WDSE, PBS TV IN DULUTH, BUYS KUMD-FM • PRODTRAC TURNS THEIR TOP PUBLISHES LIST UP TO “15”

WDSE, the PBS TV station in the Duluth-Superior market, has joined the growing list of PBS stations that have acquired, or are in the process of acquiring, a public radio station. WDSE will pay the University of Minnesota Duluth $175,000 for KUMD-FM once the FCC approves the license transfer. FCC approval is expected in three to four months.

This is the third purchase of a public radio station by a PBS TV affiliate in recent months.

• Last fall, WLVT-TV (PBS39) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, took control of a local college FM station.  PBS39 used a portion of the $82 million they received from the recent FCC spectrum auction to establish WLVR.

PBS39 changed the local FM station to WLVR-FM, a full-time NPR News/Talk station. In preparation prepare for the new NPR station, PBS39 hired 10 reporters, two editors and updated production equipment. The news generated by the hires now appears on both WLVR-FM and PBS39.

• PBS giant WNET is now completing the purchase of WPPB, a dual-format NPR station based on Long Island, for $944,834. WNET owns PBS station WLIW-TV that also serves Long Island. WPPB will become WLIW-FM.

It is not known at this time whether WDSE is using spectrum revenue to purchase KUMD.  Also unknown is the format of the new station. Press reports say that KUMD will remain a public radio station. Spark News tried to contact WDSE’s General Manager Patty Mester by she did not return our messages.

The sale of KUMD was not a surprise in Duluth. 

As we reported in June 2019 [link], the university has been trying to find a buyer for KUMD for over a year.

At that time, there were concerns that KUMD might be losing CPB support because the university was considering not hiring a new station manager. 

KUMD has had three interim managers since 2016. 

Duluth-Superior is one of the most competitive small markets in U.S. According to Nielsen Audio, it is market #210. The local population is around 250,000.

KUMD competes with three Minnesota Public Radio stations that are full-time repeaters of MPR News, MPR Classical and The Current. Wisconsin Public Radio also has two full-time repeaters in Superior that air news and classical music.

KUMD has been broadcasting for over 63 years.

PODTRAC TURNS THEIR TOP PODCAST PUBLISHERS CHART UP TO “15”

Doing their best Spinal Tap imitation, Podtrac has turned their Top 10 Publishers chart into the "Top 15 Publishers."   

Why 15? Podtrac doesn’t provide any details. 

 Perhaps it is a way for Podtrac to look “bigger” before Triton Digital debuts its new podcast measurement service - Triton’s Podcast Reports -  in March. 

Triton may be a serious competitor. Podtrac is owned by a small independent company.

Triton’s data is considered the “gold standard” for digital behavior measurement. Plus, Triton has a deep pocket owner, E.W. Scripps.

Five of Podtrac’s Top 15 Publishers (33%) are organizations associated with public media.

NPR remains the number one podcast publisher, just ahead of commercial operator iHeartRadio. A portion of iHeart’s gains in audience come from new podcasts added to iHeart's catalogue.  In January 2019 iHeart had 157 measured shows. In January 2020 they had 354 measured shows.

Most of the new entries on the Podtrac chart are for-profit companies. iHeart’s competitor Cumulus Media debuts on the publisher’s chart at #12. Cumulus owns Westwood One, a podcast distributor and radio programming syndicator.

The only publisher that had a smaller audience in January 2020, compared January 2019, was This American Life/Serial. Ironically the podcast version of the radio show This American Life is typically at the top of Podtrac’s Top 20 podcasts chart.