Shabbat on the Radio
May no longer be a New York tradition
July 17, 2009
The sanctuary at Emanu-El.(Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)
At 5:30 tonight, the New York classical-music station WQXR will broadcast the regular Shabbat service from Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, just as it has for decades. But the broadcast’s future is unclear. The cash-strapped New York Times Company, which has owned the station since 1944, agreed earlier this week to sell it earlier this week to the public radio station WNYC Radio and Univision. So far, the new owners have committed to continuing long-running programs from the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic, but the rest of the station’s schedule, including the Shabbat service and other religious programming from local churches, is up for discussion. “Everything will be getting a second look,” said WNYC spokeswoman Jennifer Houlihan.
Allison Hoffman is the executive editor of CNN Politics.
