“SUPER GROUP” MUSIC SESSION AT PRPD19 • 3 MORE MARKETS WHERE NPR STATIONS ARE THE TOP RADIO NEWS SOURCE

The Public Radio Program Directors association (PRPD) has released the nearly final schedule for PRPD19 to be held August 26 – 29 in Minneapolis [link].   

The agenda includes panel descriptions and times for sessions and other conference events.

As we have done in the past, Spark News will feature sessions that are particularly notable. 

Today we start with a great looking session about music programming on public radio stations. Here is our first spotlight session:

The Sound of Public Radio Music

Wednesday (8/28) 4pm - 5:30pm

Nick Spitzer, host of American Routes

in 1972 at WMMR, Philadelphia

Music is part of public radio’s DNA. Whether a station airs a full-time music format or airs only a beloved weekly show, music is vitally important to American cultural life.  In this session, PRPD19 will take a close look at the impact that music programming has on audiences, artists, the music industry and our own local communities.

Five people who represent various genres will discuss the state of music on public radio stations today. Scheduled panelists include Nick Spitzer, the host and creator of American Routes; consultant

Mike Henry of Paragon Media Strategies; Brian Newhouse, Managing Director of MPR’s Classical Programming; and Anne Standley and Joni Duetsch from the Noncomm Music Alliance.

MORE MARKETS WHERE THE NPR NEWS STATION IS THE TOP RADIO NEWS SOURCE

We are continuing to track markets where local NPR News stations are the top radio news source, beating commercial radio News and Talk stations. There was a time when many of these historic stations seemed invincible to competition. Since then many of these commercial giants have been hobbled by budget cuts and lack of direction.

In May we reported that in 30% of Nielsen Audio’s non-embedded PPM markets, NPR News stations are now the top radio news source in the market. The chart on the right provides a summary.

Nielsen has released ratings estimates for about a third of the Spring 2019 Diary-methodology markets. So far we have seen eight markets where an NPR News station leads all commercial News and Talk stations.

This is an important trend because many of these commercial stations were once considered the “station of record” – a powerful position in a city of any size. The chart on the right is a work-in-progress tally of the new number one stations.

Stations owned by iHeartRadio seem to be the most vulnerable to slipping behind NPR News competitors, but this trend effects all commercial station owners.  Here are the markets we are featuring today:

In Birmingham, WBHM tops two local News and Talk stations including iHeart’s WERC (AQH: 3.5) and Cumulus’ WZRR (AQH: 3.4) 

Birmingham is Alabama’s largest city.

We are now listing WBHM as a full-time News/Talk station. They still air Classical music but have moved it to late nights.

Here is some big news. KRCC is now the top news station in Colorado Springs. 

They have a growing lead over Cumulus’ KVOR (AQH: 3.9). 

KVOR had been a top station in the Springs since the 1950s.

KRCC also shutout Colorado Public Radio’s News channel. CPR purchased a local FM repeater station in 2017 and expected that listening would grow. But, that hasn’t happened.

Another shocker is happening in Madison, Wisconsin’s state capitol. Dual formatted (News and Classical) WERN now has more than twice the AQH share than iHeart’s WIBA (AQH 3.9).