COMPARING 2019 & 1999 RATINGS FOR STATIONS IN KEY MARKETS

Were things better in 1999 than they are now? In many ways, things seemed better then, but a lot of that may be due to selective memory.

For public radio, particularly NPR News/Talk stations, 2019 is far better than 1999.  Today we are comparing Arbitron data from Spring 1999 with Nielsen data from February 2019.

Before presenting the numbers, we need to add an important caveat: The two surveys are based on different methodologies.  In 1999 Arbitron used Diaries to obtain the raw data. By February 2019, Nielsen had acquired Arbitron (that happened in 2014) and the raw data comes from the use of PPM methodology.

We will review five markets for our comparison today – New York, Los Angeles, Houston-Galveston, Seattle-Tacoma and Minneapolis-St. Paul.  If you like these time-capsule comparisons please let us know and we will do more.

Thanks to those of you who have completed the Spark News Reader Survey.  If you haven’t participated, please do so.  Click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXf06TodjtUVXMNet-Ylc0meIsf_Kodkg8KVNPmPWxMGT6bQ/viewform

It is hard to believe that WNYC-FM had a dual format (NPR & Classical) in 1999. 

Back then, WQXR was a commercial Classical music station.

It is interesting to look at the two contemporary stations: WFUV has fully focused on AAA and they have done well. WBGO has gone in the opposite direction.

WBAI’s 63% drop in weekly listeners is indicative of larger problems within Pacifica.

Did things get better when APM took over KPCC? 

Yes they did and the numbers prove it.

Classical KUSC has also gained many listeners in the past 20 years.

KCSN’s jump of 88% is a tribute to soon-retiring GM Sky Daniels. Great job Sky! 

  

Like WBAI in New York, KPFK in LA is a mere shadow of what it was in 1999.

KUHF’s rise in Houston is was primarily caused by dropping the Classical portion of it’s dual format.  Good move!

KPFT’s slide since 1999 is more evidence of the toxic system of governance at Pacifica. “Democracy for all” may look good on paper but it is no way to run a radio station.

KUOW’s growth in listeners shows again that dual formats seldom work.  

On the other hand, KNKX, (then KPLU) shows that dual formats can work if they are done right.

We were a bit surprised to see that KEXP is doing so much better than it’s predecessor KCMU. In Spring 1999 Seattle grunge scene still had its glow.
 

It looks like St. Olaf's WCAL made the right move when they sold 89.3 FM to APM .

 

PRPD & JACOBS MEDIA ROLE OUT “PUBLIC RADIO TECHSURVEY 2019”

PRPD is partnering once again with Jacobs Media on Public Radio Techsurvey 2019 (PRTS 2019). This is the eleventh year the two organizations have worked together on PRTS. The goal of the PRTS is to help public radio station decision-makers better understand the changes in media usage by their listeners.

Consider the Public Radio Techsurvey to be an “insider letter” from public radio listeners because the sample consists of public radio listeners. Each participating station provides email information from their station’s database. In 2018, PRTS 10 had over 22,000 in-tab respondents.

PRTS 2019 goes into the field May 6-28, so interested stations should act now to be a stakeholder in this research. As in past years, stations with any of public radio’s primary formats can participate. The cost for PRPD members ranges from $350 to $550 per station depending on market size. Non-PRPD members can be part of the study for $750. More information and registration  is available here. 

Take the	Click link
Spark News Reader Survey	https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXf06TodjtUVXMNet-Ylc0meIsf_Kodkg8KVNPmPWxMGT6bQ/viewform Or copy and paste into browser

WHAT IS NEW IN PRTS 2019?

• The survey partners will be putting extra attention on how public radio listeners are impacted by current news events, such as the nation’s political landscape.

• Smart Speakers have quickly become a factor in radio listening. PRTS 2019 will provide the latest information about listener ownership and usage.

• PRTS 2019 will do a deep-dive into Podcasting, a segment of the audio market where public radio is the national leader.

• Stakeholders will earn about public radio listener’s device/platform usage across the day.

PRTS 2019 will continue to probe important topics from previous years such as listener’s perception and usage of NPR One, “connected" cars, radio’s enduring brand strength and news burnout.

