WBUR - Feeling the sting of competition Part Two

WGBH changes sting public radio rival - The Boston Globe

One of the things we used to talk about was that having more stations below 92 on the dial would raise all boats. That is, if there were more stations carrying NPR content, more listeners would come to public radio.

My question - are more listeners coming to public radio after the switch by WGBH to NPR news/talk? I cannot give you public radio's total Cume audience. I can give you public radio's share over time.

Based on topline figures the trend line shows public radio's share of the market is decreasing. WGBH's trend line is slightly upward. WBUR's trend line shows they have lost about a half point.  Average audience for public radio is also declining. Declines in share and average audience for WBUR may be due in part to increased competition between WGBH and WBUR. Another factor is a decline in Public Radio's share of the radio market. Decreased listening to public radio in the Boston market is contributing to WBUR's decline.


One more thing to consider.  The starting point...the month WGBH switched formats...may be skewed. The increased attention brought on by the publicity may have inflated the number of listeners sampling public radio. Eliminating December 2009 from the chart slightly lessens the decreasing trends for public radio and for WBUR, but not entirely.

WGBH changes sting public radio rival - The Boston Globe

WGBH changes sting public radio rival - The Boston Globe

I'm bothered by the horse race aspect of this article.

Here's why:

A weakness of the month to month system employed by Arbitron with PPM is the volatility of the numbers. To be sure, they are more reliable than the diary numbers. Still, there is a certain amount of bounce in the estimates from month to month. 


Using trends is much more reliable. The six month average in The Vital Signs Report available to public radio stations by RRC offers even more reliability.

Trending average audience share figures from Arbitron 6+ PPM Metro Boston show modest gains for WGBH in the past six months. WBUR's trend is flat. The other major player among public radio stations in Boston,WCRB, is trending downward.

The numbers being used are for Boston Metro and do not reflect the audience estimates for WGBH and WBUR outside the Boston Metro Market.

            Nov 10  Dec 10  Hol 10  Jan 10  Feb 10 Mar 10 
 WBUR 3.9%     3.5%     3.1%    4.0%    3.7%    3.6% 
 WCRB 2.4%     2.2%     2.9%    2.4%    1.9%    2.1% 
 WGBH 1.5%    1.4%      1.2%   1.7%     1.6%    1.4%  

Pledge Drive-Free Stream to Donors - The Atlantic

Finally, A Public Radio Station Offers a Pledge Drive-Free Stream to Donors - The Atlantic

Tired of the pledge drive? Already made your pledge. KQED is offering a pledge free alternative for those who have already pledged.

This fee-based listening option should pay for the additional band-width required. That is, if enough members are willing to pay for the service.  According to the article, the limited listening window is available for $45 above and beyond the membership fee. The limitation is for the current drive only.

WDUQ Deal Delayed

The headline in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on the 16th makes the delay seem dire. It reads WDUQ sale stalls over final details. But, if you scroll down you'll find out the deal is far from dead. "Both sides met Friday, but a few details remain to be completed, said WYEP board chair Marco Cardamone. Mr. Cardamone said the asset purchase agreement should be completed by next week."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11106/1139778-53.stm#ixzz1JtPTflYl

Damage to Stations in Arkansas and Texas Unrelated

Authorities investigating the fire at the KUAR transmitter site do not believe the same people were responsible for damage tot he transmission cable at KTXK.

There's a lot more information in this story from AP by Sarah Eddington and published by Chron.com

Current.org Blog: NPR funding survives in 2011 budget

Current.org Blog: NPR funding survives in 2011 budget; GOP had insis...: "A Republican provision to cut all federal funding to NPR was dropped in Friday's (April 8) late-night deal on the fiscal 2011 budget, accord..."

This is good news...for now.
There's more on the deal in The Daily Caller http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/09/npr-survives-11th-hour-spending-deal/

And in the New York Times  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/us/politics/09fiscal.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hp

Arkansas NPR transmitter fire investigated as arson

Arkansas NPR transmitter fire investigated as arson

There's been a spate of threats and acts of vandalism against NPR and its affiliates recently. Although I might be understating the gravity of the actions. In the case of KUAR, the damage to the transmitter site may be in excess of $150,000. Because the transmitter site was so remote, nobody was hurt. The article from Fox4kc.com and Reuters also mentions a transmitter fire at KTXK and the threats against the NPR news hosts. My hope is this is all coincidence. The vandals also stole valuable copper wiring. The incident in Arkansas may be about a robbery.

We had an incident during the events of 9/11 that was not as serious as originally thought. We got a call from an angry listener who threatened to blow up the station I worked for in Connecticut. We called the police. They were able to find the individual. He was angry because we extended coverage of the events that day replacing classical music.

This incident may or may not be related to the anger incited by extreme rhetoric. The investigation is on-going. The angry rhetoric from political extremists should be taken seriously. That rhetoric causes some to act in ways that are harmful to our society. If the vandalism against the two radio stations in Arkansas are related to the extreme rhetoric, in the end, this is not about free speech. It is about suppressing free speech.

Public Supports Higher Funding for NPR, PBS

Public Supports Higher Funding for NPR, PBS

A recent CNN poll estimated that many Americans do not understand the extent of funding for public broadcasting. Some believe it is as high as 5% of the federal budget. That would make the amount set aside at $178 billion. The actual amount is closer to $500 million or .00014 percent of the federal budget. A majority of Americans believe public broadcasting should maintain its current level of funding or get more.

For more information about the CNN Poll you can go to the link above and to Politico.com. Both provide links to the CNN poll.

Demise of WMFE

A few things stand out here.

• The warnings about the business model for public TV being broken has been out there for quite some time. 
• The selling price of $5 million seems very low. 
• The comments. 
• http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/04/wmfe-sale-dallas-religious-broadcaster-is-the-buyer.html

I was involved in focus groups for public radio. One of the questions asked among those who were loyal listeners of public radio was, "would you miss it if it went away." For WMFE and public TV in Orlando, we're about to find out.

I'm interested in your thoughts.