READER COMMENTS

COMMENT ONE: YES, THINGS ARE UGLY IN MEMPHIS

In our post last Wednesday (4/5) about Good, Okay and Ugly performing NPR News stations in PPM markets [link] we singled out WKNO in Memphis for consistent poor performance in Nielsen Audio ratings. 

We wondered why this is happening.

We reported that according to Nielsen, WKNO had 49,300 estimated weekly listeners in the March 2018 PPM ratings. 

NPR stations in similar size markets do much, much better.  During the same month, WJCT in Jacksonville had 109,800 weekly listeners, WMFE in Orlando had 128,400 and WNPR in Hartford had 120,600.       

Two readers with ties to WKNO sent off–the-record comments and asked their names not be used, a request we always honor.  One comment came from a current WKNO employee and the other was from a former employee. Both said the causes of WKNO radio’s lameness are:

(1.) WKNO is a joint public TV and radio licensee where TV gets most of the money and all of the senior management’s attention.

(2.) A bonehead decision by WKNO’s president Michael LaBonia in 2007 fatally damaged WKNO-FM’s ability to establish an all-news second station.

Michael LaBonia

In the mid-2000’s WKNO did create an all-news second station on WKNA-FM, licensed to Senatobia, Mississippi and WKNQ, licensed to Dyersburg, Tennessee, exurbs of Memphis. The news stations were beginning to establish themselves.

Then in 2007, LaBonia surprised everyone by announcing WKNO had sold both WKNA and WKNQ to religious broadcasters for $2.8 million. LaBonia told local reporters at the time that the two stations were no longer needed because WKNO was making a major commitment to HD Radio:

"We haven't abandoned the goal of providing two full-power services to the market. We're just changing the approach to achieve that goal."

WKNO-TV's nifty news set

Of course, that plan didn’t turn out well because consumers didn’t (and still don’t) want to listen to HD.   

Later it turned out that the $2.8 million was used to build a new 35,000-square-foot facility for WKNO-TV, one of LaBonia’s pet projects.

WKNO hurt its image and has made no effort we can see to establish an all-news second station.

KEN SAYS: The reason I am bringing up WKNO’s questionable priorities is because the key to future of radio is to insist on excellence in programming and service. Lazy stations like WKNO hurt everyone in radio. Calling out laggards like WKNO is one reason Spark News exists.

COMMENT TWO: MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF COLLEGE STATIONS

On Thursday (4/26) we published March 2018 Nielson Audio data for Triple A, Alternative Rock and Americana stations in PPM markets [link]. We put a spotlight on WERS-FM, Boston calling it the “top performing” college station in the nation. That brought this reader comment:

FWIW, WERS has professional hosts during drive times (or at least morning drive) last I checked. I highly doubt [WERS is] the #1 college radio station in the country. Just off the top of my head, both WSOU at Seton Hall and WRHU at Hofstra cover a lot more people down around NYC.

The numbers also demonstrate that KTCU in DFW absolutely crushes WERS, with a weekly cume just shy of 400,000. You can see it here in this report from RRC [link].

KEN SAYS: KTCU is not listed in report you cite.  You are probably correct when you say WSOU and WHRU “cover” more people than WERS. However, “covering” is not the same as “listening.” I can’t recall seeing a college station that reaches more estimated weekly listeners than WERS and are Nielsen subscribers. There may be college stations that don’t subscribe to the ratings that have more weekly listeners than WERS.  But, I doubt it.

COMMENT THREE: IS THE PLETHORA OF TRANSLATORS PREVENTING NEW FM STATIONS?

On April 11^th we published a story about the growth of FM translators and the impact on the FM spectrum [link].  In that post we opined that the expanded use of FM translators to rebroadcast AM and HD stations was preventing new full-power stations to be established. That statement brought this anonymous comment:

Translators do not prevent the addition of new FM stations because translators are an unprotected class. If there is room to put a full power station on a channel that has a translator on it, the translator has to go away when the full power station is licensed. The real reason there isn’t growth in the number of FM stations is simply that the band is full in most well populated areas. That, and filing windows create huge mutually-exclusive application chains that cannot easily be broken.

