‘Classic FM can’t be abolished’ amid confusion over separate license fee collection

Speculation is rampant that KBS will give up some channels or functions after declaring emergency management due to separate collection of TV (KBS/EBS) license fees. Among the various rumors surrounding the emergency management plan, interest is gathering in the possibility of abolishing Classic FM (1FM).

On the 10th, after KBS President Eui-cheol Kim announced that he would start emergency management, a Jirashi with the title of ‘KBS emergency management promotion (plan) according to separate license fee collection’ began to circulate online. In addition to measures to reduce labor costs such as large-scale honorary retirement and promotion of annual leave, regional bureau widening, mini-series and drama abolition, return of some radio channels such as 1 Radio (current affairs) and 1FM will be promoted.

KBS dismissed the article as ‘Jirashi’. A KBS official said on the 17th, “It was posted on ‘blind’ (anonymous community). It is not appropriate to say it based on that,” he said. “We are collecting and discussing opinions on various fields within the category of emergency honors, but I know that it is not yet the situation or time to inform the outside about it. There are also concerns that it may only cause unnecessary controversy like the recent Jirashi case.”

In fact, from the perspective of KBS, the justification for abolishing the classical broadcasting, which has been cited as a major public responsibility, is weak. At a press conference on the separate collection of license fees last April, Oh Seong-il, director of KBS license fees, said, “When the separate collection is carried out, it is necessary for our society, such as foreign broadcasting, international broadcasting, broadcasting for the disabled, and broadcasting of a specific genre such as 1FM, a classical music broadcaster, that are important in national security or public diplomacy. Their public service itself will be reduced,” he expressed his concern. Among the members of KBS, there is a reaction that ‘someone seems to have put together a plausible story and turned it around’.

However, as this jirashi has already spread in online spaces such as social media and some media have reported it, there is also a point of view that some of the measures discussed as emergency management plans are really being implemented. The reaction that 1FM should not disappear is also noticeable. A tweet posted by a Twitter user on the 12th regarding the discontinuation of 1FM was retweeted (shared) 9478 times and viewed 658,000 times.

Established in 1979 as a channel specializing in classical music and traditional music, 1FM, nicknamed ‘Classic FM’, has organized classical broadcasts without commercial advertisements, held free concerts by the KBS Symphony Orchestra and the KBS Korean Traditional Music Orchestra, and discovered new musicians. In the case of pianist Yunchan Lim, who became the youngest ever winner of the first prize at the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition last year, he released his debut album in 2020 through the ‘Young Korean Musicians’ project that has been going on since 2013.

Music critic Jang Il-beom, who was in charge of hosting 1FM’s ‘Home Music’ (currently host of cpbc’s ‘Jang Il-beom’s Pleasant Classics’), said in a phone call on the 17th, “In kindergarten, ‘Jang Il-beom’s Home Music!’ I saw the children who imitated me grow up and come to concerts. These days, as classical music is gaining popularity, it is also a trend for the ‘MZ generation’ to watch classical music performances.” Even in ‘Tada’, Classic FM was turned on. Classic FM is fundamental and should not disappear. It’s like the Analects, but it also becomes a new fashion trend.”

“(Classic FM) seems to have a smaller number of influence than popular music, but a lot of people listen to the broadcast, go to the concert hall, create an industry, and it creates a virtuous cycle, which is very nationwide for children’s education and adults’ culture. He emphasized that it is a channel that has an influence, and that it is so precious that it must be maintained.