Classical radio loses its most knowledgeable presenter

The engaging broadcaster Rob Cowan is about to make his last appearance on Classic FM this Saturday.

Rob’s 3-year contract has come to an end and has not been renewed.

He knows more about records than anyone presently on air – maybe too much for Classic FM, which constantly respins the same old hits.

Having quit the suffocating BBC, he’s too male, pale, stale to be welcomed back.

It’s a bleak day for music broadasting.

Rob says: Come Boxing Day and I deliver my last edition of Cowan’s Classics @ClassicFM. Throughout this very happy stint (my third with the Station) listeners have responded positively via email and on a weekly basis to the menus that I’ve concocted for them, their varieties of style, genre, tone, tempo, mood and recorded vintage, the familiar played alongside the unfamiliar, and so forth, which leads me to sincerely hope that by reaching out I’ve facilitated some valuable discoveries. Aside from the odd birthday or anniversary my agenda has always been simple: quality, more quality and yet more quality still, with brief, lightly delivered commentaries. I love sharing and although I’ll continue to listen with joy (often related to my critical work as Contributing Editor for Gramophone and on my blog Rob’s Retro Classical at robccowan.com) I’ll miss the opportunity of programming the best of what I hear for responsive listeners. So to those of you who have listened, thank you – and thank you too to the lovely CFM team.