KEN SAYS: The reader is correct and I was wrong. I appreciate it when readers notify me of factual errors.  One can disagree on issues but facts are always the facts.  I will be more careful in the future.

FULL SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR “2018 NON-COMMvention” • WFUV, WYEP, KTBG & KDRP HAVE BIG GAINS IN WEEKLY LISTENERS

In less than a month the 2018 NON-COMMvention will open its doors to “music discovery” folks from around the country. 

We have attended eight previous NON-COMMventions and we highly recommend this homegrown event.

Paul Marszalek, editor and publisher of The Top 22 blog [link], provided us with most of the information for this post. 

Here are the NON-COMM basics:

3025 Walnut Street in Philadelphia

The 2018 NON-COMMvention is being held Tuesday evening (5/14) through midday Friday (5/18) at WXPN’s World Cafe Live, located adjacent to WXPN’s offices and studios at 3025 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.

The official conference hotel, The Sheraton Philadelphia University City, is sold out. Rooms are still available at overflow hotels near WXPN. A free shuttle will be running between World Cafe Live and hotels throughout the NON-COMMvention courtesy of ATO Records and Red Light Management.

Complete information about all aspects of 2018 NON-COMMvention is available at The Top 22 website [link].

• TUESDAY May 15

Registration opens at 3pm

4pm – 7pm – Opening Night Party sponsored by NPR & WXPN’s World Cafe.  Meet hosts Talia Schlanger & Kalleo.

7pm – 11:45pm – Music showcases in two locations:

Parquet Courts

The PRX Stage (upstairs) – Live music by Craig Stickland, Parquet Courts, Nilüfer Yanya, Lucy Dacus and Gang Of Youths

The NPR Music Stage (downstairs) – Appearances by Sunny War, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers and Rayland Baxter

• WEDNESDAY MAY 16

9am – 10:15am Conference Session: Forever Young

What are stations doing to attract new and younger audiences? During this session we’ll explore what it will take to stay relevant. We’ll discuss programming strategies, how to connect with local artists and music communities, development of new station talent, and more.

Thomas Hjelm

10:30am – 11:30am Conference Session: The Future of Radio

NPR’s Chief Digital Officer Thomas Hjelm and consultant/blogger Fred Jacobs explore the emergence of Smart Speakers and the Connected Car — and why you need to invest in the technology.

Noon – 1pm – Music Showcase featuring live music by Titus Andronicus and Courtney Barnett

1:30pm – 2:30pm Conference Session: Staying Engaged and How To Measure The Impact

Social media strategies stations are using to engage with our audiences, and how labels and artists are most effectively using social media.

Steve Ralbovsky

2:45pm – 4pm Conference Session: The NON-COMMversation with Steve Ralbovsky

WXPN’s Dan Reed talks with Steve Ralbovsky, founder and president of Canvasback Music. Ralbovsky is one of the most highly regarded artists and repertoire professionals in the music industry today. He is responsible for discovering and cultivating such major acts and artists of the past few decades as The War On Drugs, David Gray, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soul Asylum, the Strokes, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Ray LaMontagne.

Low Cut Connie

7:00 – 11:05 PM – Music Showcases in two locations:

The PRX Stage Rock’s Not Dead (upstairs) appearances by Ricky Hell & The Voidboys, White Denim, Starcrawler and Jeff Rosenstock

The NPR Music Stage (downstairs) featuring Jacob Banks, Mt. Joy, Natalie Prass and Low Cut Connie

11:15pm – Late Night Party

• THURSDAY May 17

9:15am – 10:15am Conference Session: Slingshot

Slingshot is an unprecedented collaboration by NPR Music and the VuHaus affiliated noncom music stations. Together, they’ve worked to leverage their collective curatorial impact to the benefit of emerging artists.

Lindsay Kimball

10:30am - 11:30am Conference Session: #ShePersisted – Women Pursing and Achieving Success in Radio and the Music Industry

Lindsay Kimball from 89.3 The Current leads a discussion abput the unique opportunities and challenges women face when pursuing and achieving success as artists, radio programmers, and industry professionals. 

Only an estimated 10% radio programmers are women, a number that has remained flat for the past decade.

