The Radio Stations of the
University of Southern California
91.5 KUSC | Los Angeles
88.5 KPSC | Palm Springs
91.1 KDSC | Thousand Oaks
93.7 KDB | Santa Barbara
99.7 KESC | San Luis Obispo

Annual Report2017Map of Classical KUSC Coverage

KUSC Expense FY17

KUSC’s Classical Public Radio can be heard in seven counties, from as far north as San
Luis Obispo and as far south as the Mexican border. With 39,000 watts of power,
Classical KUSC boasts the 10th most powerful signal in Southern California. KUSC
transmits its programming from five transmitters - KUSC-91.5 FM in Los Angeles andSanta Clarita; 88.5 FM KPSC in Palm Springs; 91.1 FM KDSC in Thousand Oaks; 93.7 FM
KDB in Santa Barbara and 99.7 in Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo.
Administration
17%

Underwriting
10%

Development
26%]

Broadcasting/
Programming
47%

The two most important activities for KUSC are creating and broadcasting classical music programming. Together, Broadcasting and Engineering comprised 47% of KUSC’s operating budget.

2

27

Table of Contents
2

Map of Classical KUSC Coverage

3

Classical KUSC Table of Contents

4-5

Letter from USC Radio President,
Brenda Barnes

13

KUSC Community Engagement

6

KUSC Programming

14-15

KUSC Kid’s Discovery Day

7

Live/Special Programming

16

KUSC Underwriting

8-11

On-Air Promotions/Programming

17

KUSC Engineering

12

KUSC Interactive

18-19

USC Radio Group Board of
Councilors

20-21

KUSC Development/Tours

22

Leadership Circle

23

Legacy Society

24

KUSC Staff

25

KUSC Supports the Arts

26-27

KUSC Revenue and Expenses

KUSC Mission
To make classical music and the arts a more important part of more
people’s lives. KUSC accomplishes this by presenting high quality
classical music programming, and by producing and presenting
programming that features the arts and culture of Southern
California. KUSC supports the goal of the University of Southern
California to position USC as a vibrant cultural enterprise in downtown Los Angeles.

3

USC Radio Group
President, Brenda Barnes

K

USC’s performance on every levelhas been very strong this year,
but it has also been a challenging
year. Dennis Bartel’s announcement that
he has Parkinson’s Disease hit all of us very
hard. Dennis has been rising in the wee
hours of the morning for many years tomake certain our days got off to a great
start. We all got to know him and his family, and having Dennis disappear from the
airwaves in January was a very sad way tostart the New Year.

regularly.
John Van
Driel joined us as Chief
Content
OfficerinNovember and has beenon the air much morethan we ever intended
due to the circumstances. That has
allowed all of us to hear often how happy
he was to leave Toronto winters behind infavor of Southern California weather!
Dianne Nicolini who is an announcer for
our Bay Area stations is now on the air inSouthern California hosting a request program, and Alan and Brian have expanded
their shifts to help fill the gaps as well. I
am grateful to all of them! We are
seeking new announcers to join the KUSC
family, and we hope to find the right people soon. It is very difficult to findannouncers with enough knowledge andexperience to join our very talented crew.

Thank you for understanding that weneeded to let Dennis process his diagnosis
and guard his privacy until he was ready tolet everyone know what was happening.
Dennis is handling the situation with his
usual optimism, determination, and senseof humor. He has an incredible family supporting him, and his many fans have rallied
around him and are offering support andencouragement too. Dennis is hopefulthat new treatments will come along andenable him to return to work. We havetold him we will welcome him back with
open arms anytime!

In spite of all this shifting and changing it
has been a very successful year for KUSC
thanks to your patience, understanding,and support. Many listeners tell us thathaving a respite from the news, thecrowded freeways, and the stresses of life
is more important every day. Thank you
for partnering with us to ensure that
Southern California continues to have agreat classical music station.

Dennis’s news followed closely on theheels of Rich Capparela deciding to shift
his role in order to spend more time on his
bucket list. We are thankful Rich wanted
to continue to work with us as a contractor. It has felt like less of a loss since he isstill heard every week on KUSC and has
continued to make appearances during
our membership drives. Having Rich shift
his role and Dennis out on leave has led to
two new voices being heard on the air

One of the highlights of the year was ourinaugural Kids Discovery Day at the
Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.
The purpose of this pilot program was to4

showcase the value of music education
for children and families. There was a live
broadcast by KUSC from the museum andlive musical performances by LA Operaartists, musicians from the USC Thornton
School of Music’s Community Engagement Programs, the Colburn School
Jumpstart Wind ensemble, the LAMusArt
Choir, the Inner City Youth Orchestra andthe LA Chamber Orchestra, in addition tocrafts with the LA Opera Education
Division and an Instrument Petting Zoosponsored by the LA Philharmonic
Associates. McCabe’s Guitar Shop was on
hand to demonstrate how guitars work,
and KUSC enabled kids to create, recordand share their own original tunes with a
newly designed app called Moodles(music + doodles). More than 4500
people attended, and we are alreadyplanning a second music discovery day
with the Natural History Museum.

From KUSC at the Movies to Getaway
Wednesday to celebrations of the holidays we are thrilled and honored to havespent the year being a part of your life.
Thank you again for your support which is
the only reason we get the opportunity tobring great music into people’s lives everyday. No matter what happens internallyor in the world around us, we know wehave a duty to stay focused on our mission and that is what we do!

