcase of music performances recorded live at local venues across the DMV.
Choral Showcase – Sunday nights at 9:
Bill Bukowski presents a wide range of choral music from Gregorian chant to modern masterpieces.
NSO Showcase – The first Wednesday evening of each month at 9:
Nicole Lacroix hosts these monthly concerts by the world-renowned National Symphony Orchestra recorded by WETA Classical in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Opera Matinee – Saturday afternoons at 1:
Hosted by Linda Carducci, Opera Matinee features productions by leading opera companies from the U.S. and around the world including the entire broadcast season of the Met Opera in New York.
VivaLaVoce – The Station That Sings!
WETA Classical’s digital sister station, WETA VivaLaVoce, celebrates the human voice 24/7 with presentations of opera, art song, and choral music. Like WETA Classical, VivaLaVoce is available as one of our HD Radio channels, streaming at wetaclassical.org, or on the WETA Classical app.
Opera at Eight – Daily at 8 p.m. on VivaLaVoce:
VivaLaVoce treats opera lovers to an evening opera every day taken from WETA Classical’s vast collection of recorded music.
Your guide to classical music, Classical Breakdown is a bi-weekly podcast produced and hosted by John Banther that gives listeners fun and rewarding explorations into a wide range of classical music subjects including composers, musical genres, history, instruments, and performer profiles. Now in its sixth season, Classical Breakdown is a treasure trove of information designed to enrich the classical music listening experience. Since its beginning in September 2019, Classical Breakdown has been downloaded over 600,000 times.
Take Note is an online resource for students and educators that takes advantage of the large archive of published Classical Breakdown podcasts. The podcasts are organized by theme or topic and paired with student activities to provide a meaningful educational experience for anyone interested in learning more about classical music.
The newest addition to WETA Classical’s roster of services, Classical Score, is a clearinghouse of information about classical music. Readers can learn more about what is playing on WETA Classical and about concerts around the local area. There are also interviews with music makers and other posts by WETA Classical staff and guest bloggers.
Social Media
WETA Classical maintains a robust presence on social media with artist profiles and special features all of which can be found on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.
The Need
Without financial support from listeners, none of our work would be possible.
But with the support of WETA Classical’s audience, our streams and services will continue to flourish and expand into the future.
WETA Passport
Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.