Christopher Felcyn, a longtime Detroit radio personality and host of “The Well Tempered Wireless” for classical music station WRCJ-FM (90.9), has died. Felcyn,…
Christopher Felcyn, a longtime Detroit radio personality and host of “The Well Tempered Wireless” for classical music station WRCJ-FM (90.9), has died.
Felcyn, 67, died at his home on Friday, according to his family.
“He was one of the best interviewers in the business, a talented pianist, and an ultimate professional with wit and creativity in sharing classical music,” Detroit Public TV, which manages WRCJ, said in a statement, announcing Felcyn’s death. “Chris and his passion will truly be missed.
A Detroit-native, Felcyn was the host of classical/jazz music program “The Listening Room” on Sunday mornings on WDET-FM (101.9), and later on WRCJ for more than 30 years. He hosted “The Well Tempered Wireless,” a mid-day weekday show up until his death.
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“The Listening Room” was distinctively Felcyn, where listeners got a sense of his broad musical tastes across all genres — from jazz to classical music all over the world.
“He was a very gifted radio host, he understood that the key was establishing intimacy and a sense of place and conversation with listeners,” said Mark Stryker, former classical music critic for the Free Press. “He had an ability to make you feel like you and he were friends.”
Classical music has long been sewn in the fabric of Detroit, with historic orchestras and chamber music, and Felcyn knew that, making sure to craft all kinds of music into his program. Even music that “fell in between the cracks,” said Stryker, who was a long-time friend of Felcyn’s.
Felcyn was beloved by his colleagues, like Dave Devereaux, WRCJ’s station manager who sat next to him for years.
“When I joined DPTV 43 years ago as a TV director, I was given a desk next to Chris Felcyn and was immediately in awe of his knowledge and creativity,” said Devereaux in a statement.
Felcyn began working for Detroit Public Television in the early 1970s as a producer and director, according to the statement from WTVS-TV (Channel 62). In the 1990s he left WTVS to establish his video production company, Matchcut Productions, and returned full-time as radio host when WRCJ began broadcasting in 2005.
“He saw the microphone as an essential instrument of personal communication,” said Dave Wagner, a fellow host on WRCJ in a written statement. “You felt you could reach over to your speaker and touch him.”
A private funeral for family has been planned.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions, in Felcyn’s name, be made to WRCJ.
Viewing will be at A. H. Peters Funeral Home, 32000 Schoenherr, Warren from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
