NPR, RADIOLAB WIN “RAIN AWARDS” • NPR NEWS STATIONS SHOW DOUBLE-DIGIT GAINS IN WEEKLY LISTENERS

NPR and WNYC’s Radiolab won top honors at the 8^th Annual Radio Internet Radio Awards September 6^th at the RAIN Summit in Austin, Texas. The RAIN Summit runs concurrent with the NAB Radio Show.

NPR won for Best Overall Digital Strategy. RAIN judges said NPR is the nation’s best implementor of overall digital strategy.

Radiolab and WNYC won for the Best Podcast, for Radiolab’s Most Perfect series of programs/podcasts. Most Perfect is about how Supreme Court decisions affect science and technology.

WHY THE RAIN AWARDS MATTER

Kurt Hanson

RAIN is the premier media information source for news about companies that are involved with broadcasting and digital services. RAIN – the acronym stands for Radio and Internet Newsletter – is the brainchild of consultant Kurt Hanson.

Hanson is the publisher of RAIN News [link] and CEO/Founder of AccuRadio [link].  AccuRadio was perhaps the nation’s first multi-channel streaming music service.

Hanson hosts several RAIN Summits each year in places around the globe. A RAIN Summit is typically held in conjunction with a business or entertainment conference. The Summits feature several speakers that are custom-tailored for the audience attending the larger event.  Hanson hosts and provides context between speakers.

I have attended several past RAIN Summits and I high recommend them. The admittance fee is typically around $100 and it is worth every penny. Hanson combines frontline industry folks with representatives from digital communication companies.          

Fred Jacobs named Kurt Hanson one of radio’s most innovative people. In a blog post, Jacobs quoted a news source that said of Hanson:

In 1999, cellphones didn’t have cameras, texting was brand new, and the first iPods were two years away. Yet, while the world was concerned about Y2K, Kurt Hanson launched RAIN, the first publication devoted to the world of streaming audio.

Then, to further illustrate his commitment to this new space, the following summer he began building AccuRadio, a multi-channel online music streaming service that in 2014 reached nearly a million unique listeners monthly. Hanson is considered one of the leading experts in the field of new delivery mechanisms for audio.

In other words, the RAIN Award is important because it comes from a pier who knows the combination of broadcasting, streaming and podcasting from the ground up.

WGBH, KUOW, KUHF, KCFR & KQED HAVE BIG INCREASES OF WEEKLY LISTENERS IN THREE YEAR TRENDS

CLICK TO EXPAND

Perhaps the phenomenal growth in listening to NPR News stations has become “old news” but it remains one of the most important trends in the radio business. At a time when persons using radio declines one or two percent a year, 9 of the top 20 stations added 20% or more estimated weekly listeners.

On the left is a chart of twenty of the most listened-to NPR News stations. The data from Nielsen Audio compares results of August 2014 and August 2017 PPM surveys.   

Nineteen of the 20 stations increased estimated weekly listeners. Only one station in the group, KERA, had fewer weekly listeners in August 2017 than they had in August 2014.

I follow the listening trends for all formats, commercial and noncom.  I am not aware of any cohort of stations that is experiencing the type of growth in weekly listeners that matches NPR News station growth.  Now lets turn these listeners into supporters!

BIG NONCOM TRIPLE A NEWS: WITH MERGER, KCSN WILL REACH THE ENTIRE LOS ANGELES MARKET

KCSN [link], the homegrown Triple A music station based in Northridge, has announced a new partnership with KSBR, based in Mission Viejo, to create a new full-market station.  

According to an exclusive report in Billboard [link] the new station is being branded as The New 88.5. Programming will originate from both stations plus KCSN’s remote studio at The Village at Westfield Topanga. The New 88.5 simulcast will debut on September 12^th.

KCSN's Coverage Area

Both stations broadcast at 88.5 FM on the dial but operate from opposite points in the LA area.   

KCSN broadcasts from Cal State Northridge in the San Fernando Valley. 

KSBR's Coverage Area

KSBR broadcasts from Saddleback College in southern Orange County. 

By combining the carriage areas for both stations, the estimated audience reach will expand from 3 million to 11.5 million.

