Meet the Host: Fred Flaxman of COMPACT DISCOVERIES
Fred Flaxman, the creator, writer, producer, editor and host of the classical music public radio series Compact Discoveries, is an award-winning writer, public television and radio producer and executive.
In 1970 Fred Flaxman was the founder and first manager of public radio station WETA-FM in Washington, D.C. He later served as a vice president of WETA-TV and as assistant general manager and director of programming and production for KUAT-TV, the public television station in Tucson, Arizona.
In 1978 he founded Public Broadcasting International, headquartered in Paris, France.
Flaxman was vice president for national programming of WTTW/Chicago for six years. There he was in charge of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, which received nine international awards, and he received an Emmy award as executive producer of Messenger to Poland.
He was an occasional commentator for the nationally-syndicated public radio program, Marketplace. His commentaries were also heard throughout southern Oregon and northern California on Jefferson Public Radio’s daily newsmagazine program.
As a writer, his articles have appeared in leading newspapers across the country including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and San Francisco Chronicle among other publications. He is the recipient of a first-place award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
He and his wife, Annick Story Flaxman of Dinard, France, live in Weaverville, North Carolina. The Flaxmans have two grown children.
Compact Discoveries is a series of one-hour, classical music radio programs, with a relaxed, informal and light approach. Fred sometimes uses humor, sound effects, personal essays, clips from old-time radio programs, and non-classical music to make his theme-based hours interesting and fun. The music is always carefully selected to appeal to the widest possible audience for classical music and to attract new listeners to the genre. Fred’s amusing themes range from Discs for Dishwashing” to “Aaron Copeland, the Brooklyn Cowboy”. The programs often feature little-known composers who have written pieces that people will like on first hearing such as Ernesto Nazareth, Kurt Atterberg, Rene Touzet, and Clara Schumann.Cecile Chaminade, Tyzen Hsiao and Joaquin Nin.
Compact Discoveries can be heard on Public Radio Stations throughout the country or on the Public Radio Exchange.
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