We also held an instrument drive prior to
the Kids Discovery Day in partnershipwith the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundationthat put hundreds of repaired
instruments in the hands of young people
who would not have been able to afford
to purchase instruments. We are gratefulto all those who dug through closets tofind used instruments to donate.
From KUSC at the Movies to Getaway
Wednesday to celebrations of theholidays we are thrilled and honored tohave spent the year being a part of yourlife.
5

KUSC Programming
It’s been a big year, full of change at KUSC. In February, KUSC celebrated its 70th birthday andthis summer we celebrated Alan Chapman’s 25th anniversary with the station. Rich Capparelasemi-retired (luckily, we still get to hear him on Fridays and weekends) and Dennis Bartel istaking time away from the station after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Brian
Lauritzen took over for Rich during the evening commute and expanded the Anti-Road Rage
Melody to more than just one CarTune. John Van Driel joined the USC Radio family, moving
to Los Angeles all the way from Toronto, Canada; and listeners heard other voices on KUSC
too, like Dianne Nicolini and Robin Pressman.
Weekly Programming
The Request Show: you make requests andAlan Chapman plays them every weekday
during the noon hour.
Soul Music: Brian Lauritzen hosts a programof serene choral and instrumental works
spanning a millennium, from Gregorianchant through music of today.
A Musical Offering: from the brilliance ofMonteverdi to the mastery of J.S. Bach, thisprogram brings you the soundtrack for aneasy Sunday morning; hosted by Alan
Chapman.
The Opera Show: presenting the greatest
recordings of the most enduring operatic
masterpieces in their entirety; hosted by
Duff Murphy.
Arts Alive: from the desert to the sea, fromthe stage to the page, Arts Alive (Saturdays
at 8AM) covers the artists, events and trends
that help make Southern California such acultural dynamo; hosted by Brian Lauritzen.
USC Thornton Center Stage: featuring performances from the USC Thornton School;
hosted by Alan Chapman.
The Record Shelf: featuring reviews of classical recordings, highlights of renowned classical artists and guides to the best readily
available recordings; hosted by Jim Svejda.
Modern Times: exploring great musicalworks from the last hundred years; hosted
by Alan Chapman.

Holiday Broadcasts
KUSC celebrated the sounds of the season
with holiday specials throughout December.
Chanukkah Lights with Jim Svejda, ourannual Chanukkah program, featuring The
Chanukkah Story with Leonard Nimoy andthe Western Wind vocal ensemble, andHandel's Judas Maccabeus conducted by Sir
Charles Mackerras.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,
KUSC's traditional live broadcast of the
beloved 30-voice King's College Choir
performing their legendary annual serviceof music and Biblical readings at Cambridge
University.
Los Angeles Master Chorale: A Festival of
Carols, songs of the season performed by
one of the world's great choruses in
traditional and dynamic new arrangements.
KUSC’s New Year’s Eve Bash, this 7-hourprogram is our yearly exercise in mirth andmayhem hosted by, who else, Jim Svejda.

6

Live/Special Programming
Live Broadcast Specials
LA Opera On-Air: Live Season-opening
Broadcast—Saturday, September 17, 2016
Duff Murphy and Gail Eichenthal co-hosted alive broadcast of LA Opera’s season-opener
from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion—Verdi’s
Macbeth starring Placido Domingo in the title
role with Ekaterina Semenchuk as the diabolical Lady Macbeth. James Conlon conducts.

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
KUSC aired the first broadcast series of a
Chinese orchestra to U.S. radio audiences—
13 concerts, airing Saturdays at 8PM startingMay 27, 2017. KDFC’s award-winning announcer Hoyt Smith hosted the broadcasts,
and Maestro Long Yu conducted the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) alongside anall-star line-up of soloists, including Lang
Lang, Maxim Vengerov, Yo-Yo Ma, Yujia
Wang and Christian Tetzlaff.

Opera on KUSC
Twenty-three broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera. The operas aired from
December 2016 to May 2017.
Five productions of LA Opera On Air. The
operas aired from May 20, 2017 to June 17,2017 and were hosted by Duff
Murphy.

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Live Season-opening Broadcast—Friday,
September 30, 2016
Brian Lauritzen and Alan Chapman co-hostthe opening program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2016-17 season from Walt Disney
Concert Hall: Adams @ 70: Dudamel & Yefim
Bronfman. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel,
pianist Yefim Bronfman, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet join the Phil for a concert paying tribute to the LA Phil Creative
Chair John Adams with the LA premiere of
Adams’ Absolute Jest, plus music by Beethoven.

Pacific Symphony Live
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Rich Capparela hosts a live broadcast fromthe Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert
Hall of the Pacific Symphony and the PacificChorale performing Mahler’s Symphony No.
2, “Resurrection”. Carl St. Clair conducts,
with soloists Mary Wilson, soprano, andMargaret Lattimore, contralto.

KUSC Kid’s“Huge hugs of thanks
Discovery Day LIVE for your funtabulous
Kids Discovery
Broadcast—Sunday,
Day!!!”
April 9, 2017
—Cathleen Schneider-Russell
For four hours, Brian
Lauritzen, Alan
Chapman and John Van Driel hosted a live
broadcast from the Dueling Dinos hall during
KUSC’s first ever Kids Discovery Day. They
played music perfect for little listeners andinterviewed young musicians and a range ofmusic.

SoCal Sunday Night
Every Sunday evening at 7PM, KUSC broadcasts great concerts from a rotating cast ofSouthern California's finest orchestras andensembles. We bring you the dynamic Los
Angeles Philharmonic from Disney Hall andfrom the Hollywood Bowl; take you to Costa
Mesa to hear the Pacific Symphony; put you
front and center with the LA Master Chorale; and soak up the sounds of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
7

On-Air Promotions
Listeners value music programming thatentertains and enlightens them, and our on-air promotions are one way we engage listeners, have a little fun and maybe evenreveal a different side of classical music.

KUSC’sGreat
Outdoors

In March, we kicked off
KUSC’s Great Outdoors
week on the first day ofspring—from the Grand Canyon to theAlps, and from the sea to the season ofspring, we played music inspired by natural beauty throughout the week. And we
asked listeners to show us what spring
looked like where they were.

In October, we welcomed fallby falling in love with classicalmusic all over again. We
asked listeners to tell us
about that first piece of classical music thatreally got to them. Then we played backthose pieces, along with listener’s stories,
during our Love at First Listen week.
KUSC
Love at First
ListenIn December, we helped
KUSC
listeners looking for stockMy Favorite
ing stuffers by sampling
Thingsour host’s favorite CDs of
the year during My Favorite Things week.