SEE TECHSURVEY 2019 IN ACTION

Jacobs Media recently released the results of Techsurvey 19 (TS19), the commercial radio sister study of PRTS 2019. The report, available here, is based on a sample of 50,652 in-tab participants from 519 stations with 14 commercial formats.

Jacobs Media is offering a free Webinar to discuss the results of Techsurvey19 on Monday, April 15th at 2pm ET. Register for the Webinar here.

INTERESTING SLIDES FROM  

TECHSURVEY 2019

COMMERCIAL RADIO LISTENER'S MEDIA PYRAMID 2019

 

AM/FM RADIO USE IN VEHICLES REMAINS STRONG 

WITH PEOPLE IN YOUNG DEMOS

 

LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO STREAMING AUDIO

BUT THE NUMBER IS NOT INCREASING

 

WMOT, NASHVILLE TURNS 50 & THROWS A PARTY

WMOT [link], the pride of Middle Tennessee State University, is gearing up for the inaugural 895 Fest, a two-day Americana music festival on May 31 and June 1.   

The outdoor festival’s site is Hop Springs Beer Park in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Consider the 895 Fest to be a debut party for WMOT’s full-time Americana format that the station adopted in 2016. Over the past 50 years (WMOT went on the air in April 1969) the station has had virtually every format available with mixed results. But, the move to Americana feels permanent because it is so well matched with the tastes of the people in the area the station serves.

Rodney Crowell

The headliner for 895 Fest is singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell, a Nashville treasure. 

Other artists scheduled for 895 Fest are Lee Roy Parnell, Mandy Barnett, Sarah Potenza, Mike Farris, Liz Brasher and Steve and Jason Ringenberg.

895 Fest is presented by WMOT with support from Subaru. Portions of the two-day festival will be broadcast live on WMOT-FM and WMOT.org. Plus portions will be video streamed on VuHaus.com

Though WMOT puts a city-grade signal into Nashville, the station needs a larger fan base in Music City to succeed. 

That is why 895 Fest is important to the station. WMOT wants to be a metro player while still keeping its “outsider” vibe. The same can be said about WMOT’s licensee Middle Tennessee State University.

WMOT is doing many of the right things. The station positions itself as a source for “music discovery.” It has an impressive presence on the noncom video streaming site VuHaus [link]. WMOT has built a valuable associations with WXPN’s World Cafe and NPR Music.

Despite these moves, WMOT has never been able to create the type of groundswell of support like Sun Radio – KDRP in Austin. This matters because Sun Radio has leveraged its large popular support into private revenue streams. WMOT needs to do this with 895 Fest and beyond.

If there is a fatal flaw at WMOT, it is the station’s funding.  According to disclosure documents on the stations web site [link], in FY 2017, $445,000 of WMOT annual budget of $887,000 over half of the revenue comes from Middle Tennessee State University.

Members provide around $35,000, a paltry 4% of the budget. Underwriting brings in only $88,000, about 10% of the FY 2017 annual budget.  This is not a formula for sustainability.

It is the same pattern with the size of WMOT's audience. 

In the February 2019 Nielsen Audio PPM ratings WMOT had only 27,800 estimated weekly listeners. The size of WMOT’s audience has not grown since the switch to the Americana format. 

Sooner of later, something needs to change.

Also in the Nashville February 2019 “book,” NPR News/Talk WPLN had another record high performance. Add WPLN to the growing list of NPR News/Talk stations that are the leading radio news source in there markets. A couple of decades ago WSM AM/FM was the market leader in both news and Country music.

In Pittsburgh, NPR News/Talk WESA is closing in on legendary commercial station KDKA.

ANNOUNCING THE “SPARK NEWS READER SURVEY” • MAJOR NEWS LAYOFFS AT iHEART STATIONS

This September Spark News will celebrate its fifth birthday. We started publishing the blog after the PRPD conference in 2014. At first it was a do-it-yourself passion project. As time has gone by Spark News has become an independent source of news, trends and commentary for public media, particularly public radio.

We are now at the point where we need evaluate what we have done and plan for the future. Today we are launching the Spark News Reader Survey, an on-line questionnaire; so you can tell us how you think we are doing.

