■ In different countries, radio stations broadcast what is regularly categorized as classical music. The question arises, however, whether the various stations rely on the same concept of the genre and whether they apply the same programming strategies. In an analysis focusing on the composers of the works broadcast, programmes of four radio stations — two in Germany, one in France and one in the US — were compared. The results are interpreted with regard to the concept of a ‘canon’ of classical composers, changes in ‘legitimate culture’ and debates on the function and performance of classical music stations. Findings are also compared to the composers’ importance in the educational and scientific system. The study shows that the stations essentially rely on an internationally common repertoire of classical composers, but that programming strategies rely on different understandings of legitimate culture and different functions of the canonical works. ■