In February, we rolled out the
red carpet for our annual hit
promotion KUSC at theMovies. We celebrated five
decades of movie music with film score favorites from the classics to the newest cropof Oscar nominees.
KUSC
At theMoviesWould you believe a smile got my brain going
and THEN I enjoyed my coffee instead of theother way around?!? I woke up to a piece byJohn Williams from one of my favorite epic
movies, Star Wars! Thank you KUSC for makethe world a better place!
– Sabrina Jones

8

On-Air Promotions
In April, we held our third annual The KUSC Top 100
Countdown. We asked listeners to vote for their favorite
pieces of classical music and then counted
down the top 100, creating Southern California’s biggest classical music survey. And
for the third year in a row, Beethoven’s
Symphony No 9 came in at Number 1.
KUSC
Top 100
Countdown

a new destination every hour. We asked listeners to share reminded them of a favorite
trip or dream vacation, or music that justhelped them feel like they were getting away.

KUSC
At theBeach“Aloha! Congrats on another successful run of The KUSC Top
100. I've had you guys on all day every day this week so that I
wouldn't miss a thing! So glad that the B9 came out on
top...again.”– Mimi Elliott

Rich Capparela launched KUSC
at the Beach in August 2013
and even thought Rich semiretired in 2016, KUSC at the Beach remains
KUSC’s signature start to the weekend. Rich
hosts the Friday show from his home studionear the sparkling Pacific Ocean and helps
listeners get into a weekend state of mind.

“I am so stoked, as they say, that the piece I really pushed for,made it to #5 - Ralph Vaughn Williams' Fantasia on a Theme byThomas Tallis! Thanks to fellow voters who were also likewise
moved by this sublime work. And thanks to KUSC for doing thisTop 100 where all of us can cast our votes, campaign a bit with
our friends, and simply share the best music that moves us!
I'm looking forward to next year” — Frederick Brenion

My philosophy for the program is that you’ve given
enough for the week. Starting at PM, we begin yourweekend for you with loads of ideas about things to doover the next couple of days (many concerts mentioned
are free) and we eventry to slip in a request every hour.
The vibe is relaxed and easy. Very informal and, withluck, relaxing. — Rich Capparela

KUSC’sSummer ofLove

Things got pretty groovy in
May with KUSC’s Summer of
Love: a psychedelic trip
through eras that changed the world fromthe 1660s to the 1960s. In honor of the 50th
anniversary of the Summer of Love, KUSC
remembered the power struggles, artistic
movements, great fashion, big scandals,
and above all unforgettable music of erasthat changed the world.

KUSC’s
Off to School
RequestEvery morning during theschool year, KUSC celebrates
our littlest listeners with the
Off-To-School Request. We invite children,
parents, grandparents and other listeners tomake a special request for the trip to schooland pick one to play at 7:15AM. During theSummer, we keep the fun going with a Summer Vacation Request.

Once again last year, we
KUSC
spent the summer helping Getaway
listeners explore the world Wednesday
through music on the day
they could most use a boost with Getaway
Wednesday. Every hump day in July andAugust, we took a musical mini-vacation to9

KUSC Programming
SoCal Sunday Night Broadcast
July 2016– June 2017:
Twelve Pacific Symphony concerts:
seven aired from February 5, 2017 toMarch 19, 2017 and five more aired
from June 25, 2017 to July 23, 2017;
hosted by Rich Capparela.

Two holiday concert broadcasts fromthe Los Angeles Master Chorale,
aired December 11, 2016 andDecember 18, 2016; hosted byAlan Chapman

Ten concert broadcasts of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic at the
Hollywood Bowl. Concerts aired August 2016 through October 2016;
produced and hosted by Brian
Lauritzen.

Five concert broadcast from Santa
BarbaraandCentralCoastensembles (Festival Mozaic, Music
Academy of the West, CAMA, Santa
Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Quire of
Voyces), aired in January 2017 andhosted by Robin Pressman.

Eight concerts from the Los Angeles
Chamber Orchestra aired from
October 2016 to December 2016;
hosted by Dennis Bartel

Thirteen concert broadcasts of theLos Angeles Philharmonic at DisneyHall from March 2017 through June
2017; produced and hosted by Brian
Lauritzen

10What Are People Saying About KUSC?
“When I hear the words, "up next" on theradio I'm conditioned to expect commercials,
not music, but when KUSC says it, they reallymean it and beautiful music is immediately
next. Thanks for the instant gratification!
Proud to be a sustaining member”.
—Louise Beebe“This has been my favorite radio station eversince the days of the FM radio evolution. Yes,
that long ! It used to be only available to us in
the LA area. Now it is a gift for the world. No
station, no hosts do it the way KUSC does it.
Simply wonderful classical music 24/7”.
– Kenneth Adlam“Hey KUSC! I struggled listening to classicalmusic, but have always wanted to listen to
it. With life's hustle and bustle it's hard to
take a moment to relax and just listen. I
keep your station on ALL work day long in
my cubicle. No lyrics also means no distractions. Thank you guys for making classicalmusic enjoyable to listen to, no commercials, and an entertaining radio character!”- Justin from Nashville, TN“Yo Svejda! Your broadcast of Hilary Hahn's
performance of Beethoven violin concerto
was a welcome relief from having to hear"Itsy Bitsy Spider" everyday during my 1 year
old baby nightly feeding before bed. And Beethoven proved to be just as effective as the
spider in getting him to focus on
finishing his milk. The Vaughn-Williams'"Lark
Ascending"encorefollowing
Beethoven was a welcome meditative
escape”. — Sam Jang

“After being stuck with small-town NM
radio's "classical selections," I was startingto think I didn't like classical music anymore. Driving around Palm Springs thisweek and finding your station - I realized I
still love classical music! Everything I heard
was just beautiful. Thank you for existing”.
– Sheila Moorehead“Thank you for playing Respighi's Ancient Airs
and Dances today! I'm staying in my car withgroceries getting warm, just so I don't missit.” – Jen Cassone“10-month-old Lily was rocking out to theBrandenburg Concerto just now, sitting in
her high chair eating oatmeal. She'll often
stop playing and start "conducting" whensomething comes on your station that
especially moves her”. Thank you KUSC! –Elizabeth Silva“I woke up late this morning and was
grouchy, then when I got to work you wereplaying one of my all time favorite pieces, The
Overture to The Barber of Seville. Cheered me
right up. Thanks!” – Julie Griffith
11

KUSC New MediaNew KUSC.org
We’ve redesigned our website to make it easier for users to listen to Classical KUSC fromany mobile phone, tablet, or desktop computer. No download required, simply open yourfavorite browser and visit www.kusc.org. You can still find all the pages you love by clicking or tapping on “Radio”, “Culture”, and “Giving” in the menu on the top of your screen.

