WILL ERIC BARNES HELP BRING A NEW NPR NEWS STATION TO MEMPHIS? HE SAYS “NO”

Eric Barnes

Eric Barnes, CEO of The Daily Memphian [link] is a media change agent that has disrupted news business in Memphis. 

Now Barnes has engineered a partnership with the University of Memphis to bring a new noncommercial radio news voice to the city.

Late last week the University of Memphis announced that their campus station, WUMR 91.7 [link[, is part of a new multi-media project led by Barnes.



The deal brings together WUMR, The Daily Memphian and Crosstown Concourse, a retail development located in the heart of Memphis.

When we heard about the partnership, we thought it might include a new full-time NPR News/Talk station that Memphis really needs.

The newsroom synergy between The Daily Memphian and the station could create a powerful news source.

But, in an email to Spark News, Barnes said  NPR will "definitely not" be heard on the new WUMR.  

According to a news report in The Daily Memphian [link], WUMR will relocate to a new facility in Crosstown Concourse, a retail and social meeting point located in the heart of Memphis. The story said the station call letters might change.

Beyond these facts, many details are not known. For instance, it isn't clear whether Barnes is buying the license for WUMR or just part of a three-way understanding. The deal has not been filed with the FCC.

Crosstown Concourse is in an old Sears building

Our expectations were high, perhaps too high. 

Barnes apparently does not feel that NPR News programming would fit with his plans for the station.

Instead, it appears that promises have been made about that could compromise the success of the new WUMR.

The U of Memphis anticipates that programing on new station will be provided by students. Anne Hogan, dean of the U of Memphis College of Communication and Fine Arts told The Daily Memphian:

“We will have the opportunity to have jazz, but also lots of other genres of music. We can really look at the cultural scene and what the Memphis community really wants to know and wants to hear. That being the case, the experience [for] our students going to improve.”

But, Barnes foresees something different. He said in a press release:

“The Daily Memphian looks forward to providing high-quality, locally focused news.”

Past experience has shown that combining "high quality news" and "student DJs" has not worked.

WKNO WILL REMAIN THE SOLE SOURCE OF NPR NEWS

We call WKNO The Weakest Link because of its track record of poor performance.

WKNO has no plans to change its dual-format. 

In the October PPM ratings, WKNO has a 1.4 AQH share and only 38,700 weekly listeners.