Longtime WQXR (105.9) morning host Jeff Spurgeon will retire at the beginning of September, ending a nearly 30-year run at New York\u2019s classical music station and closing a radio career that has stretched across almost five decades.<\/p>\n
Spurgeon, who joined the New York Public Radio-operated station in 1996, will continue hosting the station\u2019s weekday morning program through the summer before stepping away from the microphone. During his tenure, he became one of the signature voices of the station and a familiar companion for generations of classical music listeners in New York and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a wonderful adventure it has been to explore the world of classical music with the listeners of WQXR,\u201d Spurgeon said in the announcement. \u201cNow, after a long, rich season of 30 years at the station, it is time to conclude my part in that adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also thanked listeners, colleagues and station management for their support over the years, adding that he plans to remain both a listener and financial supporter of the station as WQXR approaches its 90th anniversary later this year.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Spurgeon built a reputation for combining deep musical knowledge with an approachable on-air style that helped broaden classical music\u2019s appeal. His weekday morning show became known for recurring features including \u201cMorning Bach\u201d and the \u201cKnow-It-All New Yorker\u201d trivia segment, while his interviews regularly featured leading artists from the classical world and beyond.<\/p>\n
Spurgeon also played a prominent role in many of the station\u2019s live events and special broadcasts, including serving as co-host of \u201cCarnegie Hall Live.\u201d His interviews and broadcasts featured notable artists including pianist Sir Andr\u00e1s Schiff, soprano Ren\u00e9e Fleming and conductor Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin.<\/p>\n
Head of WQXR Eileen Delahunty said Spurgeon\u2019s connection with listeners extended far beyond the music itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeff has been the weekday morning companion for generations of WQXR listeners,\u201d Delahunty said. \u201cHe\u2019s often the first voice in someone\u2019s day and the soundtrack to their morning routines. Through his humor, insight and warmth he has connected a vibrant community of classical music lovers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spurgeon is expected to remain active in several station events before his departure, including live summer broadcasts from Carnegie Hall and the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park.<\/p>\n
Following Spurgeon\u2019s retirement, veteran New York broadcaster Paul Cavalconte will assume the role of interim weekday morning host. Cavalconte currently hosts weekend mornings on the station and brings more than 40 years of radio experience to the position, including previous work at former New York classical outlet WNCN and with the nationally syndicated Classic FM UK network.<\/p>\n
In addition to his WQXR duties, Cavalconte will continue hosting \u201cCavalcade\u201d on Fordham University adult alternative WFUV (90.7) and \u201cNew Standards\u201d on Newark Public Radio \u201cJazz 88\u201d WBGO.<\/p>\n
WQXR Program Director Jenny Houser said Spurgeon\u2019s impact at the station extended beyond the air studio, citing his mentorship of staff and younger broadcasters.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis remarkable gifts and unwavering excellence as a broadcaster are matched by his kindness, collaborative spirit and incredible sense of humor,\u201d Houser said. \u201cThough we\u2019ll miss Jeff\u2019s voice on the airwaves, I\u2019m excited for our weekday morning listeners to spend more time with Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n
WQXR said it plans to honor Spurgeon later this summer with special on-air programming and online tributes featuring messages from listeners, artists and colleagues. Additional details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Longtime WQXR (105.9) morning host Jeff Spurgeon will retire at the beginning of September, ending a nearly 30-year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[156,4975,157,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-452198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-free","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}