3 thoughts on “Longtime WNYC music host Oscar Brand dies at 96

  1. Public radio used to have several folk music stations. Now, it’s “alternative,” which bears little resemblance to true folk music like Brand featured on his show. There are still a few true folk music shows left but now one less. It’s a shame. Public radio would seem the logical and natural place for folk music but I guess apparently alternative gets the demographics corporate sponsors want. Greed rules.

  2. I don’t think it’s “greed” so much as “survival”. My god, man, Woodstock was 47 years ago! Even the younger attendees are now 65 and up. Similarly, “folk music”…more accurately called “folk revival music” or “contemporary folk” reached a zenith in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and then largely died out as it evolved into other forms. Most notably Americana, which is doing quite well as a genre and is well-represented by many non-comm “triple A” stations out there, like WXPN, WMVY, WERS, KCRW, The Current and KEXP.

    What you’re basically saying is that public radio should be playing the folk equivalent of “music of your life”, which might as well be called “old people radio, no-one under 70 allowed to listen”. Sure it’s got it’s fans, but you can’t have a healthy future as a station programming it!

    • The problem, Brad, is that these people want public radio to sound exactly like it did in 1971 and not adapt to the times. After all, they don’t care about what happens after they die.

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