Noon – 1pm – Music Showcase: Free at Noon featuring Jade Bird and Brandi Carlile

1:30pm – 2:3opm Breakout Sessions

The New Alt in Town Alternative rock stations are rising nationally. A radio and industry panel will take a close look at the competition for noncommercial Triple A stations.

Music Station Fundraising Station folks look at the challenges that Triple A stations face when raising listener-sensitive revenue. The panel will discuss ways music discovery stations can leverage their engagement with local music communities to build membership.

Community Stations Roundtable Kari Hedlund from KAXE, Grand Rapids, Minnesota and Jim Manion from WFHB, Bloomington, Indiana host a discussion of issues unique to community based stations.

3pm – 4pm – Live taping of NPR’s World Cafe

Angélique Kidjo

7pm – 11pm – Music Showcases in two locations:

The PRX Stage (upstairs) will have live music from William Prince, King Tuff, Hop Along and Sweet Spirit

The NPR Music Stage (downstairs) will present The Wood Bro and Angélique Kidjo

• FRIDAY May 18

8:30am – 10am – Gospel Roots Brunch – sponsored by WXPN’s new initiative Gospel Roots Of Rock & Soul

10am – 11:30am – Conference Session: The Music Meeting

Songlines founder Sean Coakley leads the annual rate-a-record session with conference attendees and a group of WXPN listeners.

Noon – 1pm – Music Showcase Free at Noon with music from Belly and British alt rockers Editors

TWO-THIRDS OF STATIONS IN NIELSEN PPM MARKETS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WEEKLY LISTENERS IN THE PAST YEAR

There is good news for the majority of Triple A, Alternative Rock and Americana stations in PPM markets that subscribe to the Nielsen Audio ratings.

Spark News tracks listening data for 19 stations in PPM markets. Eleven of the 18 stations (61%) for which we have complete data, increased their estimated weekly listeners in March 2018 compared with March 2017.

WFUV, New York had the biggest numerical gain, adding over 100,000 new weekly listeners during the past year. Stations showing double digit percentage gains included WFUV, Alt Rock WERS in Boston, WYEP in Pittsburgh, Americana KDRP Sun Radio in Austin, WMNF in Tampa, KTBG The Bridge in Kansas City, Americana WMOT in Nashville and WSGE near Charlotte.

Several stations had double-digit declines when comparing weekly listener data from March 2018 with March 2017. Stations experiencing more than a 10% drop in estimated weekly listeners included KCMP The Current in the Twin Cities, KKXT in Dallas, KRCL in Salt Lake City and KVOQ OpenAir in Denver.

BOISE DEBUTS “IDAHO MATTERS” • TANYA OTT SIGNS OFF AT GEORGIA PUBLIC RADIO • NEW VOICES AT GPB’S “ON SECOND THOUGHT”

According to Boise State Public Radio (BSPR) GM Tom Michael, having a daily talk and interview program has been on BSPR’s wish list for over a year.   

Michael, who joined BSPR [link] in 2016, has made it happen. Idaho Matters debuted BSPR’s 24/7 news channel on Monday, April 23^rd.

Idaho Matters [link] is hosted by Boise journalist Gemma Gaudette. 

The show is on Monday through Friday from Noon to 1:00pm. Gaudette comes from a television news background. She anchored newscasts in Tampa before moving with her family to Boise in 1999 to build a news presence for the local FOX affiliate.

During the first edition of Idaho Matters, Gaudett talked on-air with Tom Michael about the new program.  Michael told her and the listeners:

Tom Michael

"Idaho Matters has a structure similar to NPR’s 1A. The one-hour clock has four twelve-minute segments. The defining characteristic of Idaho Matters is its emphasis on Idaho’s sense of place, local stories that matter."

The program combines in depth interviews and occasional call-ins with field reports from BSPR journalists and the Mountain West News Bureau.  

In a posting on PRPD’s Facebook page, Michael said the inspiration for Idaho Matters include KUT’s Texas Standard, KOPB’s Think Out Loud and tips from WUNC, WILL, WITF, KNPR, KERA and Michael's previous station KRTS, Marfa.

