No plans to silence The Voice of Music

Broadcasting Authority Chairman Gilat and IBA Director-General Ben Menachem pledge support for program.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Amir Gilat 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Amir Gilat 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
To allay fears that there is any intention to silence The Voice of Music either permanently or temporarily, Broadcasting Authority Chairman Amir Gilat and IBA Director-General Yoni Ben Menachem on Wednesday announced at the meeting of the Content Committee of the IBA plenum that any rumors suggesting that the radio station is about to fade are completely without foundation.
The assurances and denials follow a spate of media reports that veterans of the station are afraid that the appointment of a new station head without a background in music is a doomsday warning.
The Voice of Music is an important component of public broadcasting and there isn’t, nor was there, any intention to close it down, said Gilat and Ben Menachem.
They pledged that for as long as they remained in office they would not allow any harm to come to such a valuable asset.
Dire speculations about the fate of The Voice of Music surfaced a few weeks ago, following the appointment of Arieh Yas as the head of the station. Yas took on the challenge of strengthening the station and trying to attract more listeners.
But staff members found it difficult to accept the fact that he does not have a background in classical music. Israel Radio CEO Mickey Miro said he was impressed by Yas’s application, and decided to test his managerial skills.
As an initial step in his new position, said Miro, Yas has already approved 12 external productions out of a total of 20 that were budgeted for Israel Radio over the next month.