A Wonderful Journey: A Few Thoughts from Station Manager Dan DeVany

The time has come. After 35 memorable years filled with extraordinary experiences, I am retiring from WETA Classical as Vice President and General Manager.

I do so with some reluctance. WETA has been my home and my family for most of my working life. But the time is right to depart. WETA Classical’s audience is strong, passionate, generous, and incredibly loyal, and the station is in a good place to continue its non-commercial public service mission as Washington’s radio home for classical music.

The station has seen many changes over the years. There was a time when WETA 90.9 FM was a mix of radio content, including classical music, folk, jazz as well as news and variety programming. There was even a period in the mid 2000’s when WETA Radio left classical music behind and, for a time, became an all-news and talk station.

Then in early 2007, WETA-FM found itself with the opportunity to adopt the classical music format when it appeared that Washington, D.C. was going to be without a classical music radio station. Thanks to the foresight and quick thinking of our President and CEO, Sharon Rockefeller, we enthusiastically embraced the classical format and never looked back.

Now, over 18 years later, WETA Classical is one of the most listened-to classical music radio stations in the country with over a quarter of a million weekly listeners tuned to our over-the-air signal and many thousands more listening to the station on our online streams.

There are no secrets to this success. It is due to a talented and dedicated staff, and a loyal local community of listeners and supporters.

One of the great pleasures of my time at WETA has been to work with an outstanding group of media professionals. From programming to on-air to promotion to technical to support personnel, every member of the WETA Classical team is committed to bringing classical music to audiences throughout the Greater Washington Area. Each one of our staff has a deep love and respect for classical music. The collective knowledge of music at WETA Classical could fill a large library. And it is the talent and hard work of the people at WETA that makes the station sparkle.

But it is the Washington community that completes WETA Classical and makes the station possible. Our loyal listeners and generous supporters have kept and continue to keep the music alive for everyone in Our Nation’s Capital. Without them, there would be no WETA Classical.

I leave the management of the station in the more than capable hands of our Program Director, Jim Allison, with whom I’ve had the privilege of serving for the past 18 years. With his vast knowledge of classical music, technical expertise, and commitment to public service, there is no one better suited than Jim to become Vice President and General Manager of WETA Classical. He has the skills and wisdom to lead the station into the future and its next phase of expanded services to the Washington community.

For my part, I am moving fulltime into my favorite role as a WETA Classical listener and fan. One of the great gifts of this work is that I can continue my relationship with the station by simply listening on my smartphone or firing up the radio at home or in my car.

Thank you, WETA. And thank you, Washington for 35 wonderful years. And here’s to many more listening to one of the great treasures of our community: WETA Classical.