KCSN’s GM and PD Sky Daniels told Billboard:

Sky Daniels

“We’ve been saying that one plus one equals eleven. We were literally the lowest powered FM station in L.A. I realized we didn’t have enough scale in terms of the signal imprint to compete in what is a very competitive market.”

Reportedly Daniels had been pursuing an agreement with KSBR the past four years. 

Because both stations broadcast on 88.5 FM, neither of the stations could expand their coverage area.  For many years KSBR spurned KCSN’s offers to sell or lease their facilities. 

According to people close to the deal, new management at KSBR laid the groundwork for the programming merger.

Jim Rondeau

Daniels will program The New 88.5 plus he will be “co-manger” of the operation along with KSBR's director of Broadcast Operations Jim Rondeau. Rondeau is known in LA for his work expanding the impact of KCLU, located just west of Los Angeles.

Under the arrangement, KCSN’s format will not change but KSBR will discontinue its smooth jazz format during weekdays. According to reports, KSBR will originate some weekend programming.

To celebrate the launch of The New 88.5, the new “super station” will present Sheryl Crow in concert on October 23^rd at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood.

KEN SAYS: I managed KCSN in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A merger with KSBR to achieve full market coverage was only a dream. At that time KSBR was probably more successful of the two stations.

Congratulations to Sky Daniels and Jim Rondeau for making this dream become true.  Congratulations also to Mike Worrall, KCSN’s Chief Engineer (who I hired in 1991) who has played a major role in improving KCSN. Also, thank you to Karen Kearns, Mass Comm professor at CSUN. who literally saved KCSN from oblivion a decade ago.

GREAT ENGINEERING GIG OPEN IN WISCONSIN

Michael Arnold, Chief Operating Officer for Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) posted an announcement on several sites promoting an opening for a Radio Engineer. Engineering openings at WPR because of the organization’s reputation as a world-class shop in one of most livable cities in America.

Arnold’s announcement was made with special flair. He wrote:

Michael Arnold

100 years ago, Wisconsin Public Radio engineers built their own tubes.    So glass blowing was one of the required skills.

These days, the job of a WPR engineer is much easier... but it can still be a lot of fun.

WPR has a long history of innovation.  Some people even say public radio was created here.  Our present and future looks pretty good, too, with a strong base of listeners and supporters and exciting plans for the future.   I hope you can help us find somebody to add to our great engineering team!

More information is available at this link: https://www.wpr.org/radio-core-engineer

WVAS, MONTGOMERY CELEBRATES NATIVE SON NAT KING COLE • HITMAKER WALTER BECKER DEAD AT 67

Nat King Cole in 1948

Memories of Nat King Cole loom large in Montgomery, Alabama. He was born there as Nathaniel Adams Coles in 1919. 

Cole went on to stardom and became one of the first African Americans to host a national television variety show, The Nat King Cole Show, on NBC-TV in the early 1960s.

Cole reportedly had bittersweet feelings about the city of Montgomery.  

Though Cole began his career there, and some of his descendants still live there, he never got over an incident that occurred in nearby Birmingham just as he was becoming famous. Just as the concert started Cole was roughed up by members of the Klan.  Cole’s injuries prevented him from finishing the show.

WVAS [link], Alabama State University’s jazz, blues and news, decided several years ago to turn the page and honor Cole.   

In 2015 the station, the university and local businesses established the first Nat King Cole Society Jazz Festival. It was a terrific success.

This year, the folks at WVAS decided to have a bigger and better festival. 

WVAS, in coordination with the Alabama State Division of Continuing Education, the Montgomery County Commission, Hyundai and McDonald’s to sponsor a second Nat King Cole Society Jazz Festival on September 3rd at the Riverwalk Amphitheater in downtown Montgomery. 

WALTER BECKER OF STEELY DAN HAD NO STATIC AT ALL

Walter Becker (left) with Don Fagan in the late 1970s 

 

 

During the years I worked on-air at Top 40 and Album Rock stations, I always loved playing tunes by Steely Dan, founded in 1969 by Walter Becker and Don Fagan. 

Steely Dan’s hits such as Reeling In the Years, Do It Again and Rikki Don’t Loose That Number never lost their instant thrill.  These songs were composed and mixed perfectly for radio airplay. Though many of Steely Dan’s songs were pop hits, they seemed more elegant than most other songs of the day. Then there was the sense of mystery.