New APP For Kids
We are happy to announce our first app for kids. Moodles makes it fun and easy to create, record and share original music with friends — no real instruments or classes required. Using simple controls, kids can record a "musical doodle" on their computer ormobile device while Moodles animates it, turning music into the ultimate form of play.
The first audio-visual instrument of its kind, Moodles was designed to inspire the next
generation of digital musicians by pushing the boundaries of music creation on a mobile
device. Our app is available for free from the Apple Store https://moodlesapp.com/

12

KUSC Community Engagement
In FY 17 KUSC launched several new initiatives to help more children have access toarts education, musical instruments in underserved public schools, and to be inspiredby free live musical performances.

KUSC Instrument Drive
March 2017
This past spring, KUSC conducted a twoweek instrument drive, collecting gently
used instruments from listeners ranging
from San Diego to Santa Barbara, with 12
drop-off locations. These included schools,
music stores and a popular Pasadena
coffeehouse. In partnership with the Mr.
Holland’s Opus Foundation, KUSC collectednearly 450 instruments, which have alreadybeen repaired and granted to 22 publicschools. As a result, tens of thousands ofchildren have been impacted by the donation of instruments to their music programs.

13

KUSC Discovery Day at
The Natural History Museum
In April, KUSC inaugurated a children’s
music festival at the beloved LA institution, with a live KUSC broadcast from
9a-1p. The first ever KUSC Discovery Day
featured live music by ensembles from LA
Opera, LA Chamber Orchestra, theColburn School Jumpstart Wind Band, anelementary school choir from LAMusArt in
East Los Angeles, and members of the
Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.
We also offered kids the opportunity tocompose songs on a new KUSC-createdapp called “Moodles”, operatic-themedarts and crafts, an “Anatomy of a Guitar”
workshop, and an LA Philharmonic instrument petting zoo. The attendance of 4,500
was at least 30% higher than the average
Sunday at the Natural History Museum.
The Museum was as thrilled as we were,
and we’ve already booked an encore
event in April 2018.

KUSC’s Kids Discovery Day at the14Natural History Museum

15

KUSC Underwriting
FY 2017 was a year of transition for KUSC Underwriting with new personnel on board and a
restructured approach to our partnerships with the Arts as well as corporate sponsorshippartners. Our goal was to expand our partnerships with Arts community asking for more
reciprocal relationships as well increased investment in our valuable underwriting assets in aneffort to improve ROI for our clients. The results are in early stage and significant
expanded partnerships with some key Arts organizations: Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los
Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
Support of The ArtsClassical KUSC partners with the Arts
community for most of its underwriting
revenue while fulfilling its mission of beinga voice for and a portal to the arts. KUSC
continued to provide advocacy in the formof long running on-air and online features“Arts Alive” as well as “Modern Times.”
KUSC also added arts-focused events; Kids
Discovery Day and the KUSC Instrument
Drive which impacted thousands of kids
and students.

Classic Event Schedule—2016-17
September 23, 2016
Kern Plays Rachmaninoff—Pacific Symphony
October 5, 2016
Philharmonia Orchestra with Esa-Pekka Salonen
Valley Performing Arts Center
November 11, 2016
Dvorak & Silbelieus—LA Philharmonia
December 11, 2016
Boston Camerata—Da Camera Society

Corporate Sponsors
As a corporate sponsor of Classical KUSC, yourmessage reaches the most affluent andeducated listeners in Southern California. For
information on becoming a KUSC corporate
sponsor,contact
Tim
McClellan
at213-225-7450 or tmcclellan@kusc.org.

February 4, 2017
Matthias Pintscher—Colburn School

March 15, 2017
American Ballet—Segerstrom Center
March 18, 2017
Mozart & Mendelssohm—Pasadena Symphony
April 8, 2017
Michael Fabiano –The Broad StageMay 21, 2017
Kahane Plays Mozart—LA Chamber Orchestra
June 17, 2017
Lux Aeterna—LA Master Chorale

16

KUSC Engineering
Pictured to the Left—“Under thehood” of the new 32KDS Central
Audio Routing Switcher
Below—back view cable harness

A New KUSC Studios
Central Audio Routing Switcher
The Parsons Foundation provided special
funding that allowed KUSC to invest intechnical upgrades to the KUSC Technical
Operations Center. A new central audio
routing switcher will enable KUSC studios
to more effectively distribute audio
content to the various Southern California
radio tower sites and more effectively
exchange live content with our sister
station in the Bay Area. This routing
system is considered the heart of KUSC’s
studio complex and enables the KUSC program stream and live broadcast audio tobe distributed to each of our Southern California tower sites. It is also critical forsmooth operation of KUSC productions
and will enable further operational
improvements that will help KUSC air staff
to more effectively produce the content
that our listeners love.

Pictured above: The KUSC Technical Center. The newly
installed 32KD Central Audio Routing System provides lost ofadditional color! It’s sure to be the new “heart” of thefaculty. Pictured below: contractors painting KUSC’s main
antenna tower on Mt Harvard.

