It feels like it's something very personal they've lost. Right now, the station has no plans to reverse its decision, Hopkins said. Rather, it will wait to see how listeners respond to the new schedule over time, then weigh the costs and benefits of the changes. Oh, those Met fans Some of the most effective organizers against programming changes are fans of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, which is available to stations only if they carry it live. Many programmers believe they handicap their audience-building efforts by carrying the broadcasts at curtain time on Saturday.
Researchers say opera appeals to only a subset of the classical music audience.
But in recent years, that subset has succeeded in reversing Met cancellations in Wisconsin, Arizona, Mississippi and West Virginia. These fans appear to be motivated by a passionate commitment to high culture and a belief they are among the few plugging the dike that's stemming a flood of popular-media trash. There is a sensitivity, on the part of some classical listeners. It's not to be dismissed. Mitchell is still alive to talk about the battle he fought with Met fans when the state network announced it would cancel the opera in '93.