The Met expands its live performance broadcasts

For a staid, older institution, the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast series is flourishing. The free, live broadcasts, which begin their 76th season Saturday at 1 p.m. with Mozart's "Idomeneo," are still not entirely financially secure. But this season, in addition to their return to WHRB-FM (95.3), they've expanded. A new subscription service launched in September has brought several live performances each week to Sirius satellite radio in the form of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Metropolitan Opera channel. (The remainder of the channel's programming is composed of archived performances.) And a high-tech audio-visual venture, live HD broadcasts of six selected performances, will invite additional viewers in as well, starting Dec. 30 with the family-friendly, abridged version of Julie Taymor's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute." (Locally, performances are at the AMC Framingham 16, Swansea Stadium 12, and Marlborough's Solomon Pond Mall 15 cinemas. Tickets are available through the cinemas and at metoperafamily.org/hdlive.)

"We see these [ventures] as complementary," says Metropolitan Opera spokesman Peter Clark. "We hope they'll continue to grow the audience for any kind of performance broadcast."

The broadcasts, which run Saturday afternoons through May 5, continue to be available for free, over traditional radio, on more than 300 stations in this country and in more than 40 countries worldwide. These 22 broadcasts, which continue the longest-running classical music series in US broadcast history, will present new productions, including the world premiere production of Tan Dun's "The First Emperor" ( Jan. 13) and the abridged-and-translated "The Magic Flute" ( Dec. 30). (For full broadcast schedule, including casts, see operainfo.org.) On WHRB, the Harvard University station, these broadcasts are followed by additional opera programming, including broadcasts of rare archival performances.

Sponsorship for the embattled institution, meanwhile, may be approaching more stable footing. No single corporate sponsor has yet replaced ChevronTexaco, which ended its 63-year sponsorship (first as the Texas Company and then Texaco) with the 2004 season. But Toll Brothers, a luxury home construction firm, has renewed the commitment it made in 2005 to the broadcasts, creating the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Ratio Network. This year, Toll Brothers has agreed to extend its sponsorship through 2008. The Toll Brothers company is joined by the Annenberg Foundation and the Vincent A. Stabile Foundation in financing the broadcast series. In addition, the "Save the Met Broadcasts" campaign continues, says Clark. Information is available at the Met's website, metopera.org, or by calling 800-METOPERA.

Fans of "Boston's Progressive Talk Radio" will have to find another outlet soon. Although Clear Channel representatives are not discussing details, the national radio group, which has been selling stations across the country, acknowledges that change is in the works for the two local AMs that carry Air America and related programming -- WXKS-AM (1430) and WKOX-AM (1200). Saying that details will be released within two weeks, Clear Channel vice president of programming "Cadillac Jack" McCartney acknowledged this week that changes are pending and that Air America "is history." . . . WBCN-FM (104.1) is offering a commercial-free stream of Sunday's Patriots-Dolphin game, online at wbcn.com , beginning at 1 p.m. The station is also inviting area families with family members in the military to record personal messages that will air during the online broadcast. Interested families may call 617-746-1437 any time this week.