91.5 Mt Harvard Tower Painting
KUSC’s main antenna tower was due thisyear for a new paint job. KUSC’s Angeles
Forest tower has been operational fromthis location for 24 years and was beginning to exhibit some oxidation. The tower
is inspected and maintained each summer.
This year the hired ComPlus tower crew
painted every inch of the 65’ radio tower.
The tower is located near Mt Wilson in
the Angeles Forest. The mountain top
location for the tower is approximately
5,500 feet above sea level and overlooks
Los Angeles.

17

USC Radio Group Board of Councilors
William E.B. Siart (Board Chair) Chairman of theRobert Abeles is currently Senior Vice President

board of ExED (Excellent Education Development), a nonprofit corporation which he founded in 1997 that develops and manages charter public schools. He serves as atrustee, chairman of the finance committee, and memberof the executive, hospital finance and investment committees of the University of Southern California. He is
also a trustee of the J. Paul Getty Trust. He is the chairman and director of Western Asset Funds, Inc. He is former chairman and chief executive officer of First Interstate Bancorp, a $60 billion banking company with offices
in 13 western states and more than 40,000 employees.
He is also active in Los Angeles and nationally in K-12 education reform. A native of Los Angeles, he earned a BS
degree in Economics from Santa Clara University, and an
MBA in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley.

Emeritus at the University of Southern California. In June
2016, he retired from USC after serving as Senior Vice
President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer since January, 2009. Mr. Abeles currently serves as a member of theboard of directors for ExED, a development business andmanagement services company that specializes in supporting charter school creation and enhancement, and isa director of Western Asset Funds in Pasadena, California,
a large fixed income investment manager. He also serveson the Board of Councilors of the USC Rossier School of
Education and is Audit Chair of Great Public Schools Now,
a California not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring all Los Angeles students receive a high-quality education by accelerating the growth of quality publicschools.

Thomas Sayles Senior Vice President for University

Martha Welborne was recently the Chief Planning

Relations for the University of Southern California. He
provides strategic direction and leadership for USC’s government and public relations, outreach and reputation.
He was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the governing board of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and serves as Board President. This year, 2013, he was appointed to the “Los Angeles 2020 Commission” an independent 12-member
panel that will review Los Angeles’ financial and develop
strategies for job creation, and the elimination of thecity’s projected budget deficit. He also has been appointed by three different California governors to serve on
boards and commissions, including the University of California Board of Regents and the California Community
Colleges Board of Trustees. He currently is a member ofthe board of directors of Unified Grocers, the largest buying cooperative for independent grocers in the Western
United States.

Officer at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), departing in January 2016. In
this role, she led a staff of over 200 in planning the longrange future of transportation in the County. She also
oversaw Metro’s real estate department, regional capitaldevelopment activities, the management of all grants, anda variety of strategic initiatives such as the Master Plan of
the historic Union Station property. Previous to her role atMetro, Ms. Welborne was the Managing Director of theGrand Avenue Committee, a public/private partnership
focused on revitalizing the civic and cultural districts ofdowntown Los Angeles. Previous to her work at the Grand
Avenue Committee, her nearly 20-year career as an architect and urban designer included leadership positions
with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, and Sasaki Associates, Inc. Her work at those companies ranged from individual building design through large-scale master plans ofuniversity campuses, downtown development plans, andtransit corridors. She was also the initiator of the rapid
bus concept for Los Angeles County, which became thecurrently operating Metro Rapid system. She received a
Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre
Dame and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a Master of Architecture and a Master in City
Planning. She was also a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. She is a member of theCollege of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
and she has also served as President of the Los Angeles
Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She also
has previously served on the Board of Councilors of the
School of Architecture at USC.

Frank H. Cruz is President of Cruz and Associates, afinancial consulting firm he founded in 1995. He is theformer chairman and director of the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting and co-founder of Telemundo, thenation's second largest Spanish-language network, and
KVEA-TV in Los Angeles, where he was formerly vicepresident and general manager. Frank is Chairman
emeritus of the California Institute for Federal Policy
Research and has served on the board of directors of
Health Net, the James Irvine Foundation, and the Fred
Friendly Seminars at Columbia University. He has servedon the USC Board of Trustees since 1999.

18

Corey Field, Esq. is a widely regarded entertainment

Natalie Klein attended Pennsylvania State University

and intellectual property lawyer, legal writer, teacher,and scholar. In addition to his law firm Corey Field Law
Group, P.C. where he practices entertainment, media,
copyright and trademark law for worldwide clients in all
facets of the entertainment industry, he is a lecturer inlaw at the USC Gould School of Law, where he teaches
courses including “Entertainment Law,” “Entertainment
Law in Practice,” “Music Law in Practice,” and an LLM
course “Topics in Entertainment Law.” An award winninglegal writer, Field is the author of Entertainment Law:
Fundamentals and Practice published by Cognella Academic Publishing, a comprehensive practice guide forlawyers. He is also the principal author of the scholarly
legal treatise Entertainment Law: Forms and Analysis formerly published by Law Journal Press, New York. His industry leadership includes serving as a former presidentof The Copyright Society of the U.S.A. (New York), theworld’s leading copyright law organization, and service on
many leading industry boards as a director and trustee
including the BMI Foundation and The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. He currently serves as outside counsel for
the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute. Before
becoming an attorney, Corey received a Ph.D. in Music
Composition from the University of York, England, andworked for over ten years as an executive in the international classical music publishing industry. While his entertainment industry legal practice is wide ranging, he is oneof the few attorneys in the United States whose practiceencompasses classical music, with clients including leading publishers, record labels, and organizations including
The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Louisville Orchestra, Ballet West and other dance organizations, Pulitzer Prize andGrammy winning composers, G. Schirmer Music Publishers, and projects involving leading organizations including
The Metropolitan Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, The Minnesota Opera, The Paris Opera, The Norwegian National
Opera and Ballet, the Royal Swedish Opera and Ballet, as
well as film projects featuring classical music composers.

where she received her bachelor of science in civil engineering. Throughout her professional career, she has
worked in process manufacturing, oil and gas relatedindustries, as well as the computer hardware and software fields. She has volunteered in a variety of positionsin the local schools and surrounding communities including co-chairing the Development Committee for Stanford’s Bing Nursery School. In addition, she is engaged ina variety of non-profit work and volunteers on various
committees at Sacred Heart Preparatory where her
youngest son is enrolled. Currently she is a board member of the Heroic Imagination Project; a non-profit dedicated to inspiring and teaching people how to become
everyday heroes and chaired the Advisory Board of KDFC.
Natalie and her husband Ken are actively involved at the
University of Southern California where they founded the
KIUEL Institute at USC, an organization focused on undergraduate student leadership and student life. Her interests include reading, listening to classical music, designing women’s clothing, running, painting and gardening.