Click on this link or copy and paste the url into your browser:

 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXf06TodjtUVXMNet-Ylc0meIsf_Kodkg8KVNPmPWxMGT6bQ/viewform

It should take you no longer than five minutes to complete the survey. All replies are anonymous and you are not required to provide your name or email address. The survey will be open until May 7^th.

Thank you for participating!  Ken Mills.

DOZENS OF NEWS PEOPLE LAID OFF AT iHEART STATIONS

One the reasons NPR News/Talk stations have become the top radio news source in many markets is because big commercial radio owners have abandoned news coverage. That trend continued on Monday (4/8) when iHeartRadio laid off dozens of news employees at stations across the country.

Since iHeart emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy recently, insiders say that news programming has been “regionalized." For instance, in Minneapolis most “local news” originates from Denver.

According to All Access Media [link], this week's layoffs are notable because of the high profile talent that has been turfed. Names mentioned include WRNO, New Orleans news anchor Lisa Marie Luminais, WTAM, Cleveland Assistant News Director Tom Moore and WFLA, Tampa news anchor Steve Hall.

Another well-known radio reporter who is gone is WFLA, and Florida News Network Tallahassee Bureau Chief, Rick Flagg. He had been reporting on Florida politics since 1978.

All Access published Flagg’s Twitter feed [link] to provide human faces to the layoffs.  Here are a few samples:

• From Trimmel Gomes: “I’m saddened by this news! @WFSUNews should take advantage of this opportunity to scoop you up now!”

• From Bruce Ritchie: “I'm so sorry. I wish I wasn't reading this. I saw you in your office yesterday and thought, ‘I guess they'll always need a radio guy up here covering the Capitol.’ I guess THEY don't realize that.”

• From LAWsome‏ in Denver: “My dad was a local DJ for 30+ years here in Denver, then with Clear Channel. [He was] just recording bumpers [and] weather for 50 different areas. Now, he is on the lam.”

• From Mike Deeson: “As the media coverage of the Capitol shrinks, the elected goofballs operate in a shroud of secrecy in The Sunshine State.”

KUHF IN HOUSTON MAY BENEFIT FROM iHEART’S LAYOFFS • WUWM HITS A RECORD HIGH IN MILWAUKEE

According to Nielsen Audio’s February 2019 PPM ratings, the competition between NPR News/Talk KUHF and iHeart’s News/Talk KTRH-AM continues to get closer.   

We don’t know if news folks at KTRH were included in the company’s layoffs. Even if they were not, people working in news at KTRH are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Also in Houston, Pacifica’s KPFT subscribed to the Nielsen ratings after several years of flying blind. 

As we’ve seen in the PPM data for WBAI, New York and KPFT, LA, not many people are listening. Of the 39 rated stations in the Houston-Galveston market, KPFT is number 36.

According to ratings historian Chris Huff, WUWM hit a record high 4.8% AQH share in the February 2019 book. Also, WUWM seems to be pulling away from Wisconsin Public Radio’s all-Talk station WHAD.

WUWM probably won’t top legendary News/Talk WTMJ (sorry about the typo in the chart), but they are headed in right direction/

AAA music WYMS has two stations on the chart. The primary FM frequency is now the number two noncom station in the market. WYMS’s HD2 channel, featuring homegrown Milwaukee artists, is doing very well for an HD channel without an FM translator.

THE 2019 NON-COMMvention IS READY TO (ROCK &) ROLL & “THE WEAKEST LINK” GETS EVEN WEAKER

Public media’s most enjoyable and most affordable conference – the 2019 NON-COMMvention [link] – happens about five weeks from now. 

Folks from noncommercial AAA stations, artists, music industry representatives, and media with gather May 14-17 at WXPN’s World Cafe in Philadelphia.

Morrissey

Legendary indie musician Morrissey will kick off the NON-COMM with a showcase performance on Tuesday evening (5/14). 

Among the other artists who are schedule to appear are The National, Bruce Hornsby and KT Tunstall. 

More performers will be announced. You can keep track of who will be playing here.

REGISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Early registration prices are available through April 21, 2019. During this period, Music/Media Industry folks can register for $200 per person. Radio Industry people pay $120 for the first attendee and $60 for additional people from the same station. The $60 is only available through April 21^st.

Regular registration is in effect from April 22 – May 6, 2019. Music/Media Industry people pay $250 and Radio station folks pay $150. Walk-up fees are slightly more and Day Passes are $125 for all attendees.

