Van Cliburn Piano Competition will not broadcast on local classical music radio station
The Dallas classical radio station WRR-FM 101.1 will not broadcast the finals of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition after a conflict between Cliburn and the musicians’ union.
“It’s a new problem with a contract that WRR is not a party to. Although the City has not seen the contract, apparently this year’s agreement between the Cliburn and the [Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra] and their musicians’ union calls for a $20,000 fee if the performances are broadcast on radio, which had not been the case in past years,” Catherine Cuellar, a spokesperson for the City of Dallas, said in an email.
According to The Dallas Morning News, WRR-FM had broadcast the final two Cliburn concerts and its awards ceremony since 2009.
Cuellar said that neither the Cliburn or FWSO wanted to pay the fee, and that the Dallas-based radio station wasn’t aware of the fee change until Saturday, which didn’t provide enough time to make a budget request to broadcast the finals.
“Put another way – WRR was not invited/allowed to broadcast the competition again this year,” Cuellar added. “WRR has not had a contract for broadcast in the past, and would have considered broadcasting the performances had WRR been invited.”
Stewart Williams, president of the local American Federation of Musicians union chapter who represents the FWSO’s musicians, told the Morning News that the broadcast rate is “about the same as it was at the 2017 Cliburn. But this year’s Cliburn has added a third concerto, in the semifinal round, to the traditional two in the finals,” which drove up costs.
“They’ve obviously prioritized streaming over radio broadcast,” Williams told the DMN, adding that the change was made “at the last minute, which has shocked us all.”
The Cliburn Foundation will stream its own coverage on its website.
