PUBLIC RADIO PASSES PUBLIC TELEVISION IN REVENUE • WAMU TAKES #1 BACK FROM WTOP

President Johnson signs the Public

Broadcasting Act in 1967

People familiar with the history of public broadcasting will recall that radio was almost excluded from CPB station support. 

In the early 1970s, when the system was set up, television got most the attention. 

Public radio stations had small audiences and even smaller revenue.

Pressure by people who wanted radio to be part of the plan helped get radio into the mix.

Things have changed since then.

According to a report compiled by Public Radio Company [link], and released by CPB, “little” public radio’s annual revenue now is larger public TV’s revenue.

During the decade between 2008-2018, public radio revenue from all sources grew by 45%. Over the same period public TV revenue fell by 14%.

NIELSEN AUDIO 3-MONTH NONCOM PPM TRENDS: WAMU SQUEEZES AHEAD OF WTOP

The seesaw battle between noncom WAMU and commercial News/Talk WTOP just changed again.  According to Nielsen’s October ratings data, WAMU had an 8.1 AQH share and WTOP had a 7.4 AQH share.

The lead has changed times since February 2019. WTOP continues to lead WAMU in estimated monthly listeners.

Elsewhere in DC, Classical WETA is building  AQH share in an impressive manor. In many ways the rise in listening at WETA reminds us of the increased listening to Classical KDFC in San Francisco.

Hometown CCM giant WGTS continues to outpace the K-Love repeater on WLVW.

WPFW is apparently still on the air.

In New York WNYC-FM continues to add to its AQH share.

K-Love repeater WPLJ has come to life. 

Though ‘PLJ’s estimated weekly listeners are about the same, WNYC’s AQH share is triple the AQH share for K-Love.

We were very interested to see the Nielsen numbers for Pacifca’s WBAI. 

As you probably know, the Pacifica Foundation fired the local staff and dropped all local programming. It has been replaced with Pacifica’s Greatest Hits + Thom Hartmann.

WBAI is a no-show in the October Nielsen book.

K-Love is having no problem reaching a lot of listeners in LA.

NPR News/Talk KPCC’s AQH share is moving up in the October PPMs.

KUSC, KKJZ and KCSN are stable.

And, what can you say about the sad performance by the two HD2 channels. 

The October Nielsen numbers show how few people listen to HD channels. Many HD channels don't have a FM translator.

According to Nielsen, there are an estimated 5,200 people, over the age of 6, who listened to these two noncom HD stations during a typical week in October. Nielsen says there are 11,469,700 people, over the age of 6, in the Los Angeles metro.

Things are the same in Dallas MetroPlex.

Look at the trend lines for Pacifica’s KPFT in Houston. Ask yourself, what would you do if a station you were programming lost 88% of its estimated weekly listeners since August? Typical Pacifica.

We are also following full-time Classical KUHF-HD2. The channel does not have an FM translator that we know of.  The HD station gives you a picture of the potential audience in a large market for HD only.