READER COMMENTS

ITEM ONE: IS CLASSICAL MUSIC ON THE RADIO ACTUALLY “RISING?”

The inbox has been busy lately. Our post last Wednesday [link] about Classical Music Rising and the performance of full-time Classical music stations in the Nielsen October PPMs brought these two comments:

Comment #1: From the Content Director of a station in one of the top ten markets who asked not to be named:

READER: This article’s premise is somewhat uninformed. Of course listenership on classical music stations in October 2017 was lower than October 2016. That’s because it was a month before a dramatic presidential election.

In 2012, I noticed that starting in August – the month of the national conventions - the numbers for us and the two NPR affiliates we started going up and classical and jazz stations went down. It peaked in November. By February it was all back to pre-August levels.

I think that when big national events happen, people do tune in more often to news and talk stations.  I suspect the. I also suspect people will go back to jazz and classical stations because that intensity of horror is unsustainable

KEN SAYS: The increase in listeners to news stations during hot news cycles such as the 2016 election season has been observed many times in the past. As the reader says, listening frequently rises during the months prior to a national election then it falls back to previous levels in subsequent months. But that didn’t happy after the 2016 election.

As we reported on November 6^th [link] 64% of NPR News/Talk stations increased their number of weekly listeners by more than 3% when comparing October 2017 PPM ratings to October 2016.

The reader also asked whether public radio listeners seek “shelter from the storm” when the news they are hearing gets ugly. This hard to quantify. The Nielsen ratings measure behavior, not the motivations of behavior.

Comment #2: An anonymous reader wrote to us:

READER:  I found it ironic that the first part of your post was about Classical Music Rising and the second part of the post was about “classical music falling” in the October 2017 Nielsen ratings.

KEN: The reader is correct that around 68% of the full-time Classical music stations in PPM markets had fewer weekly listeners in October 2017 than October 2016. But, weekly listener estimates aren’t only factor the Classical Music Rising initiative is working on. CMR is working to increase the overall value a station engagement with listeners on all platforms. Plus, Wende Person, Executive Editor or CMR, is doing a splendid job of creating a Classical music radio community. Triple A radio would benefit from this kind of advocacy.

ITEM TWO: There is no “Pacifica.”

We have provided extensive coverage of the deepening crisis at Pacifica Foundation stations, particularly WBAI, since a New York court ruled against Pacifica in case involving unpaid transmitter site rent on the Empire State Building. Pacifica must pay an estimated $2.4 million now or begin having their assets seized.

We had a helpful email exchange with a Spark News reader, whom we will not identify, who was the GM of one of the Pacifica stations a few years ago. The reader provides interesting insight into the motivations of the people who currently operate Pacifica:

From: Ken Mills [mailto:publicradio@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017
To:

Subject: Re: Pacifica

KEN: Why hasn't Pacifica gotten rid of all the factions and drama?

READER: There is no “Pacifica.” There are only factions. “Pacifica,” as a 501(c)(3) is “owned” by the members of whoever happens to be on the Pacifica National Board, which is compromised of the factions from each station.

Each year, the local station boards vote for the National Board representatives. So there’s some turnover every year. But, the National Board is mostly the same retread “leaders” and their various supporters who vote with them. These people are not going to get rid of themselves.

KEN: Has it every occurred to the powers that be that there is absolutely no requirement that they operate in this manner?

READER: No. They are there for their own respective agendas. They don’t feel responsible for an organization that is a public trust.

KEN: All of the drama involving these factions is hard to report to my readers. No successful noncom radio station I know of operates in this manner. Why don't they put someone qualified in charge and get back to business?

READER: They don’t want to. The various actors all are delusional and believe they are competent. It’s really a phenomenon that it is nearly impossible to explain. But you have to realize that every incompetent board member, staff person or unpaid programmer has “friends” that are reliable votes in internal elections\

When I was at [station] my faction – “my side” - won big. However “my side” turned out to be even more incompetent and craven than the other side. This is why I think Pacifica is completely hopeless. Besides being incompetent and delusional, they are also lazy.

KEN: Wow, that is a grim assessment.  Is there any hope anywhere within Pacifica?

READER: Not that I can see. I think it’s just about documenting who puts the final nails in the coffin. Maybe I’m wrong, who knows? At Pacifica The good ones leave, the incompetent ones stay and psychos keep returning.

Folks, if what this reader says is true (and I have no reason to doubt it is true), Pacifica has violated my Prime Directive. I publish this blog because I want to promote excellence in use of the radio medium. If broadcast radio is to survive, it must provide programming that listeners will seek out and value.  Radio’s future is a use-it-or-lose-it situation.

The people who run Pacifica don’t seem to care about programming excellence or serving the public interest with their stations. Off with their heads!

ITEM THREE: IS EMF TOO BIG TO SUCCEED?

A frequent reader and commenter that works in the noncom Christian radio business sent me this comment about our report concerning our post [link] about Educational Media Foundation’s clout:

READER: Christian radio giant K-LOVE has tens of millions of dollars, but won’t say how much they raised. While it had humble beginnings as a single radio station in Santa Rosa, California in 1982, K-LOVE’s fundraising tactics should have come into question. 

Now K-LOVE is the biggest brand in Christian Music radio. But, one has to wonder if they have become an empire, too big to be sustainable, and to consumed by their own greed to live up to their mission.