Public Radio Rediscovers Classical Music

Classical Music’s Comeback, on Public Radio - New York Times

The New York Times has an article about Public Radio and the resurgence of classical Music.
The key to success seems to be single format stations as opposed to hybrid formats (classical music with news and other formats) and market exclusivity. Check out the comments by Marc Hand. A third factor may be market size.  I'm not sure about this but, it may be worth considering when it comes to sheer number of listeners needed to support the station and its programming. The three successful stations mentioned in the article are WQXR, New York, WCRB, Boston and WETA, Washington. Not mentioned in the article are the successes experienced by KUSC, Los Angeles and KSJN, Minneapolis.

Duquesne University aggressively pursuing sale of WDUQ-FM - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Duquesne University aggressively pursuing sale of WDUQ-FM - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

There are a couple of interesting aspects to this article about the sale.

· The article suggests that if the University sells the station, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would ask for its money back. Duquesne bristled at that suggestion. "But Duquesne President Charles Dougherty insists that having to reimburse 30 years' worth of federal grants will not deter him from selling the station to a nonprofit group that offers the best deal." According to the Pittsburgh-Review a spokesperson for CPB Louise Filkins said, "As stewards of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting, CPB does have an interest in seeing the licensee maintained as a public broadcasting operation. It is too early for CPB to speculate about possible outcomes for the station, but CPB could request any or all of WDUQ's federal funding be reimbursed."

· There is also a huge discrepancy between between the value Pittsburgh Public Media puts on the station ($5 million), and the value Duquesne University puts on the station ($10 million). Pittsburgh Public Media Chairman, Joe Kelly, says his group is making a second offer.

Kelly also says the city cannot afford to lose the station. There are two other public radio stations in the market. WYEP programs the AAA music format. WQED programs classical music. At a time when in-depth news is at risk, the loss of NPR news and information would deeply felt.

Does Pittsburgh need another religious broadcaster? The market seems to be pretty crowded right now. According to radio-locator there are 11 strong frequencies broadcasting religious formats to Pittsburgh.

WBFO says fundraising campaign was most successful ever : The Buffalo News

WBFO had its best on-air membership ever according to the station and a release in the Buffalo News. This is especially good news for a station that just went through some major programming changes. WBFO now programs news and information.  WBFO raised $230,000 from over 1,500 contributors. That is $30,000 more than the previous high for the station.

It should be noted that WNED-AM also broadcasts news and information to the Western New York/Buffalo area.

WBFO says fundraising campaign was most successful ever : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News

Overlapping news programs blur line between WBUR and WGBH - The Boston Globe

There's an interesting article in the Boston Globe by Johnny Diaz about the efforts WBUR and WGBH are making to differentiate themselves from each other. There's anecdotal evidence in the article about listener dissatisfaction with duplication of programming. (There's more of that in the comments section.)

It's way too soon to tell how this will shake out. The audience figures in the article represent listening for one month. More significant will be the one year trends in Average Persons and AQH Share. Plus, a look at the changing dynamics of crossover and shared audience, after a year, will give more insight into blurring distinctions.

Overlapping news programs blur line between WBUR, WGBH radio stations - The Boston Globe

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University entertains three WDUQ bidders - News

University entertains three WDUQ bidders - News
The University is entertaining three bids, but adds that they do not have to accept any of them. If the bids do not meet their expectations, the University said it will wait until the market is better. Pittsburgh Public Media is among the group of three bids being considered.
The university reiterated that owning and financially supporting the station did not fit within its mission. According to University spokesperson Bridget Fare the sale of WDUQ was related to improving the University for students. "President Charles J. Dougherty said the question is whether WDUQ fits Duquesne's mission of serving God through serving students."
The University says it feels no obligation to sell WDUQ to a group that wants to air NPR news programming.

WBUR Auction Goes Green

Newton Solar Company is helping WBUR raise funds by offering two solar units for it's silent auction. The donation seems like a perfect fit for WBUR's. According to the release from The Daily News Tribune the contribution is a  nod to the green-mindedness of WBUR's listeners.It's a good partnership because it will also raise awareness for Newton Solar Company. 

The silent auction will be held Monday, June 7, at the State Room in downtown Boston. Past auctions have included items like lunch with Click and Clack, Trips to Greece and the island of St. Barthelemy, and tickets to the Red Sox with seats in the GM's box. 

Auctions won't replace the on-air drive, but they do promote some high-end giving.

‘Journalism Centers’ Raise Fairness Concerns

Not everyone is pleased with CPB's funding of Journalism Centers. An editorial in the Nashua Telegraph says the grants offer an unfair advantage, undermines competition, and may not be good journalism. "But there’s something questionable about using federal dollars to expand coverage of news, and in this case, local news."

The Telegraph's conclusion is "The project is supposed to help reverse the disappearance of journalism job (sic). But, as executed, it seems just as likely to accelerate their disappearance." 

The editorial does not point out that "The Journalism Centers" will need to become self sustaining to survive past the end date of the grant. 
Something else that the opinion piece does not make you aware of is that fact that the Journalism Centers are regional efforts focused on particular issues that are affecting the populations served by each of the stations within a larger geographic area. The Centers will not be focusing on town council meetings, the school board, accidents and fires. The definition of local for the Telegraph and these public radio stations are not the same.