The stories told in the songs were small slices of life, the lyrics were often obtuse and the vibe was sexy and smart. After all, the band’s name Steely Dan was also the name of a dildo in the William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch.

When radio folks think of Steely Dan, the first thing that comes to mind is the 1978 megahit and movie FM – No Static At All. Steely Dan was nominated for a Grammy for the song.  Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennanm Alex Karras, Cleavon Little and Martin Mull starred in the film which was shown at many station-sponsored movie events.

I recommend John Pareles’ obit of Becker in the New York Times [link].

HOST COMMENTS ABOUT TRUMP ON KOSU LEAD TO CANCELLATION AND LISTENER OUTRAGE

KOSU, Stillwater, Oklahoma takes pride in Oklahoma music. The dual-format station offers ample helpings of Americana, rockabilly and alternative rock music. However, one of KOSU’s signature programs – For the Sake of the Song – is now missing from the schedule.

The show was cancelled after host Greg Johnson commented on the August 19^th program about President Donald Trump. 

His one sentence rant – Trump has got to go – led to the immediate cancellation of For the Sake of the Song. 

Now fans of the program have taken to social media to protest what they consider to be KOSU’s hasty, cover-your-ass, response.

Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson had been an important ally for KOSU. For over 25-years, Johnson has owned The Blue Door, a popular music venue in downtown OKC. He had hosted For the Sake of the Song on KOSU since 2014. 

The program celebrated the craft of songwriting, featuring contemporary folk and Americana artists. Guests have included Jimmy Webb and Harry Nilsson.

Having a visible presence in downtown OKC is important for KOSU. The station originates some of its programming from the heart of the city. 

KOSU competes head-to-head with KGOU from nearby Norman for bragging rights and revenue from the state’s largest market.

KOSU’s abrupt exit from the partnership was lightning swift. Johnson was told without warning the day after he made his on-air comment. According to a report in the Daily O'Collegian [link], KOSU’s station director, Kelly Burley, posted this statement regarding Johnson’s firing on the KOSU website:

“We recognize the discord in our current political climate, but we are dedicated to reporting facts in our news coverage and providing a haven of respite in our entertainment coverage. Careless words could affect KOSU’s ability to keep its license as a non-commercial broadcaster.”

Johnson told local media that his comment about Trump should have not been a surprise:

“I’ve been very outspoken about this president and the threat he presents to our democracy. I say ‘resist’ at the end of every show; I’ve done this since inauguration day.”

KOSU underwriting promo

Fans of For the Sake of the Song see the cancellation as a chilling act of censorship. Comments appeared quickly on KOSU’s Facebook site as well as other social media pages.

Listener Mary Battiata wrote on Facebook:

“I loved listening to "For the Sake of the Song," and KOSU in general. As a longtime NPR listener and fan of Oklahoma generally, I was startled to hear that the show has been taken off the air because the hosthas been critical of our current president. I hope you will revisit this decision and reinstate the show. I know I won't be back to listen until you do.”

Another listener, KC Moon, wrote:

“Great stations are built around freedom of expression. Please bring Greg's show back. Sounds like a warning will do, and he would let the songs do the speaking in the future. For the sake of the songs, please do the right thing here.”

SPARK NEWS RETURNS

Frequent readers of this blog know that my reporting is a part time effort. I do full time consulting for various clients to pay the bills. 

I publish this blog because I hope public media, and public radio in particular, can continue to bring trustworthy, noncommercial information and ideas to America. This blog is one way to make a difference.

In mid August I added a major new client and needed to clear my desktop to begin my work for them. So I took a couple of week’s off from blogging.

I did take the time to refresh the site, including these changes:

• I know that lots of readers stop by for the latest ratings information. I am now using a separate page so that Nielsen Audio data will be easier to access.  Look for the tab “Nielsen Noncom Ratings” on the right side of the page. 

• I’ve switched my blog name from SPARK! to Spark News. To me, Spark News, sounds more active and lyrical.

• I deleted the picture of me that was in masthead.  I was tired of looking at it and thought you probably were too.

• I revised, and hopefully simplified, the page navigation and appearance. As always, I appreciate your comments.  You can email me at publicradio at Hotmail.com.

I hope you like the changes!