Columnist Susan Snyder: Public radio in concert with Vegas

Friday, Oct. 31, 2003 | 5:24 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION Nov. 1 - 2, 2003

Susan Snyder's column appears Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4082.

With one courageous step, KNPR has shattered a couple of myths that haunt Las Vegans and the classical music they evidently love.

On Friday the radio station that used to be KNPR 89.5-FM split into two stations: KNPR 88.9-FM for 24-hour news and KCNV 89.7-FM for all classical music.

We are not drinking, gambling, prostituting troglodytes living the "what happens here, stays here" slogan that draws the drinking, gambling, prostituting troglodytes to our city.

And classical music isn't a tune to which only the snooty, elitist and highly educated dance.

Of course, those who live and raise families in the Las Vegas Valley know the former is nothing more than hype. And those who have long supported the local public radio station know the latter is little more than tripe.

Still, it's nice to see an organization invest in the reality. Six years of work and $2 million is a huge vote of confidence in the locals.

Politically, Clark County residents are neither all liberal nor all conservative. We're more split down the middle, with 256,607 registered Democrats and 223,701 registered Republicans. It would seem we're either moderate, or we're canceling out each other at the polls.

However, the community's marketed image exudes the aura of being loose, young and hip -- the hot spot where celebrities play.

But we're not all that young. U.S. Census figures show half of Clark County's residents are in their mid-30s or older, and 12 percent of us are older than 65.

And we're not all that wild. We can't build schools or hire teachers fast enough to serve the number of children we're raising.

Yet, we aren't exactly Ivy League either. A third of residents 25 and older possess nothing higher than a high school diploma, and 26 percent of residents in that same age group have a little college, but no degree.

Among those with college degrees, less than 1 percent have obtained a doctorate, census figures show.

It just goes to show that classical music isn't the sole purview of the highly educated.

In fact, over the past 10 years the number of Americans who enjoy classical music, opera, theater productions and art has increased to 100 million -- more than a third of the nation's population, according to a June 2001 article in "American Demographics" magazine.

Authors Michael J. Weiss, Morris B. Holdbrook and John Habich said their research showed "today's typical arts consumer is neither elitist nor populist, but rather a devotee of eclectic interests with a fondness for both theatergoing and bowling."

Couldn't sound more like us if Wayne Newton himself sang it from the top of the Stardust.

KNPR and KCNV are putting their money on the fact that we're something many people don't see when they look at Las Vegas:

Normal.

Good heavens, don't let the tourists find out.

But pity those for whom the slogan "what happens here, stays here" rings true.

It might not be so bad we rubbed off on them a little.