Julia Torgovitskaya Rapoport, President ofiCadenza & CEO of Cadenza Artists Management, is aconsultant for arts leaders and organizations, with particular expertise in motivation, empowerment, and teamdynamics. A trained opera singer, she relates first-handto the ever-changing challenges facing the arts industry
today, and uses her training in the Blanchard Companies
model and Nancy Kline’s Time to Think method to workwith her clients in developing strong business practices
and solid team dynamics. She has extensive consulting
experience, and her writings have been published in international publications including The Moodie Report.
Having earned a Master of Science in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego, Julia is passionate
about introducing artists to the concept of approaching
their career development with an entrepreneurial mindset, and using proven business concepts for their personal career success. Julia earned Bachelor of Arts degrees
with High Honors at Tufts University. Julia received Beta
Gamma Sigma distinction for her graduate studies andSumma Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa for her undergraduate work. Julia is on the board of directors at Classical KUSC radio and Ohana Arts, and is the co-author of
the book Awakening Your Business Brain: An iCadenza
Guide to Launching your Music Career.

Lee Walcott Vice President and Managing Director of
the Ahmanson Foundation from 1987 until his retirementin March 2008. Marlborough School director of upper
school, chair of the Fine Arts Department, and instructorof Art History Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood.
Former trustee of Marlborough School, Current trustee ofCampbell Hall School, membership and advisory boardsof UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and
UCLA's Centers for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and17th and 18th Century Studies.

19

KUSC Development
We are very humbled by the generous
support you and our listeners have provided to KUSC because YOU believe in theservice that KUSC provides. It is becauseof this unwavering support that we canoffer and keep great classical music on theradio at KUSC. Membership accounts for
75% of the station’s operating budget.

Along with our work on the sustainer program last year, we in the final stages of conversion to a new member database that willcontinue assist us in specialized customer
service programs to provide you with thebest experience possible. Our enhanced Car
Donation program continued to grow in
2015-16, KUSC receive over 350 donatedvehicles.

Our sustainer program, now in it’s 6thyear has increased from 1,322 members init’s first year (2011-12) to over 14,000!

Below is a chart representing KUSC’s membership and revenue growth since 2007.

KUSC Sustainers 2011-2017$3,000,000.00

16,00014,000$2,500,000.00

12,000$2,000,000.00

10,000$1,500,000.00

8,000
6,000

$1,000,000.00

4,000$500,000.00

2,000

$-

0

FY11

FY12

FY13

FY14

Revenue

FY15

FY16

FY17

Donors

KUSC Membership and Revenue 2007-17$8,000,000

45,000$7,000,000

40,000$6,000,000

35,00030,000$5,000,000

25,000$4,000,000

20,000$3,000,000

15,000$2,000,000

10,000$1,000,000

5,000

$0

0

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

FY12

Revenue

20

FY13
Donors

FY14

FY15

FY16

FY17

Tours with KUSC
Melodies of Spain!
Beauty and fashion, flamenco and zarzuela, Picasso and Goya. Twenty-six
exuberant KUSC members reveled in
the glories of Spain. The stately capitalof Madrid and exciting Barcelona wereamongst locations toured, and some extended their stay to the gorgeous Mediterranean
island of Mallorca. And it wouldn't be a KUSC
tour without Musical highlights that included
a performance of two one-act zarzuelas(Spanish operetta); concerts by two outstanding visiting orchestras, the Dresden
Staatskapelle featuring star soprano Renée
Fleming, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in an all-Russian program; Donizetti’s sparkling comedy The Daughter of the Regimentat Barcelona’s Teatro del Liceu, and an exciting evening of fiery flamenco!
Some of Spain’s incomparable museums was
also visited: the Prado, Reina Sofia, andthose dedicated to the great Spanish artists,
Picasso and Mirò. Day excursions took them
us to the ancient towns of Toledo and Segovia, Philip II’s imposing palace, El Escorial, as
well as the home of the great cellist Pablo
Casals for a private concert. On Mallorca,
pianist Carlos Bonnin played Chopin in thevery cell in which he lived, and much more.
Great music, great food and great art. To
become a part of a future KUSC tour, join
our Leadership Circle or Legacy Society.
Details can be found on our website—www.kusc.org or call Minnie Prince—213-225-7534.

21

Leadership Circle
KUSC is honored to recognize members of the Leadership Circle who are committed to annually supporting
the station’s mission to make classical music and the arts a more important part of more people’s lives.
Updated: October 12, 2017

President’s Gold ($25,000 + )Producer’s Circle($2,500—$4,999)

Anonymous (3)Colburn Foundation

Anonymous (31)Henry and Paula Lederman

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abeles

Lillian Lovelace

Dr. Brenda Barnes and Dr. Bill Barnes

William E.B. Siart

Karen and George Bayz

Dr. Daniel Temianka

Laurie Berg
Dennis and Patricia Burke

President’s Circle($10,000—$24,999)

Norman E. DuFort
James P. Edmondson

Anonymous (9)Sanford Edward

Herb Alpert Foundation

Barbara Elander

Sara and Robert Cannon
Dunard Fund USA, LTD.
“In Memory of Sue Gemmell”
The Norris Foundation
Jason Subotky and Anne Akiko Meyers
Flora L. Thornton Foundation

Composer’s Circle($5,000—$9,999)

Ferguson Foundation
Marilyn Fox SmithLouise Grant Garland

Dr. Charlie and Claire Shaeffer
Dr. Jack Sheen and Mrs. Anitra Sheen
Harvey Shapiro
Robert and Kerry Shuman
Ms. Anne-Marie Stephens
Max Stolz, Jr.
Stephen & Barbara Straub
Simon Strauss Foundation
Ms. Mary Tabuyo
Teshinsky Family Foundation
Robert D. Voit
Lee and Deborah Walcott
David and Michele Wilson
Dr. F.N. Zeytin, BioSentinel, INC.

