Sustainable Local Programming

The relationship between programming and the willingness of the public radio audience to support and sustain it hinges on the content. 

Content providers need to be well versed in the core values of the audience and their expectations in order to deliver consistently appealing programming. Walrus Research and CPB released an interesting report in the mid 90's about audience expectations. The report was based on hundreds of focus groups conducted by George Bailey. Many of the points in the report were expanded on in the Core Values research done by the Public Radio Program Directors Association in the early 2000's. "The Qualities of “NPR” News Loyalists" gave insights into who the NPR news audience is and what they are looking for. In that report Bailey talks about how our efforts can fall short of audience expectations and the consequences of program content that comes up short. "We’ve done several news tests, rather formal A/B comparisons of network stories vs. packages produced by stations. News loyalists want local public radio news to match the network quality of news judgment, writing, presentation and depth." They also want the local reporting to reflect the world view they expect from public radio. According to the report, the educated listeners make connections between world events and what's happening in our communities. The news content provided by public radio should always go beyond local "since we are all connected to our history, society, economy, culture or environment."

Disappointing the audience means they will tune away. The more they tune away, the less likely it is they will give. If you are in a market with competing public radio news stations, the audience is more likely to be loyal to the station that best meets their needs. With this programming now available on many platforms from many sources, it is even easier to the audience to have their needs met without listening to the local stations.

With so many options, it is important for stations to distinguish themselves with their own content. Because of the expectations of the audience, the content still must meet their standards.