Musicians Protest Jazz Cuts at WGBH Radio

Hundreds attended the funeral held Thursday, July 5 outside the studios of "public" radio station WGBH in Brighton, organized by community/independent college WMBR producer/host Ken Field. The jazz funeral was held in conjunction with Eric Jackson's final weekday evening program (after 30 years, Ken's weeknight program is being eliminated, his hours reduced to those formerly filled by Steve Schwartz, who, after 27 years, has been fired). 

From Ken: "WGBH Radio's management has recently demolished its jazz programming by firing Steve Schwartz and relegating Eric Jackson to weekends. Join others in saying goodbye to decades of weeknight jazz programming on WGBH by participating as a musician or listener in a short New Orleans style jazz funeral outside WGBH studios (http://www.wgbh.org/about/Directions.cfm) on the final evening of Eric Jackson's weeknight program."


Read more about the July 5 funeral here.
Read more about WGBH reducing jazz programs in 2012 here.
Read more about WGBH dropping folk and blues programs in 2009 here.


A second funeral,not limited to the passing of jazz but to mourn the passing of all music forms WGBH has reduced or eliminated (folk and blues were killed in 2009, classical was shuffled off to an inferior carrier in 2010, and Celtic, the only remaining form, could be next) will be held Friday, July 27 in Copley Plaza. More info at https://www.facebook.com/events/259272814182000/

45 minute HD recording from Videosphere [Cambridge, MA]