Monday, October 15, 2018

RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC RADIO CHANGES ITS NAME • “MORMON ORIENTED RADIO” DEBUTS IN SALT LAKE CITY


In a surprising move, Rhode Island Public Radio (RIPR) announced on Friday 10/12 that is has a new name: The Public’s Radio.

Torey Malatia, the organization’s CEO and GM, told the Providence Journal [link] the reason for the name change is to reflect the station’s larger coverage area and new listener engagement features. 

Plus, Malatia believes the new name will differentiate the station from other public media organizations in the area. 

Updated map from Aaron Read
The Public’s Radio (TPR) has seen its ratings surge since RIPR purchased WUMD 89.3 FM and made it their primary signal. 

With 89.3, RIPR more than doubled its coverage area and added new listeners in Fall River, New Bedford, Somerset and other southeastern Massachusetts communities. 

We reported on the ratings increases in July [link].

The station also changed its website [link] to reflect the new name.




TPR, which is currently celebrating its twentieth anniversary, has been locked in a ratings battle with NPR News/Talk WGBH from Boston.   

In the Nielsen Audio September PPM ratings (shown on the left), TPR was only inches above WGBH in both AQH share and estimated weekly listeners.

Before the name change, RIPR heavily promoted its “hometown” presence to gain additional credibility with the Providence business community. Now as TPS, it appears Malatia and company want to be perceived as a regional brand.

Spark News discussed the name change with the CEO of another New England regional broadcaster who told us it might take some time to establish the new identity. That person told us:

“Torey’s move is “puzzling” because the new name sounds so generic. At our organization, our state name is an important part of our identity.  There is a certain sense of pride in saying who you are and where you live. [Torey] has always been someone who tries new approaches, so we wish him well.”

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY’S NEW STATION DEBUTS WITH A FLURRY IN SALT LAKE CITY

A new radio format has debuted in Salt Lake City: M. O. R. – “Mormon Oriented Radio.” As promised, Brigham Young University (BYU) has gone live on terrestrial radio with a station that promotes the Mormon lifestyle, the Mormon religion and famous Mormons who are doing interesting things.

When BYU announced in October 2017 that the Classical music format would be cancelled on 89.1 FM, the local arts community was livid. After intense community protests, BYU changed its plans as we reported in April 2018 [link]. BYU agreed to keep the Classical format on KBYU 89.1 with one caveat: BYU would purchase another FM signal for Mormon oriented programming.




BYU bought a struggling Triple A FM station, KUMT, and debuted the new BYU Radio format on 107.9 FM this summer. For now, BYU Radio is still using the KUMT call letters.

In BYU Radio’s first full “book” – September’s Nielsen PPM ratings –KUMT had over 104,000 estimated weekly listeners. 

After the release of the ratings, BYU crowed that the strong showing was proof that the new Mormon format was very popular. But, a closer look at BYU Radio’s schedule shows this may not be true.

BYU Radio simulcasts programming heard on BYU’s Sirius/XM satellite channel. Most the programs are “religious teaching” talk shows. Each program is rolled-over three or four times during a typical day. It is doubtful that many of the 104,000 weekly listeners are tuning in for these shows.

It looks like the reason most people listen to BYU Radio is to hear the play-by-play broadcasts of BYU Cougar football. BYU Radio is the official voice of the team. Cougar football is a “religion” in Utah that is probably bigger than even the Mormon Church.



4 comments:

  1. Hi Ken, three things I need to update you on:

    First, it's The Public's Radio, not TPR. TPR is Texas Public Radio or Tennessee Public Radio.

    Second, that signal map for The Public's Radio is incorrect. It shows WNPN at its old location in Dartmouth. The current signal map is available here: https://thepublicsradio.org/page/signal-coverage

    Third, this is The Public's Radio's *twentieth* anniversary, not our tenth. We went on the air as WRNI 1290AM in May 1, 1998.

    Thanks very much!

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    1. Thanks for the new/correct map, Aaron. I also changed 10th to 20th. You folks will need to live with "TPR"

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  2. Disclaimer: I am not a member of the LDS church. This all comes from a outsider trained to be on the inside of the media and it comes from a media/business point of view.

    Give BYURadio just some time Ken. It is not like the mainstream Christian Talk format which is focused on Sunday Sermons/Bible Studies mixed with some call-in/studio talk (ala political and/or sports talk).

    Don't forget about BYUtv in which TV sister adopted and giving up its beta PBS status...not much harm done their since KUED is the long time alpha PBS station anyway. BYUtv does not have wall to wall teaching programs. They have an Amazing Race styled show in which the contestants meet their releatives they never knew they had along the way. They have had Mormon cinema for years, and now they have scripted Mormon dramas and maybe sitcoms and then some.

    INSP (formerly PTL which was founded by Jim Bakker) might have been taking hints from a BYUtv and basically moved to a similar style from programming. TBN has adopted SOME of this ala Mike Huckabee.

    BYURadio on terrestrial FM is quite young (BYUR signed on in 2002 starting with streaming adding SirusXM nine years later). Again, Give it time. KSFI has had a LDS/Christian AC Sunday only format for many years and its done well (Sounds of the Sabbath). When iheartmedia had an AC format in the market they did a competing format as well. If the Sunday LDS/Christian AC music proved to be a turn away and/or lost money...it would have been discontinued a long time ago.

    BYURadio is only been for a month now on FM. Believe me it will find a niche in Salt Lake City. Look at how eclectic KRCL has done well. More so than Austin City Limits Radio.

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    1. I mean KRCL musically is more eclectic than ACL Radio. Oops.

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