There are several hotels within walking distance of WXPN’s World Cafe. Complete information is available here.

SESSION SCHEDULE

Karen Durkot (image: The Top 22)

FEATURED: The NON-COMMversation with Karen Durkot

Thursday (5/16) 1:45pm

WXPN/Philadelphia’s Dan Reed talks with radio promotion vet Karen Durkot. 

She recently retired from the Concord Music Group. 

Earlier this year, blogger and industry vet Paul Marszalek wrote on The Top 22 [[ink]:  

“Not a single week in 2018 went by without Karen Durkot having a song in The Top 10 at Triple A. In fact, she had at least two songs in The Top 10 in 42 of the 52 weeks in’18.”

Durkot has been associated with hit-makers such as Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, The Record Company, The Revivalists, Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs and Tedeschi Trucks. She retired after 40 years in record and artist promotion biz.

The 19^th annual NON-COMM is offering an expanded number of panels. Here is the tentative schedule:

WEDNESDAY (5/15)

• 9:30am - The Value Proposition

A close up look at the role and impact of NON-COMM radio and companion platforms on the development of artists that are core to the AAA format. Why are these artists worth supporting and sustaining?

KT Tunstall

• 10:45am - When Headlines Affect The Playlist

How does noncommercial music stations handle allegations of misconduct by artists who music is heard on the station? For example, recent accusations regarding Ryan Adams led some stations to drop his music from the playlist.

• 1:45pm - On or Off Platform: Branding, Revenue or Neither

Noncommercial stations are building big audiences on platforms such as Youtube, Spotify and Apple Music. Though multi-versioning content on outside platforms is popular, stations typically don’t get revenue or branding opportunities. How do programmers decide where to play what?

• 3:00pm – Breakout Sessions

            • Leveraging Music Podcasts for Station Success

• Music Station Fundraising

• Community Radio Roundtable

THURSDAY (5/16)

The National (Pic by Graham MacIndoe

• 9:30am - Women Pursing and Achieving Success in Radio and the Music Industry

Discussion of the unique opportunities and challenges that women face when pursuing and achieving success in the music industry.

• 10:45am - Stronger Together

Station collaborations and partnerships in the system are important steps towards building our scale and impact. This session will feature ways in which stations can work together with each other and with VuHaus, NPR Music and the noncomMUSIC Alliance.

• 3:00pm - World Cafe recording session with host Talia Schlanger

FRIDAY (5/17)

• 10:00AM - Music Meeting

Bring us your ears and opinions. Hosted by Sean Coakley of Songlines. Hear new tunes and rate them along  with your peers. Then compare your opinions with a group of devoted public radio listeners.

FEBRUARY PPM RATINGS: TWO STRONG LINKS & ONE REALLY WEAK LINK

Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) flagship News/Talking station – KNOW – continues to set the pace for radio news and talk in the Twin Cities. 

According to Nielsen’s February 2018 PPM ratings, KNOW is the undisputed top News/Talk station.

Not that many years ago WCCO-AM was the top station in the market.

However, CBS Radio pissed it away. 

The new owner, Entercom, has been hiring new air-staff lately. Plus ‘CCO is the home of the Minnesota Twins, so things might get better. Or, not.

Keep an eye on KTMY a/k/a myTalk107.1 [link] and talk station that targets Women ages 25-54.There is a lot dishing going on.

You might say the KUT is the top radio news source in Austin because they are the ONLY radio news source in Austin, Texas. 

KUT leaves iHeart and Cumulus conservative talkers in the dust.

NPR News/Talk KUT and sister station AAA KUTX have a combined 11.3% AQH share and over 400,000 estimated weekly listeners.

It does get much better than this.

Meanwhile The Weakest Link in public radio got a tad weaker according to the February 2019 Nielsen PPM ratings. 

Though it is nice to see WKNO’s AQH share go up a little bit, the station’s estimated weekly listeners hit the lowest point in three years.

And, what is going on with WKNO’s HD2. It has a 24/7 NPR News/Talk format but it doesn’t have enough listeners to even be listed in the “book.”

NPR would do better nationally if WKNO would pull its weight. That is why we call WKNO The Weakest Link in public radio.