KWMU to air St. Louis Symphony performances

KWMU is picking up live performance broadcasts of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in September. The partnership, announced yesterday, provides a new outlet for the symphony after KFUO, the city's all-classical outlet, switches to the "Joy FM" format under new owner Gateway Creative Broadcasting, a religious broadcaster. KWMU, which recently rebranded itself St. Louis Public Media, will air all Saturday concerts in the symphony's Wells Fargo Advisors Orchestral Series, beginning with the 2010-11 season-opening performance featuring violinist Joshua Bell. The news isn't so good for opera lovers, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which reports that KWMU doesn't plan to change its Saturday afternoon line-up to carry live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera.

NPR Music: Passport to the coolness of Bonnaroo

NPR Music is about to begin webcasting live from the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., a first for the online music service recently touted by the Washington Post as "a kind of passport to coolness for NPR's core radio audience of aging baby boomers." Neon Indian, a synth-pop band that riffs off Wizard/True Star-era Todd Rundgren in a track on NPR Music's Bonnaroo Preview playlist, kicks off three days of live performances at 1 pm ET. Three public radio stations--KUT, WFUV and The Current--have joined NPR in producing coverage of more than 40 full sets from the festival. On Twitter, follow @NPRMusic, @allsongs, and @RitaHoustonWFUV for updates and color commentary. For reactions to the Washington Post's June 6 feature headlined "NPR has become a major player in the indie rock scene," check out the blog posts and comments on New York Magazine's Vulture and The Alt Report (via Bruce Warren's Some Velvet Blog).

Letters to ombudsman persist on Smiley's comments, and Memorial Day concert

PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler continues to hear from viewers about two controversial subjects: Tavis Smiley's comments on terrorism, and treatment of the Vietnam War in the recent Memorial Day special. Read his Mailbag here.