READER COMMENTS

COMMENT ONE: CPB REPLY REGARDING FUNDING FOR PODCASTS

Last Friday (7/13), in our story about CPB’s funding of podcast initiatives [link], we asked out-loud about CPB’s policy of supporting non-broadcasting activities with ties to for-profit companies. Letitia King in CPB’S press office sent the following reply:

King: The Public Broadcasting Act encourages the use of nonbroadcast technologies and authorizes CPB to support delivery of public media content on non-broadcast platforms. [CPB’s goal is to] deepen the engagement with audiences and users.

  

To achieve this goal, CPB supports the efforts of public media stations and producers to make innovative use of broadcast, internet and mobile platforms to serve audiences wherever, whenever and however they use, share and create media.

A point of clarification, your post misattributes a statement concerning “monetization of podcasts” saying it was from a CPB press release when it is not from CPB.

CPB funds innovation and content which occurs on many platforms and expects grantees to abide by the same underwriting principles as traditional programs. Stations decide carefully what sponsorship to accept, just as they do on-air and online. They want to keep the public trust.

COMMENT TWO: WHY WKNO-FM IS THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE PUBLIC RADIO SYSTEM

Regarding our coverage last Wednesday (7/18) about WKNO’s continued poor performance in the ratings [link], we received this comment from an anonymous reader: http://acrnewsfeed.blogspot.com/2018/07/marketplace-weekend-is-gone-but-sound.html

Michael LaBonia

Anonymous:  As long as WKNO-FM is part of Mid-South Public Communications Foundation which includes WKNO (TV). The radio stations (including WKNP FM) are just a write off. Just appease the long time Classical fans that listen to the station and just focus on the flagship NPR shows.

KEN SAYS: The blame for WKNO-FM’s problems clearly lies with the licensee, Mid-South Public Communications Foundation. The CEO of Mid-South, Michael LaBonia, seems satisfied with the way things are now. 

COMMENT THREE: MISSING KTRU, HOUSTON

Aaron Read, Director of Information Technology & Engineering at Rhode Island Public Radio, sent us additional information for the backstory we published last week (7/12) about Houston station KXNG [link] that now has a Christian Hard Rock & Rap format:

Read: KXNG was a bizarre story to say the least. KUHF’s former GM, John Proffit, made a gigantic gamble and overpaid for the old KTRU. While he technically made the “correct” move by taking KUHF all-news and putting classical to its own signal.

The debt became an albatross around KUHF’s neck. Proffit eventually left, and KUHF later sold off the license and barely made back what they paid for it (never mind the operating costs of the intervening years).

Ironically, Rice University almost immediately regretted the sale of KTRU, which was a shame. Rice later leased an HD2 channel owned by KPFT. Unfortunately, Rice also sold a FM translator when they sold KTRU. The translator could have been used to repeat the HD2 channel. 

Fortunately Rice got an LPFM in the last window and they are broadcasting on that now.

KEN SAYS: The Rice University LPFM station Read mentioned is KBLT 96.1 FM [link]. 

They call it “KTRU” on the air because that brand is so well known locally. It looks like a groovy station.

COMMENT FOUR: BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING RADIO  PROGRAMS TO STATIONS

Our post about the University of Texas program marketer who used a bogus carriage list [link] continues to be our most-read post. We received helpful advice from Kathy Gronau, owner of Creative PR in Los Angeles [link]. Kathy is a pro who knows her stuff. Here are her thoughts about national program syndication 101:

GRONAU: We’ve followed with interest your discussion on carriage lists.  Here are some of our observations from the trenches –

• CDs: We haven’t used CD mailings in probably about 10 years.  When we did, it was to stations that requested receiving the program on CD. In that case, we always followed up by contacting the station to see if they played the program.  Today, demos are provided to stations via by audio files on usb thumb drives.

Kathy Gronau

• Carriage Lists: We often monitor carriage lists when a program ceases production. Carriage lists are notoriously out-of-date.   What we’ve found is that when a station adds the program it gets added to the programs’ carriage list.  However, over time, things change – formats change, programmers change, schedule change, etc., and when the program is dropped for whatever reason, the station is seldom removed from the carriage list.

• Repeater Stations: Repeaters represent markets just like stations, albeit lower power and generally smaller communities.  For example, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana has approximately 25 repeaters that bring public radio to listeners in those towns and communities throughout the state.  In our carriage lists we include both stations and repeaters, but clearly distinguish the two.

Thanks for doing a great job. We love your blog.

KEN SAYS: You are very welcome.  Thank you for reading Spark News and contributing your thoughts. BTW – I still miss LA everyday!