Ecstatic Music Festival: Julianna Barwick + ModernMedieval
photo by David Andrako

WNYC will keep Jon Schaefer's 'New Sounds' on the air after all

Jon Schaefer and Juliana Barwick at Ecstatic Music Festival 2018 (more by David Andrako)
Jon Schaefer and Juliana Barwick at Ecstatic Music Festival 2018 (more by David Andrako)

Good news! WNYC has changed its mind and will keep Jon Schaefer‘s long-running show New Sounds, which was set to be canceled at the end of the year, on the air. Gothamist (which is owned by New York Public Radio that also owns WNYC) reports that the news came from an internal memo from NYPR CEO Goli Sheikholeslami, who wrote “It has become clear to me that John and [New Sounds producer] Caryn Havlik’s work is distinct, inimitable, and intrinsically New York—and that this beloved team must stay with us. A show like New Sounds can only be produced by public radio, and specifically at NYPR.” Gothamist also writes that the news did not come as a complete surprise:

On Friday, following a tense meeting with a packed room of WNYC and WQXR employees who protested the decision, Sheikholeslami said that she would take the weekend to think about the decision announced more than a week ago to drop the show.

Gig Alerts, Soundcheck and Weekly Music Roundup will continue on-air as well. You can real Sheikholeslami’s full statement on New Sounds below.

When WNYC announced earlier this month that New Sounds would be going off the air, there was immediate outcry from both listeners and the music community, including Laurie Anderson, The National’s Bryce Dessner, Colin Meloy and Dan Deacon. Fans launched an online campaign to save New Sounds last week.