For years, it was New York City’s coolest radio show, one that could make the ears of even the biggest music nerd prick up in surprise. On any given night, listeners would hear artists like Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Phillip Glass, Hank Williams, Steve Reich, and Meredith Monk. The genres would span a head-spinning gamut, from classical to jazz to ancient Indian music. But the takeaway was always the understanding that seemingly disparate works could in fact be connected.

Those who tuned in sought to learn something about the city and the world at large, but also to escape its harsh realities.

For music fans, the news last Thursday that WNYC will end New Sounds, a show hosted by John Schaefer since its debut in 1982, has provoked a deep sense of mourning and nostalgia for both the show and the city's eroding arts and culture scene. Over four decades, the eclectic music program had come to be seen as a proud local institution that reflected New York City's sophistication and idiosyncratic personality.

“It’s hard to imagine New York without it,” Bryce Dessner, of The National, told Gothamist. “John’s show is one of the only avenues and formats in the world that was really able to defy genre and put all music on the same level.”

Laurie Anderson, the avant-garde musician who was Schaefer’s first guest and who has since agreed to be his last, said the show, which has been credited for introducing even the most knowledgeable artists to new music, was one of the very few that is "pretty daring.”

Julia Wolfe, one of the founders of the musical collective Bang on a Can, said of the decision in an email, "I know there is new leadership over at WNYC. What I think they don’t understand is that this isn’t just a radio show—it’s a cultural institution—it’s the voice for creative music here in New York City. This is a huge cultural loss in a city that prides itself in celebrating creativity."

WNYC (which, along with Gothamist, is owned by New York Public Radio) said the decision was part of its gradual shift away from music programming.

“We’re focused on news and storytelling,” Andrew Golis, the chief content officer of WNYC said on Wednesday during the station’s monthly community advisory board meeting. “Playlist music is not something that we think is core to WNYC’s offerings.”

Anderson and others, however, questioned that strategy. “I am really trying for less news,” she told Gothamist in a telephone interview. “Less news, more music is what I think would be a really good idea at this point."

She added: “How do you deal with this kind of surreal world?”

Wednesday’s meeting was open to the public, and roughly 70 people showed up in the pouring rain at NYPR's Greene Performance Space in Manhattan to make their heartfelt case to management.

Jennie Livingston, the director of the acclaimed film Paris Is Burning, spoke about the role of WNYC in arts and culture and how New Sounds has influenced her as a filmmaker. “As an artist, I get an education in music,” she said.

She urged the station to reverse its decision.

“We've got to cultivate our spirits and our hearts,” she said.

Alec Bemis, who runs the music label Brassland, said he and other musicians would not have a career were it not for Schaefer.

“Would Radiohead have made a left turn and made the albums they did if not for the kind of composer and cultural life that had a home in WNYC?” he asked.

He criticized station executives for what he argued was a short-sighted decision, which he said reflected “a large systematic failure” by the station.

Since last week, musicians and music writers have weighed in on Twitter.

For independent radio and music fans, the options for unconventional non-mainstream programming have been evaporating in an industry upended by streaming services.

Last week, WBAI-FM, the radical, freeform Brooklyn-based radio station, ceased operating. At the same time, Public Radio International announced that it would end Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, a Peabody-award winning arts and culture show in February 2020.

During the public meeting, Richard Yeh, a senior producer at WNYC, stood up and called the show’s demise, “The end of an era in New York and public radio.”

A spokesperson for WNYC declined to comment.

In addition to New Sounds, WNYC will shut down Soundcheck, which featured Schaefer’s interviews with musicians as well as live performances. Gig Alerts, Schaefer’s daily concert previews for Morning Edition, as well as his music round-ups for All Things Considered will also be dropped. The programs will terminate at the end of the year.

In an interview with Gothamist on Thursday, Schaefer said he first learned of the station’s decision last Monday. He said it came as a complete shock.

“I was totally gutted,” he said. “I’ve spent virtually my entire adult life here.”

He said he is working on finding a new home for New Sounds, adding that WNYC has said he could have the name and would help him move its archives wherever he might land.

But he said, “It’s up to me to find that place.”

The outpouring of messages from fans and artists has moved him, an indication, he said, that there is still a deep and abiding love of culture in New York City.

Asked about the description of his show as "playlist music," he seemed mystified. In his eyes, WNYC's mission and that of his show were perfectly aligned.

“Radio is a storytelling medium,” he said. “No matter what you’re doing on the air, you’re telling stories.”

UPDATE: A prior version of this story incorrectly described Gig Alerts as weekly. It is a daily feature.