WOSU IS BRINGING “SEXY RADIO” BACK TO GRANVILLE • MORE ABOUT EXPENDABLE COLLEGE RADIO STATIONS

There was a bit of a stir when WOSU announced the call letters of Classical 101’s new repeater station licensed to Granville: WOSX. 

A few people said that combining “S” and “X” is potentially suggestive.

However, at the ribbon cutting for new station, Tom Rieland, General Manager of WOSU Public Media, joked, “We’re bringing sexy radio to Granville.”

Rieland and other folks from WOSU assembled in the Carriage House of the Granville Inn last Monday afternoon (3/2) at 3:00pm to welcome the WOSX.

The first full piece heard on the new station was Peter Boyer’s “Celebration Overture.

The expansion of Classical 101 is important for WOSU Public Media. NPR News on WOSU is very successful. But Classical 101 reaches a much smaller audience. WOSA only covers a portion of the Columbus metro.

Classical WOSA’s coverage area

In the January 2020 PPM ratings WOSU was third in the market with an AQH share of 4.3 and 148,300 estimated weekly listeners. 

WOSA (combined with WOSU HD-2) had a 1.2 AQH share and 52,500 weekly listeners. 

The addition of WOSX roughly doubles Classical 101’s coverage area.

You might recall that WOSX used to be WDUB The Doobie until Denison University sold the license to WOSU Public Media for a pittance,  around $5,000, and a bunch of underwriting credits.

Though the folks from WOSU are celebrating, the sale of KDUB happened because the university decided that the station didn’t matter and was expendable. This pattern is happening across the nation.

Last Friday (3/6) we reported on this trend and we offered advice for the remaining student stations that are still operating.

We believe that he major reason why universities are pulling the plug on their “campus” stations is that university leaders feel that the station brings nothing of value to the institution.  

In other words, the “feel good” is over and the focus now is ROI, return on investment.

DON'T HIDE! STAY VISIBLE AND BE RELEVANT TO YOUR LICENSEE

Our post apparently hit a nerve because it had almost 2,000 page-views as of Saturday. Plus we received ample advice from Spark News readers. Here is a bit of the feedback:

• From a Content Director at a NPR News station at a top 20 market station who asked that we not use the person’s name:

“The best way a student station can stay visible if by using your number asset: Your air-time and reach.  Consider doing a monthly “meet the university president” show where the prez is interviewed.”

“Use your free, ubiquitous signal and programming to make the station as visible as possible. Broadcast live from the student union. Above all, don’t hide away from the administration.”

• From Nathan Moore, GM of WTJU and WXTJ at the University of Virginia:

Thanks for the interview with Dave Black. He's a good guy, who I knew a little bit back when I was on staff at WORT in Madison.

Back in 2010-11, when there was another wave of colleges dropping their stations, the good folks at Radio Survivor published a few articles chock full of good advice:

Jennifer Waits: 9 Tips to Ensure College Radio’s Survival [link]

Paul Riismandel: The mediageek’s advice for college stations, parts  1 & 2 [link]

• From Izzi Smith, Content officer at WBEZ:

Hi Ken - Have you/will you do any reporting on stations that have good/productive relationships with their schools? Maybe talk with Jack Casey at WERS in Boston (Emerson College). Disclosure - I'm an alum.

KEN SAYS: Coming soon!

• From Mark Weston Laskowski via Facebook:

There's a distinction to be made between "student-run college radio" and "university licensee public radio stations."  They are usually very different animals.

I've seen most university's go with one of two paradigms:

 #1 The [station] belongs in the Outreach department; OR

(2) The station belongs in the journalism and communications school (or curriculum). I've always thought #2 is a better move.

• From Juliet Fromholt, via Facebook:

“When I worked a wholly student-run college radio station, it existed in a third scenario, which is that it was under Student Activities, albeit with connections to the communications department.”

“It depends entirely on the students in charge at any given time as well as the communications faculty's ability to be good mentors when need (is there anyone on faculty who's done more than 5 minutes of commercial radio in the 80s, for example).”

• From Aaron Read, IT/Engineering Director at The Public’s Radio in Providence:

Aaron Read

Be visible to your campus community. This ties in to relevance. People must know about you before they can decide you're relevant.

If you want to prevent a sale, you need to take active steps. Whereas "flying under the radar" used to be a good way to be safe, today it prevents nothing and ensures that if and when your college decides to sell, it'll be too late to do anything about it. Take the following steps now:

Be Relevant to your Campus Community.

Be Visible to your Campus Community.

Be Integrated with Projects/Programs Important to your Administration.

Be Fiscally Self-Sufficient (most important!).