TOREY MALATIA SCORES BIG IN PROVIDENCE • AD BUYERS LOVE THE COMMERCIALS IN PODCASTS

Torey Malatia

When Torey Malatia joined Rhode Island Public Radio (RIPR) as CEO in 2015, expectations were high.  

The Providence Journal called him a “public radio rock star.” 

Now Malatia might be “the Bono of public radio” because It’s a Beautiful Day.

Malatia and his team have built RIPR’s audience by being brilliant at the basics. He brought in (or found locally) a talented and motivated team of pros at every key position in the station. RIPR [LINK] now is all about Rhode Island pride and identity. Coverage of Rhode Island people and events is front and center on the air and on social media sites.

Until very recently, WGBH was the top public radio News/Talk station in Providence.  Things are different now. In the just released June 2018 PPM ratings, RIPR beat WGBH in estimated weekly listeners and in AQH share. RIPR’s estimated weekly listeners shot up 60 percent compared with June 2016.  In the two-year trend, RIPR’s Average Quarter Hour (AQH) share went up an incredible 72%.

The purchase of WUMD 89.3 FM [link] was a turning point for RIPR. 

After purchasing WUMB, RIPR upgraded the signal to increase its coverage. 

As you can see in the RIPR coverage map on the right, 89.3 FM covers most of the market. 

Combined with RIPR’s other FM signals, RIPR can now be easily heard in Providence.

Boston stations are still a big factor in Providence. 

WGBH’s estimated weekly listeners are up 16% since June 2016.   

This may be a situation where competition between stations increases listening to both stations.

(Scroll down to see Nielsen Audio June 2018 PPM results and trends for Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Portland.)

PUBLIC RADIO PREPARES FOR MAJOR AD SALES EVENT

One of the biggest podcast events of the year – Internet Advertising Bureau’s (“iab”) annual Podcast Upfront 2018 event – will happen September 6^th in New York City. The Upfront [link] is a one-day marketplace designed for media ad buyers to preview new podcasts and learn about opportunities for advertisers align their brands with some of public radio’s most successful podcast publishers.

According to promotion for the Upfront, NPR and WNYC Studios are “Presenting Sponsors” of the event. Podcasting is attracting significant ad money and the industry is increasingly addicted to the cash.

The latest Podtrac podcast publisher’s Top Ten Chart (on the left) shows the dramatic increases in estimated audience in the year between June 2017 and June 2018. 

Five of the six publishers with ties to public radio saw double digit increases, led by The New York Times (up 55%), PRX (up 45%) and American Public Media (up 42%).

As we discussed last Friday, podcasting is becoming a big money, for-profit enterprise. We have contacted CPB and asked them two important questions:

• How does CPB justify its support for podcast producers given that podcasts are not broadcasting?

• The primary way podcasts are monetized is paid advertising inserted into the shows. How does CPB justify its support for ad-based media?

We will let you know when we hear back from CPB.

MORE NIELSEN AUDIO JUNE 2018 PPM RATINGS & TWO-YEAR TRENDS