COUNTDOWN TO THE PUBLIC RADIO CONTENT CONFERENCE • PROOF – PROGRAMMING CAUSES AUDIENCE

Ten weeks from now programmers and content creators representing over 800 public radio stations will gather in downtown Minneapolis for the Public Radio Content Conference (PRCC). 

Sponsored by the Public Radio Program Directors association (PRPD), station folks will be joined by network executives, program producers, news managers, journalists, on-air personalities, researchers and opinion leaders for the only national gathering devoted solely to public radio content and related platforms.

The PRCC will happen Monday, August 26 through Thursday, August 29 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center. The PRCC was last held at this location in 2007. Information about the hotel and registration can be found here.

Pre-onference activities begin on Saturday, August 24 with the Program Director Workshop. 

The workshop is designed for new and intermediate level programmers and content managers. 

It focuses on the tools and best practices that are used by stations to achieve great radio and exceptional public service.

The PD Workshop will be led by Helen Barrington and Dan Klefstad. More information and registration can be found here.

Another pre-conference session is Nielsen Audio 101. Radio Research Consortium (RRC) is conducting this workshop. It is designed for people with all levels of experience with Nielsen data. Learn more here.

The PRCC officially starts on Monday, August 26, with the annual opening night party and reception from 7pm to 9am. The location and theme will be announced soon.

Conference sessions, breakouts, access to vendors and other activities will be announced in the next few weeks. Spark News will provide weekly updates and new information can be found here.

You can register for the PRCC here.

MAY 2019 MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL NIELSEN PPM RATINGS

David Giovannoni

Before he retired over a decade ago, consultant David Giovannoni made many important and lasting contributions to public radio content and strategy. 

He taught people in our industry to “think audience” when we craft our content.

Giovannoni often said “programming causes audience.” 

By this he meant that listeners will seek out "a hot magnet" - something that they crave and value. Today we have proof of Giovannoni's thesis: An incredible jump in listeners and listening to WCCO-AM. The "hot magnet" is play-by-ply of Minnesota Twins games.

As we compose this blog post, the Twins have one of the best won/loss records in Major League Baseball. They have a 10-game lead in the American League Central Division.  How hot is the magnet? Hot enough to get people change their habits and tune to AM radio to hear the Twins.

The estimated weekly listeners to WCCO were up over 50%, according to Nielsen, when comparing PPM ratings from May, with the numbers for January. 

Perhaps the best news for people attending PRCC in August is that Target Field, where the Twins play, is about a three-block walk from the conference. 

Plus, the Twins have at home game as PRCC attendees are arriving in town: On Sunday, August 25 the Twins host the Detroit Tigers at 1:10pm. Information and tickets are here.

Meanwhile, in the May 2019 Nielsen PPM ratings, all three of Minnesota Public Radio’s outlets did well.

Classical KSJN continues to gain strength.Not bad for the "ultimate oldies format."

The talk of the radio biz in the “twin towns” is KBEM. 

Month after month they are holding listeners and gaining new ones. Nielsen PPM ratings.KBEM, licensed to the Minneapolis Public School system.   

Jazz88 has roughly tripled its audience since Travis Ryder became to PD around four years ago.  Congratulate him when you see him at the PRCC.