The summer without the Aspen Music Festival and School is nearly over. I miss it — music on the malls, at the tent and streaming out of open windows all over town. The one thing we’ve had is Chris Mohr and his two-hour midday classical show (funded by the Music Festival). It’s been a reminder of what we missed and a balm in these days of COVID-19. His KAJX program is winding down as well.
Perhaps you remember the packed, standing room only KAJX board meeting last winter when Aspenites pleaded with the board and its new Colorado Springs station manager Tammy Terwelp to retain the local music.
I recently wrote her asking that the station keep the afternoon music by bringing back “Performance Today,” a nationally syndicated program which always features performances from our music festival. Knowing that I am a champion of classical music, she did not respond and I can only assume my plea fell on deaf ears.
Twenty-four hours of news is brutal and repetitive. Aspen could be so much better served through the night than with “BBC World.” When I put KSPN on the air in 1970, those nighttime hours were filled with volunteer local DJs. I pulled a number of those slots when volunteers didn’t show up and believe me, there was and still is an audience. My only recourse has been to withhold any financial contribution to KAJX. You might want to consider it as well, but you’ll have to tell them why. Perhaps you gave them a monthly annual contribution. You can cancel it. It’s obvious from their ignoring local sentiment that they have no interest in modifying their 24-hour news format (could I be wrong?), but money talks when nothing else will.
Jon Busch
Aspen
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