Harvey Hoeppner and Bob Richards
Thomas C. Hudnut
Charlotte Hughes andChristopher Combs

What does KUSC Mean to You……

Stanley and Charlotte Kandel“Classical music, intelligently curated and made accessible to everyone, is among society’s greatest
treasures. Could there possibly bea better destination for my resources than KUSC?
Absolutely not!”Louise D. Kasch Donor Advised Fund
Ted Kotcheff and Laifun Chung

Anonymous (19)

Linda and William Krantz

Nancy E. Barton Foundation

Stanley Lintner

Eve Bernstein

Mr. Scott LittMichael P Checca

Sharon and Daniel Lowenstein

Arthur J. Geoffrion and Herman H.
Hamer Memorial Fund

Producer’s Circle continued

William W. McKelvey
Tom and Anne McKerr

Donald P. Gould

Janice Miller

Joan and Jim Hood

Abby and Alan Myerson

Barbara Jury

Mrs. Hendrika Namikas

William H. Kearns Foundation

Dr. Margery Nicolson

Stuart Klabin

Roberta K. Nieberg, M.D.

Katharina and Thierry Leduc

Jean Oppenheimer

Heather MacDonald

Michael R. Oppenheim

The Negaunee Foundation

Jane C. Parks

Sally Gerber Phinny

Susan F. Rice

Jerome and Toby Rapport Foundation

Ms. Michelle Rohè

Joe and Linda Svehla

Alexander and Mariette Sawchuk

Jan and Meredith Voboril

Dena and Irv Schechter22— Donald Gould, Claremont,
Supporter for more than 32 years“KUSC is not a fair weather
friend. It is always there for you ingood times and bad, because you
ARE KUSC!”— Norm, Shadow Hills, CA“Terrific Sounds.”– Michael P. Checca

Legacy Society
KUSC honors members of the Legacy Society, dedicated donors who have made planned gifts ranging from naming KUSC in their will or trust, to making KUSC a beneficiary of a charitable gift annuity. Many of these future gifts
will be used to build an endowment to ensure that future generations are able to have classical music in theirAnonymous (53)

Tom Greene

Max Stolz, Jr.

Dr. Barbara Ackermann, LCSW

Mr. Heinz Hanau

Harvey and Evelyn Stone

Carleen Anderson

Rod and Nancy Harvey

Joseph and Linda Svehla

Jerry and Barbara Andes

Robert S. Helfman

Robert Thurm

Oberto Anselmi

Martin Bray and Scott Henderson

Craig and Junior Vickers

Dr. Roman Anshin, M.D.

Vera J. Hirtz

Margo Villanova

Jim and Nancy Bailey* Annette Hochfeld

Carol Ann Walker Trust

Christopher D. Baker

Terrence Joseph Hughes

Carole E. Walker

Brenda and Bill Barnes

Jon Harvey and Joemy Wilson* Ms. Lois Warshaw

Charles N. Baron

Barbara Jury

Terry S. Bateman

Len and Trudy Kapner

Dr. Allen Belkind

Doris H. Keniry

Mrs. Benla C. Bennett

Steven Katz

Herbert M. Berk

Nick J. Labedz

William J. Bryan

Donald and Sharon Lafler

Audrey Steele Burnand

Jocelyn Lee

Jeremiah and Raun Burnham

Dennis and Kathleen Lees

Dr. Leland S. Burns

William Earl Lentz

Updated: October 18, 2017
* Deceased
What does KUSC Mean to You……

Bobbi Chifos

Karl H. Loring

Dr. Owen G. Clayton

Mr. Adolph Maier

Nancy Coleman-Frank

Hon. Nora Manella

Edward and Lisa Cook

Alison Manheim

Dr. Allen J. Curtis

Ms. Susan J. Marks

Caroline DeMar

Jim Michaelis

John R. Oden and Mark Dizik

Les Modie

Fantasia Fairchild* Daniel A. Moeller

Theresa and Jeff Ferguson

Mike and Lorraine Mohill

Robert S. Field

Maury and Barbara Mortensen

Delaine Flacy

Donald Brian Murphy

Jeanette Fraser

John R. Oden and Mark Dizik* Ronald Fried

Bernard and Faye Pipkin

Robin Friedheim

Ernest and Anne Prokopovych

Dr. and Mrs. E. Peter Gabor

Mary Rickman

John and Peggy Garvey

Florence Ridley

Robert L. Glasser

Francis D. Ripish

Mrs. Deborah Goetzman

In Memory of Charles Simon Sarkas

Meredith Goodwin

Ronald and Barbara Schonfeld

Donald P. Gould

Lynette Sim

David Grant

June Smith

23“KUSC has been much more than great music,
informative and entertaining hosts and educational programming. KUSC was a companion
to my late husband and part of our everyday
lives. Our decision to provide financial support
to the station was to help insure others theopportunity to have KUSC as a companion in
their lives”– Deborah Goetzman“Once I came across KUSC on my car radio in
1965, I became an enthusiastic listener andlatter supporter of this invaluable culture asset
to our city and beyond. Since then, I can see a
new generation learning to appreciate classicalmusic, thanks to the superb broadcastingof KUSC.”— Peter, Beverly Hills“I have supported KUSC for many years andbecame a Legacy Society member because thestation brings beauty and joy to us every day –it is important that this continues.” “Where
there is music there can be no evil.” – Cervantes(Don Quixote)—Carole, Los Angeles, KUSC Legacy
Society Member“KUSC is educational, like walking thru thegreat concert halls of the world listening togreat music, surrounded by friends and family
who all share in the love of music. I am extremely grateful to have such close friend like
KUSC.”—Chuck Baron, KUSC Legacy
Society Member

