North Carolina Radio Station Won't Air 'Inappropriate' Met Opera Productions
The station has previously opted out of broadcasting productions it deemed unsuitable.
By: Joshua Wright Oct. 04, 2023
WCPE Radio in North Carolina won't broadcast six of the Metropolitan Opera's productions this year over concerns about the opera's content, reports NPR.
The protest comes at a time The Met is dedicating more of its season to representing works by a more diverse set of authors. Three of the operas WCPE intends to reject were written by non-white composers.
The station also refused to broadcast Champion this past season, an opera written by a Black composer that included LGBTQ themes.
A North Carolina radio station announces that it won’t broadcast any of the @MetOpera’s new works this year (citing “language” and “themes” and in one case “non-biblical sources” for Adam’s’ El Niño) — but Turandot and Butterfly are a-OK pic.twitter.com/evYe1MCNrs
— Ben Miller (@benwritesthings) September 28, 2023
The station's general manager, Deborah S. Proctor, sent out a letter in August concerning seven performances from the Met this season - soliciting feedback from listeners.
WCPE's concerns include depictions of violence or the presence of LGBTQ subject material. Proctor also objects to a composer's "non-biblical" meditation on the birth of Jesus.
In her letter, Proctor wrote "We declined to broadcast the Met's presentation of The Champion because it contained vulgar language and a theme unsuitable for a general audience. All age groups listen to our station; we want parents to know that they can leave our station playing for their children because our broadcasts are without mature themes or foul language."
"We must maintain the trust of listeners like this mother for the sake of her children and the many other parents with families who trust us, not only in North Carolina, but across our Nation. Broadcasting adult themes and harsh lanquage, particularly in English, is the second concern. This coming season, the Metropolitan Opera has chosen several operas which are written in a non-classical music style, have adult themes and language, and are in English. I feel they aren't suitable for broadcast on our station. These operas will be broadcast on other stations and the internet."
In a statement to NPR, Proctor said "But I'm not banning these things... I'm just saying that on this station that I've been granted jurisdiction over — and 90-plus percent of the people who have answered the survey agree with me — it shouldn't be on this station."
The Met's Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts will begin on Dec. 9 and run throughout the entire season. The Met has broadcast productions since 1931. The broadcasts are heard in 35 countries worldwide, including via 600 stations in the U.S.
Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera
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