BIG CHANGES AT GEORGIA PUBLIC RADIO NEWS

Tanya Ott

As you may have heard, Tanya Ott, GPB’s VP of Radio is hanging up here station management duties to focus on content creation, academic research and teaching at the University of Alabama. 

Few people were surprised that the multi-talented Ott, chose to work with content rather than climbing the corporate ladder.

She has been a creator, an innovator, teacher and team leader wherever she has been.

But now she has come to a fork in the road. She is pursuing the path closest to her heart.

We received the following email from Ott describing this turning point in her life and career: 



TANYA OTT: IN HER OWN WORDS

I’ve been in public radio for almost 30 years, having started as a volunteer in the University of Florida’s student newsroom, WUFT-FM.  I learned my craft there covering city and county commission, doing live elections coverage, reporting feature stories and eventually hosting Morning Edition.  

After a two-year stint post-college hosting All Things Considered at Colorado Public Radio I returned to WUFT on faculty helping run the newsroom.  

I discovered that I love teaching and I’ve have managed to continue doing it in one capacity or another for the last two decades.  I’ve served as a mentor for AIR, a newsroom trainer for PRNDI and a member of the MEGS team for many years. 

I took the VP job at GPB five years because it offered me the opportunity to learn about the business side of what we do.  It has been an incredible experience.  We launched Atlanta’s first news/talk public radio station, as well as three local talk shows.  Our audience numbers continue to climb and the minority audience numbers are especially encouraging.  Our reporters have filed hundreds of features and spots for national and international programs and we’ve grown our internship program dramatically.  

I have learned so much about the sausage making of programming, promotion, fundraising, deal making, partnership growing and the like — but I miss teaching and I miss content making.  

I know my move may seem unusual from the outside, but when I left my last gig at WBHM and several friends in the business asked if I wanted to be a CEO one day I said “maybe” or “maybe I’ll go back to being a public radio host/reporters again.”  

Would I rule out a C-Suite management job?  Absolutely not.  There’s great reward in doing the work that’s required to help your team make great content.  But for now I’m craving a break from developing policies and signing papers and sitting in meetings.  

I want, rather need, to get back out into the field and start telling stories and doing hands-on teaching of those who tell stories. 

(hope that’s helpful!) 

Tanya

One of Ott’s most rewarding creations, On Second Thought, GPB’s daily talk and interview program, is being left with a new team of MVP's handpicked by Ott:

Virginia Prescott

The new host of On Second Thought is Virginia Prescott from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). Prescott follows Celeste Headlee, who relocated to Washington D.C. to expand her career as a successful speaker and author.

At NHPR, Prescott was host of Word of Mouth, a program that explores emerging and under-reported stories. She also is the creator and host of two popular podcasts: Civics 101 and The 10-Minute Writer’s Workshop, a show for writers share perspectives on their craft and creative process.

According to Ott, Prescott was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University, ‪where she explored how storytelling could be used in solving community conflicts related to the built environment.

Susan Davis

Susan Davis is the new Executive Producer of On Second Thought.  

Most recently, Davis has been freelance consultant specializing in radio documentary work, podcast development and host training.  

Before becoming an indpendent, Davis was the Senior Supervising Producer for WUNC’s The State of Things. She was also an associate producer for NPR’s Talk of the Nation.

Sara Shahriari

Sara Shahriari has been named as Managing Editor for Georgia Public Broadcasting’s news department. 

Before moving to Atlanta, Shahriari was assistant news director at KBIA-FM in Columbia, Missouri. It is one of the best small-market public media news shops in the country. 

She was also an assistant professor at the highly respected University of Missouri School of Journalism.

All three women are in many ways similar to Ott. Like her, they are no-nonsense journalists that also have entrepreneurial interests. 

All three bring their deep love of storytelling to new media platforms. All three are teachers, at heart. Public media is in good hands with these folks.

ATLANTA MARCH 2018 NIELSEN AUDIO PPM RATINGS

There was very little change in the May 2018 Nielsen Audio ratings for Atlanta compared to March 2017.

Both NPR News/Talk stations – giant WABE and upstart GPB’s WRAS – are holding estimated weekly listeners from the 2016 elections.