KUSC Staff
USC Radio Group
President and Vice President
Brenda Barnes
President

Bill Lueth
Vice President

Administration
Rina Romero
Senior Business Officer

Veronica Jimenez
Budget Coordinator

Jennifer Tuffy
Administrative AssistantOn –Air Host
Dennis Bartel

ProgrammingJohn Van Driel

Weekdays 6-9 am
Saturdays 7-8 am andSundays 1-4pm

Chief Content Director

Rich Capparela

Kelsey McConnell
Assistant Program Director

Fridays 4-7 pm
Saturdays Noon-5 pm andPacific Symphony Broadcasts

Mark Edwards

Alan Chapman

Production Director

Weekdays 9 am-1pm
Modern Times,
A Musical Offering andThornton Center Stage

Brian Lauritzen

Music Director

Mark Hatwan
Underwriting
Tim McClellan
Business Development Manager

Shauna Der

Monday-Thursday 4-7pm
Sundays 11am-1 pm,- Soul Music
Arts Alive, LA Phil

Senior Account Executive

Executive Director of Development

Duff Murphy

Matthew Miles

Saturdays 9am-2pm
The Opera ShowLA Opera On Air

Interactive
Chris Mendez

Development
Minnie Prince

Major Gifts Officer

Jaime Cisneros

Jim Svejda

Director of New MediaEngineering
Ron Thompson

Weeknights 7 pm-Midnight
The Record Shelf

Director of Engineering

Dianne Nicolini

Director of Compliance

Susannah Hutchison

Weekdays noon-3pm
Request Show

Cliff Nielsen

Gift Processing
Coordinator

Gail Eichenthal

Database Administrator

Nicole Coe
Gift Processing Manager

Bill Kappelman

IT Director

Steve Sevy
Operations Coordinator

Development Coordinator

Chief Engagement Officer
Sundays 4-6 pm, special
broadcasts

Nicole Massingale

Robin Pressman

Director of Operations

Customer Service
Coordinator

Overnight Host

Lilly Lau

Blake Lawrence
Overnight Host

Jennifer Miller
Weekend Host

24

Steve Coghill

KUSC Supporting the Arts
KUSC supports the efforts of the arts, by providing
office space to Arts for LA and the Los Angeles
County High School for the Arts Foundation.

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Foundation (Arts High Foundation) was founded
in 1984 to promote the arts and theadvancement of young artists by raising anddistributing funds to establish and operate apublic arts high school in Los Angeles
County. LACHSA, a tuition-free, public arts highschool, was established in 1985 on the campus of
California State University, Los Angeles. Once
LACHSA was established, the Foundation’s
mission shifted to bridging the gap between
available State funding and the actual cost of
running LACHSA's award winning, conservatorystyle arts programs.

Arts for LA is a nonprofit service organization working
to foster a healthy environment in which arts and culture may thrive and be accessible to all in Los Angeles County.
Established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in
2006, Arts for LA mobilizes artists, residents, and institutions as advocates for equitable arts education, arts
funding, creative jobs and more, converting awareness into action for a more prosperous, just, healthy,
compassionate, and creative Los Angeles region.

LACHSA is consistently ranked as one of the top
arts high schools in the nation. Young artists at
LACHSA win numerous local, state, and national
awards forartistic achievements and arerecruited by the finest arts colleges andconservatories in the nation, often times with full-ride scholarships. Singer Josh Groban, actress
Jenna Elfman, visual artist Kehinde Wiley,
playwright Josefina, and dancer Matthew
Rushing are just some of the school’s
distinguished alumni. LACHSA continues todevelop today's young artists into tomorrow's
arts leaders.

In the past year, here are a few things Arts for LA wasable to achieve:-ACTIVATE Arts Advocacy Leadership Program completed it's third cycle by training 99 advocates representing 27 school districts and 26 cities. This program
has two tracks of curriculum: Cultural Policy and Arts
Education. The Fourth cohort will begin their 9 monthjourney in September, 2017.
- ArtsVote: In 2016-2017, Arts for LA surveyed 356
candidates for 77 different elected positions.
- LA Convergence: Arts for LA's signature conveningof artists and arts organizations held our annual convention on November 3rd, 2016. The theme of the LA
Convergence was; Amplifying our Stories

LACHSA Foundation strives to bridge the gap
between available public funding and the actual
cost of running the extensive arts programmingat LACHSA.

To learn more about Arts for LA visit their website:ArtsforLA.org
25

KUSC Revenue FY17

Engineering/
Programming
1%

Administration
7%

Underwriting
10%

CPB
8%

Foundations
4%

Development
70%

The majority of KUSC’s funding comes from development/foundations (74%). KUSC receives nofunding from the University of Southern California. Federal funding, through the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting (CPB), accounted to about 8% of budget revenue.

26

Map of Classical KUSC Coverage

KUSC Expense FY17

KUSC’s Classical Public Radio can be heard in seven counties, from as far north as San
Luis Obispo and as far south as the Mexican border. With 39,000 watts of power,
Classical KUSC boasts the 10th most powerful signal in Southern California. KUSC
transmits its programming from five transmitters - KUSC-91.5 FM in Los Angeles andSanta Clarita; 88.5 FM KPSC in Palm Springs; 91.1 FM KDSC in Thousand Oaks; 93.7 FM
KDB in Santa Barbara and 99.7 in Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo.
Administration
17%

Underwriting
10%

Development
26%]

Broadcasting/
Programming
47%

The two most important activities for KUSC are creating and broadcasting classical music programming. Together, Broadcasting and Engineering comprised 47% of KUSC’s operating budget.

2

27

The Radio Stations of the
University of Southern California
91.5 KUSC | Los Angeles
88.5 KPSC | Palm Springs
91.1 KDSC | Thousand Oaks
93.7 KDB | Santa Barbara
99.7 KESC | San Luis Obispo

Annual Report2017