Friday, May 19, 2017

THREE OUT OF FOUR NPR NEWS STATIONS MAINTAIN WEEKLY LISTENERS FIVE MONTHS AFTER NOVEMBER ELECTION


Today we are examining the track records of six more NPR News stations in Nielsen Audio PPM markets. We now have examined 20 of the top NPR News stations in PPM markets – roughly a third of the stations.

Using just released ratings estimates from April 2017 we are comparing performance in April with Fall 2016 to detect trends since the elections. To bring additional context to the discussion, we are also comparing April 2017 numbers with Spring 2012 to establish a five-year trend.



On the left is a chart showing estimated weekly listeners in Fall 2016 and April 2017. Of the 20 station’s PPM ratings we have examined so far, 75% have either gained weekly listeners, or stayed about the same, between Fall election and April 2017. Five stations (25%) have lost weekly listeners during the same period.




The chart on the right shows estimated weekly listeners over a five-year period between Spring 2012 and April 2017. Three out of four of the 20 stations examined so far have increased their number of weekly listeners more than 3% from Spring 2012 to April 2017. Four stations (20%) had more estimated weekly listeners in Spring 2012 than April 2017.

 
Let’s look at each of the six stations, listed by market rank:

















Thursday, May 18, 2017

WAMU, WBUR & WGBH LEAD MAJOR GROWTH IN NPR NEWS LISTENERS


JJ Yore, smiling
JJ Yore is probably smiling today. Since Yore became GM of WAMU in August 2014 the number of weekly cumulative listeners to the station has grown over 200,000, a 24% increase. Yore turned what had been a languishing air sound into the radio heartbeat of DC. He brought a real sense of purpose to the team at WAMU and made WAMU the number one station in the market.

Meanwhile, the number of public radio news listeners in Boston continues to rise thanks to a competitive battle between WBUR and WGBH. The winners in Boston are the listeners to both stations. This fact supports the notion that when two stations with similar formats compete, more listeners tune in.

Today we are examining the track records of six more NPR News stations in Nielsen Audio PPM markets. Using just released ratings estimates from April 2017 we are comparing performance in April with Fall 2016 to detect trends since the elections. To bring additional context to the discussion, we are also comparing April 2017 numbers with Spring 2012 to establish a five-year trend.





On the left is a chart showing estimated weekly listeners in Fall 2016 and April 2017. Of the 14 station’s PPM ratings we have examined so far, almost 80% have either gained weekly listeners, or stayed about the same, between Fall election and April 2017. Only three have lost weekly listeners during the same period.




The chart on the right is equally as amazing. In the five years between Spring 2012 and April 2017 three out of four of the stations examined so far have increased their number of weekly listeners. Considering the media landscape where radio listening is falling about one percent per year and the incredible proliferations of news sources, public radio news is hot commodity.


Let’s look at each of the six stations, listed by market rank:



Since Spring 2012, the number of estimated weekly listeners to WAMU has increased by 238,300 – an increase of 27%. 

For the third consecutive “PPM month” WAMU also has led commercial news/talk powerhouse WTOP in AQH share. 

(WTOP’s weekly cume is still a bit higher than WAMU's.)



Both Boston News/Talk stations have increased their estimated weekly listeners since the fall 2016 election.   

In fact, WBUR has increased the number of weekly listeners 10%.  WGBH’s number of estimated weekly listeners was up 5%. 

This is a big deal in the noncom world.




If you add the weekly listeners to both stations and create a hypothetical single station, there are more NPR News listeners in Boston than the San Francisco Bay area.

WGBH increased their number of weekly listeners by 210,000 between Spring 2012 and April 2017, a gain of 47%.



Meanwhile, KNKX (formerly KPLU) seems to be having problems. Their number of estimated weekly listeners has fallen by 19% since Spring 2012, the worst performance for any of the 14 stations we have examined so far. KNKX is a dual format station – NPR News and Jazz.




KUOW keeps chugging along, particularly since the fall election. 

But, the number of KUOW’s estimated weekly listeners is about the same as it was in Spring 2012.