WRAS is still two stations on one frequency. GPB programs the daytimes while Georgia State University students play their own blend of alternative rock during the nights.

Looking at Atlanta’s entire news/talk radio market, it is doubtful that either public radio station will challenge the venerable WSB for the top news position any time soon. WSB recently added an FM frequency that covers a nice slice of the metro.

Add Cumulus-owned WYAY-FM to the list of right-wing commercial talk stations that have fewer estimated weekly listeners than the local NPR News shop.  We are working on a deeper analysis of this pattern.

THE GOOD, THE OKAY & THE UGLY OF NPR NEWS/TALK STATIONS VS. COMMERCIAL NEWS/TALKERS

Recently we have reported on several situations where a local NPR News/Talk station is outperforming a heritage hometown commercial news/talker.  As the Nielsen Audio PPM ratings are arriving, we are taking a look this race in all of the PPM markets.

What we’ve learned so far is good, okay and ugly, depending on local circumstances.  

 A few days ago we wrote about the dominance of KQED, San Francisco, over the entire radio market. Today we have a couple more public radio news success stories. Then, we have one “okay, but” situation, and the ugliest NPR station performance in the nation.

GOOD: DENVER How the mighty have fallen

During the 1980s I lived in Colorado – two years in the Springs and two years in Fort Fun. One thing that was a constant anywhere in either of these cities was 850 KOA. It was like a "north star."

Back then KOA pulled an 8, 9, even 10 AQH shares. Then Clear Channel (now iHeart Media) bought KOA.

Over time, what made KOA essential drifted away.  At the same time Colorado Public Radio (CPR) invested in wise folks to run the news department and they got their KCFR signal problems solves.

KCFR leads KOA in weekly listeners and AQH share.

NPR News/Talk stations are holding their listener bases.   

However, almost every noncom station was down in the March 2018 PPM ratings. The numbers for KJAC The Colorado Sound and KVOQ CPR OpenAir

GOOD: BOSTON Public radio was born here

Boston has been a great radio town for many years. 

Now Boston listeners are being treated to a delicious competition between WBUR and WGBH. 

After seeing the latest Nielsen numbers, it could be that more people in the Boston area listen to public radio than WBZ.

WERS must have an excellent group of students now.   

They are certainly the best performing college station in the country.

OKAY: TWIN CIITIES Slip, Sliding Away

Disclosure: I have lived in Minneapolis since 1992. I am a KNOW P-1.

Once upon a time, WCCO-AM ruled the radio dial with 50+ AQH shares. 

Despite the ascendancy of FM, they remained a top five station well into the 1990s.

By that time corporate cost cutting began. The GM was putting his energy into a new Country FM.

WCCO was high profit station. Year after year they brought tons of money to CBS corporate.  Then, in the early 2000s, CBS corporate decided to cut expenses rather then invest inwhat was working.

During a hot summer of 2016, I wrote a post about the night WCCO just gave up [link]. Other folks might have opinions but for me WCCO broke its pledge of public safety when they cut away from breaking storm weather.

One pattern I’ve noticed is how well public radio News/Talk stations tend to do much better Conservative Talk stations with El Rushbo and Hannity.

When I see this chart I worry a bit about the sound of MPR’s News channel.   

To me, there seems to be less joy in the host’s voices.   

The pace of local programming seems to have slowed. 

There used to be local thematic “shows” like the Daily Circuit. Now it is harder to tell whats on from day to day.

MPR’s online News presence is very impressive. They have become a “news of radio record” for Minneapolis-St. Paul.

UGLY: MEMPHIS Missing a tremendous opportunity

I don’t want to seem like I am unfairly picking on anyone at WKNO, Memphis [link], but their performance in the Nielsen Audio PPM ratings is surprisingly dismal. Maybe it is because WKNO is licensed to a public TV station.  But a more apt cause is likely internal governance issue and turf protection.

The biggest factor in Memphis radio news is 600 WREC [link]. Other than weekday mornings for two hours of local news and discussion, WREC is 100% plugged into satellite feeds Beck, Rush and Sean.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  There are several options for a public service operating (PSOA) agreements with other Memphis area noncoms.

WQOX [link], the number one public radio station in Memphis is owned and operated by Shelby County School District: WQOX 88.5, The Voice of SCS. 

