Like
many people who work in public media we were surprised by an email we received
this morning (Wednesday 6/24) from Chandra Kavati, VP of Distribution and
Underwriting at APM.
Her message said Marketplace
is now involved in a new venture with commercial radio syndicator Westwood One.
The plan is to reversion existing content for commercial news and talk radio stations.
The
primary voices on Marketplace Minute
are Nova Safo and Justin Ho, both members of the Marketplace editorial team.
APM/Marketplace
and Westwood have already launched Marketplace
Minute, a three-times-a day briefings similar to Marketplace Morning. You can hear what it sounds like here.
Westwood
One President Suzanne Grimes crowed about Marketplace
Minute in a press release:
“Marketplace is one of
the most respected names in business news, and we are honored to partner with
them to support their important work. With crisp radio segments and easily
accessible podcasts and flash briefings, our audience of more than 250 million
monthly listeners can quickly access relevant and actionable news to help make
smart financial decisions.”
In
other words, Marketplace is forsaking their public radio exclusivity to maybe
make a few extra bucks. At Westwood, Marketplace Minute will be in the
company of Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Ben Shapiro and Focus on the Family, You
can see Westwood’s program lineup here.
Kavati
defended APM’s new business venture by saying;
“[The deal] diversifies
our revenue stream, allowing another way for us to maintain our quality,
non-partisan, solutions-based journalism
to serve our core, public media-based audience.”
We
have posted the complete press release from Kavati on the right.
Kavati
said that critics from public media should realize that this is first time a
public media entity has partnered with a commercial audio network in this way. She
also said in the press release:
“This new product creates
an opportunity to introduce new audiences to a tried and true public
media-based brand — increasing awareness of the public radio network overall.”
What
APM seems to not realize is there may be no windfall of revenue from the
commercial radio deal. APM has chosen to give away an essential element of
public radio’s brand. APM says it needs the money.
Westwood
One is owned by Cumulus Media. Cumulus is in the business of “bulk audience
delivery.” Content and solutions-based journalism does not matter to Cumulus. The only thing that counts
is the number “available ears” that hear what Kavati calls “the product.”
What
APM has chosen to do is so far from public media’s mission that someone one might
ask why are you doing this?
Ugh. . . looks like the same corporate double-speak liberally applied by every new regime at cpb, npr, now apm over the last couple of decades. "the needs of our audiences are changing. . ." is the typical preamble for whatever the new digerati CEO wants to do to make their big mark before moving on to greener pastures.
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