MPR’s KNOW has positioned itself as “the news of record” in the Twin Cities ever since commercial station WCCO-AM abandoned the position. 

KNOW’s on-air, online and mobile content continues to draw more listeners and viewers.




Wednesday, May 17, 2017

APRIL NIELSEN PPM RATINGS: MOST NPR NEWS STATIONS HOLD LISTENER GAINS FROM 2016 ELECTION


Some people call it the “Trump bump,” others call it intense interest in American democracy, but it appears most NPR News stations are keeping their estimated weekly listeners from the recent election. Many stations had record high numbers of weekly listeners and other Nielsen Audio metrics in late 2016. Now they are learning if their gains are temporary or signs of overall increased interest in public radio news.

This week Nielsen Audio is releasing April PPM reports and we will tabulate the results in many of 50+ markets that are measured monthly. Our examination begins today with eight NPR News stations: WNYC-FM, KPCC, KCRW, WBEZ, KERA, KUHF and WHYY.  We are comparing April 2017 estimates with Fall 2016.  To provide additional context, we are also comparing the April 2017 numbers with Spring 2012 data so we can observe long-term trends.


 On the left is a scorecard showing the comparison between Fall 2016 and April 2017. Of the eight stations we examined, 75% saw either gains or about the same number of estimated weekly listeners since the election. 

Two stations lost more than 3% of their weekly listeners. We will update this scorecard with each new batch of Nielsen Audio data.

On the right is the five-year trend comparing estimated weekly listeners in April 2017 and Spring 2012. This is where you can see significant gains in weekly listeners to News/Talk stations. Seven of the eight stations (88%) gained weekly listeners and some of the gains were spectacular.

Three stations had remarkable gains in the number weekly listeners over the past five years: KCRW had an estimated 222,000 more listeners in April 2017; KQED added 202,900 weekly listeners since Spring 2012; and WNYC-FM’s weekly listeners were up 184,900.

Here are the trends for the eight stations listed by market size:






WNYC-FM, New York was down slightly between Fall 2016 and April 2017. However WNYC-FM had 22% more estimated weekly listeners in April 2017 than they did in Spring.










As you probably know, KCRW is a dual format station, News and Triple A. Therefore with the limited metrics available to me, it isn’t clear if NPR News programs out-paced hours of Triple A. Still, there is serious radio mojo at work for them.











KPCC was down slightly from the fall and up over 8% since Spring 2012.












WBEZ had nice gains in weekly listeners from Fall 2016 and Spring 2012.











KQED, now the station with the largest number of estimated weekly listeners kept their record high number from the fall. Perhaps the biggest news is their 21% gain in weekly listeners.










KERA also saw major growth in their weekly listeners since Spring 2012.











KUHF has had its ups-and-downs over the past five years but their estimated number of weekly listeners in April 2017 grew 26% from Spring 2012.









WHYY is the outlier of this group of stations with the number of weekly listeners down from both Fall 2016 and Spring 2012.









Tuesday, May 16, 2017

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR ERIC NUZNM WORKSHOP • MORE PRPD CONTENT CONFERENCE INFO • CLASSICAL AIRSHIFT OPEN IN DALLAS


The Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) has announced more details about the upcoming Public Radio Content Conference (PRCC).  New details are below.

The first thing that caught my eye is a pre-PRCC workshop – Turning Good Content into Great Content – led by Eric Nuzum, Senior VP For Original Content at Audible. Before joining Audible in 2015, Nuzum spent several years as VP of Programming at NPR.

Eric Nuzum
Nuzum’s workshop focuses on what separates a “good” content from “great” content. He will guide attendees through the process he has developed to create or reinvigorate podcasts and radio programs over the past fifteen years. Nuzum’s process is intended to help producers define the project idea, clarify how it’s different from anything else in the universe, increase its impact, and come up with a plan to keep the project on track.

In other words, Nuzum will show workshop attendees how they can clarify and quantify their creative visions. Managers will benefit by learning techniques to inspire and lead creative teams at their home shops.

Turning Good Content into Great Content happens on Monday, August 14, from 9am – 4pm at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, site of the PRCC.