88.5 plays parent-approved urban contemporary music. 

The best option to increase NPR listening and visibility in Memphis is a PSOP with the Memphis Public Library. 

The Library owns WYPL FM 89.3. Coverage map on the right.

For many years WYPL [link] has served the low vision and blind communities with a popular reading service.

It is easy for a blogger like me to spend other people’s money. So, I hope someone will take this idea and run with or maybe WKNO will come to life.

NEW FILM: STEVE POST “PLAYING IN THE FM BAND” • APM PARTNERS WITH WESTWOOD ONE FOR NEW SEASON OF “IN THE DARK”

Steve Post

Steve Post was a one-a-kind radio personality. He never took things too seriously and found humor in the absurdity of the human condition. New York radio listeners could always count on Post’s irreverent commentary and quick one-liners to brighten any day.

Later in 2018, everyone will get a chance to be introduced (and in some cases re-introduced) to his life and times in the new film Playing in the FM Band: The Steve Post Story. The 80-minute documentary by On the Road Productions is loosely based on Post’s autobiography of the same name. The film's website is here.

Post started in radio as a volunteer at WBAI in 1965.  Soon he became cult radio hero who innovated his own kind of “free form” audio storytelling.  Post is perhaps best known for his work at WNYC-FM. From 1982 until 2001. He was the host of Morning Music With Steve Post, combining music, commentary, and satire. WNYC had dual format at the time of NPR News and Classical music. Post did the weekday 9am to Noon shift.

When New York was attacked on September 11, 2001, WNYC-FM changed to an all-news/talk format. Post became known as the station’s number one on-the-air fundraiser. He played an important role in helping WNYC raise the money to buy the station’s licenses from the City and establishing New York Public radio.

Steve Post in 1997

In 2002 Post began a weekly program – The No Show – on WNYC. He retired from WNYC in 2009 and died from complications of lung cancer at age 70 in 2014.

No story about Post is complete without recalling perhaps the best story ever about a DJ going to the bathroom and locking himself out of the station. Almost anyone who has worked in radio has a similar tale.

One morning in 1990s Post was doing his morning show on WNYC when he felt the need to go to the bathroom. When he got in the stall, he realized he didn’t have a key to get back into the station.

Fearing “dead air” (a common DJ nightmare) he screamed for help but no one heard him. Post was desperate. He decided the only way for him to get back in the studio was to go out the bathroom window. He then navigated the crumbing ledges of the Municipal Building, 20 stories above the pavement, and re-entered the control room through an open window. He arrived just as the music was fading.

Steve Post told this story much better than I can. Here is a YouTube video that features Post live on WNYC telling what happened:

APM ALIGNS WITH WESTWOOD ONE FOR NEW SEASON OF IN THE DARK

American Public Media (APM) has crafted a deal with commercial radio syndicator Westwood One (WWO) for promotion and ad sales for the second season of the podcast In the Dark. The Peabody Award-winning investigative podcast returns on May 1, 2018 and runs through June.

Season Two explores the case of Curtis Flowers – a black man in Mississippi who has been tried six times for the same crime. In the Dark’s first season has had over 12-million downloads since it was released in 2017.

Tim Roesler

According to Tim Roesler, APM’s Senior VP & Chief Business Development Officer, APM is partnering with WWO because of their promotional reach, “digital vision” and experience monetizing podcasts.

WWO has made major investments in podcasting in the past couple of years. 

The company owns Podcast One [link], a portal that distributes over 90 podcast titles. Podcast One’s biggest hit is the Adam Carolla Show [link], a former “shock jock” who shares his thoughts about current events, politics, relationships and anything else he can complain about, according to Podcast One.

A big benefit to Podcast One is the association with APM’s exceptional content and “halo effect” of public media. Suzanne Grimes, Executive VP for Corporate Marketing at Cumulus Media (Cumulus owns WWO), said in a press release:

“We are incredibly impressed with APM’s award-winning and high-quality investigative content. This collaboration is another example of the podcast marketplace maturing.”

MARCH 2018 PODTRAC TOP TEN PODCAST PUBLISHERS RANKINGS