The service also has a five-minute "cutaway" following this top of the hour break during the day for subscribers to air news programming (in many cases the standard NPR newscast, as some NPR member stations air Classical 24); this time is filled with a short musical selection for affiliates who choose not to run any newscast.
Classical 24 has three daypart-separated teams of ten different hosts which presents 4-hour/6-hour live air shifts: The following presenters could also be heard on the network on a weekly basis in numerous short segments or as fill-in hosts: Music Through the Night is a classical music radio program produced by American Public Media and distributed by Public Radio International, and broadcast on many National Public Radio (NPR) stations as well as several other classical music stations, generally from midnight to 6 a.m. Central Time every night, though beginning and/or ending times might vary.
According to a Time Magazine article first published in 1952, Music Through the Night got its original incarnation when Civil Defense authorities asked Ted Cott of Manhattan's WNBC (660) radio to keep a radio tone signal playing all night so as to be immediately able to send out important public announcements.
[6] According to promotional materials, "Seven days a week, this program offers a choice of music and style of presentation perfectly suited for through-the-night listening.
The program mixes standard repertoire with the finest works by lesser-known composers to lend perspective to major musical figures."
Different affiliates end their Music Through the Night coverage at different times in the morning to begin their broadcast day with local announcers; a handful present the entire Classical 24 schedule, including Music Through the Night, with no local hosts.
Some affiliates present the entire Classical 24 schedule via additional digital radio channels and/or internet streaming.
Minnesota Public Radio President Duchesne Drew and APM President Dave Kansas wrote in a statement published on September 11, 2020, that previous warnings were tied to his departure, not his music choices or his "unauthorized changes to playlists.
"[8] They claim it was the manner in which he made the changes, not the actual content,[8] which were a direct response to the murder of George Floyd in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.
The video of Floyd's murder prompted both local and international protests in the name of Black Lives Matter despite shelter-in-place orders during the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic.
"[7]Yet, the collective statement from executives at MPR and APM emphasized that McQueen's departure was due to other concerns:We have a process in place for changing playlists, and that process exists to maintain our more than 200 partner stations' compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and to ensure royalties are properly paid for the music played.McQueen felt his departure was prompted by his direct on-air response to local protests:"And let's just face it," said McQueen, "with [the murder of] George Floyd and all of those things, there was a lot of pressure for me to engage the audience while that's happening.