Classic 107.3 Announces Retirement Of Station Manager Jim Connett

Classic 107.3, "The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis", announced today that founding Station Manager Jim Connett will retire effective June 14, 2019.

Connett has been the station manager since Classic 107.3 began broadcasting on April 8, 2013. Prior to that, Connett served for 19 years as the program director at KFUO-Classic 99, which received a National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Award for "Best Classical Station" under his leadership. Connett's on-air work at KFUO, KEZK and WRTH made him a beloved fixture of the radio community in St. Louis.

After KFUO went off the air in 2010, a group of music aficionados including Noémi Neidorff asked Connett to lead the effort to establish a new classical radio station for St. Louis. Over the next three years, Connett harnessed his decades of radio experience to found the Radio Arts Foundation - Classic 107.3. Building Classic 107.3 from scratch proved to be the most challenging and rewarding task of Connett's impressive career.

"With the vision, guidance and support of our Classic 107.3 board and financial support from the Centene Charitable Foundation, our small but dedicated staff has forged a dynamic place where classical music, jazz, blues, opera and Broadway music can thrive," Connett said of the station. "I have worked in radio for more than forty years, at a number of stations, and I have never seen a performance of this depth and ability. I'm beyond proud of what we have accomplished."

"For the last nine years, Jim has devoted himself to Classic 107.3," said James L. Nouss, Chairman of the Radio Arts Foundation Board of Directors. "First, he worked to establish the station and bring classical music back to the St. Louis airwaves. Since then, he has grown and nurtured the station to become a vital asset to the arts community here in St. Louis. Simply put, Classic 107.3 would not exist without Jim Connett! On behalf of the board, I thank Jim for his leadership and wish him all the best in his retirement."

The station operates on analog radio at 107.3 FM and on hybrid digital radio at KNOU 96.3 HD2. In addition to classical compositions, Classic 107.3 plays chamber, choral, symphonic, jazz and blues music; opera; and Broadway show tunes. The station features local programming including the "Slatkin Shuffle", hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin, and "Re-Choired Listening" with Phillip Barnes; interviews with area arts and cultural organizations; and renowned performances from the San Francisco Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Chicago Symphony, among others. Nationally syndicated programs such as "Concierto" and "Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin" also air on the station. Popular on-air hosts include Jim Doyle, Kathy Lawton-Brown, Tom Sudholt and Julie Schuster. More information, as well as live streaming, archived interviews, and podcasts can be found at www.classic1073.org.

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