The cost of registration covers up to four members from the same shop. The cost is $800 for non-PRPD members and $600 for PRPD members who are also register for the PRCC.

KEN SAYS: One of the best reasons to attend this workshop is Eric Nuzum’s sense of enterprise. He is a self-starter who takes ideas and concepts and turns them into tangible projects and products.  Case-in-point, Nuzum first came to national presence in 2001 with his first book – Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America – still the definitive telling of the “Tipper Gore” congressional hearings In the 1990s about rock music lyrics.

Nuzum’s book is still a best seller. It is available for Amazon here.

The Radio Research Consortium (RRC) is also conducting a pre-conference workshop – Making Sense of Audience Data – the same day.  Information on both workshops is available here.

Meanwhile, Jody Evans, CEO of PRPD, has posted these dates for the release of information regarding this year’s PRCC:

June 6, 2017 - Conference Preview Released
July 6, 2017 - Full Conference Agenda Released
July 14, 2017 - Early Bird Registration Closes
July 14, 2017 - Hotel Room Block Cut-off (or until room block is full)

RARE ON-AIR GIG OPEN AT WRR-FM, DALLAS

Classical music is definitely rising at WRR-FM in Dallas. In the three years since Michael Oakes has been PD of the station, the sound has become more compelling, ties to the Classical music and arts communities have been strengthened and the ratings are excellent. Best of all, WRR remains an integral component of the City of Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs.

WRR is now conducting its first search for a Classical announcer in several years. The pay and benefits are outstanding. The job will start in the late summer. If you know of qualified candidates, they can learn more here.  The deadline to apply is May 23.



Monday, May 15, 2017

WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO DEBUTS NEW CONTENT VIA “WPR NEXT” • VUHUAS BRINGS THE NONCOMM DIRECTLY TO YOU


Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) will begin airing four pilot programs this week as part of its WPR NEXT initiative.  

WPR NEXT is a content-incubation project to create designed to create and curate new on-air and online content. 


The pilot programs will first air today (5/15) and continue through May on both The Ideas Network and the NPR News and Classical Music Network. You can see the schedule here

The four WPR NEXT programs are Because Science, BETA, Entertain Us and Wisconsin Life Weekend.

Because Science

Host Veronica Rueckert reports on the latest and most compelling stories from the world of science. The program is part of a partnership with Discover Science magazine.

BETA

Doug Gordon channels his inner Ira Glass
Doug Gordon, producer of the popular Dangerous Ideas segment on WPR’s To the Best of Our Knowledge, uses innovative storytelling to provide new ways to look at the ordinary things in life. 

In the most recent edition of BETA, Gordon presents I Love The Sound of Ira Glass, a mash-up of Ira Glass dancing and Nick Lowe's song I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

You have to hear it to believe it [link].

Entertain Us

Hosts Haleema Shah and Chris Malina explore TV, movies, music, comedy, books and more from a Cheese Head perspective.

Wisconsin Life Weekend

Aline Hazard talks to homemakers
This is my favorite of the four pilot programs. Wisconsin Life Weekend is all about “sense of place.” Award-winning author and host Erika Janik takes a deep look at the lives and stories of the Badger state.

I love the way Janik makes use of the 100-year WPR archives to provide perspective about Wisconsin today. 

A perfect example is the recent story about legendary WPR broadcaster and “neighbor lady” Aline Hazard.

Hazard hosted The Homemakers Program for 32-years on WPR, from 1933 to 1965. She applied her skills as home economist at the University of Wisconsin to bring the latest household trends to rural Wisconsin.

VUHAUS SHOWCASES LIVE MUSIC AT THE 17TH ANNUAL NON-COMMvention

Folks not attending the Triple A NON-COMMvention later this week can still get a taste of the action via live feeds provided by VuHaus. 

The music begins this Wednesday at 7:00pm Eastern Time with Bash & Pop, Ani DiFranco, Greg Griffin and Chicano Batman appearing at WXPN’s World Café Live in Philadelphia.

You can see the complete schedule here.