Jacobs Media: The sky is not falling!

I wanted to share this blog from Jacobs Media because within public radio the tendency often seems to be that the sky is falling. The latest fear is that radio will lose its in-car listeners. In-car listening is believed to be the last great hope. The recent news that car companies will be offering alternatives to radio in their cars, including WiFi, stirred up fears that radio will no longer be available and become irrelevant.

I've been in the public radio since the late 70's. Back then consensus was there was no way we could compete with commercial radio. Public radio's share of the market were measly. The best we could hope for was a niche service. We were.

We came out of the 70's and 80's growing audience because of our content. Loyalty to that content was built because it matched the core values of our audience. I remember hearing at the PRC in 2002 that public radio was done. In five to ten years, public radio would be irrelevant.

John Sutton pointed out in a recent blog, Public Radio 2018: Radio Still Rules.

• In Spring 2012 more than 37 million people tuned in to public radio.^

• The average number of weekly tune-ins per listener is around 7.5. +

• That means public radio listeners chose to listen to public radio stations more than 13.5 billion times in 2012.

On-line numbers don't come anywhere near the numbers created by on-air listening.

We've feared challenges from cable, cable news, talk radio moving to FM, satellite radio,  the Internet, Pandora, social media, and now mobile devices. The mentality is sky is falling. The sky is not falling.  Because of our content and connection to our audience, we are working from a position of strength.

The Jacob's Media Tech Survey 9 and research from Mark Ramsey suggests that listeners are not ready to give up their car radios. In the Tech Survey 83% of those looking for a new car said the most important feature they wanted in their car was a radio. In the Ramsey posting 76% disagree with the statement:

 ”It’s okay if automakers remove FM/AM radios from my next new car because I could always listen to my favorite stations on my mobile device via the Internet”

These are our listeners. They are clearly stating a preference. They are still loyal to their radio stations. They still believe in the connection and intimacy of radio has to offer. As long as you give the public radio audience what it wants on the platform(s) it prefers, a model of sustainability can be found.

Don't lose focus. Do what we were trying to do in the 80's and 90's. Do what these guys were and are doing. Start with your audience because they value our content.

Think Audience!

Parenting College Kids Revised

The most recent installment of The Real Life Survival Guide was about parenting college age children (young adults). 

I’m not there...not yet. 

I know from personal experience that not everybody is ready for college right out of high school. Putting too much pressure on an 18 year old can be harmful. This can the be the first real lesson for a parent to let your child find his or her way. That does not mean cutting them loose.

I know I caused a lot of consternation for my parents when I went off to college. But, that was because I wasn't ready. I went in with the preconceived notion that I was going to fail. So, I did. I was immature. I was an emotional basket case. I careened from unbridled freedom to experimentation and, I set myself up to fail.

Me after going back to school.

When I dropped out, I was prepared for the worst. Hadn't I wasted my parent’s money? Hadn't I disappointed them? The answer was yes. But, my parents showed me much more depth and understanding. They were there to support me. They did not come down like a ton of bricks. They encourage me and waited for me to find my way.  

They were there for me when I took my first steps back to advance my education. 

I took a few courses at community college first. I wanted to see if I could cut it. I applied myself and the grades reflected my efforts. I convinced myself I could handle work at the University. I took the plunge. I was ready. I knew where I wanted to focus my studies.

I graduated with honors.  The key...I was ready. My mother took one last crack. She said, "It's about time." Then she laughed.

You can hear the Real Live Survival Guide on-line or on WNPR, Sunday at 4:30pm.

Jazz in Pittsburgh

The jazz format is a step closer to returning to the air in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Public Media(PPM) has been approved by the FCC to purchase WVBC in Bethany West Virginia. WVBC is currently owned by Bethany College.

The signal area does not quite reach Pittsburgh. Plans are to upgrade the signal, or buy other signals to better cover the Pittsburgh area. PPM currently programs jazz on-line but, an over the air signal is still the best way to reach a larger audience.

WVBC was fined by the FCC in June, 2012 for being off the air more than 30 days without notice to the FCC and for failure to file for renewal in a timely manner.  WVBC Forfeiture.

You can read more about the purchase in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

PPM still needs to raise at least $100,000 to build a new studio and to cover other costs. If you interested you can help.  http://www.pittsburghpublicmedia.org