On Air Pledge Drive In Perspective

Over 2,000 Pledges! 

So Disappointing.

I was listening to the last day of my public radio station's pledge drive. The talent was thanking just over 2,000 contributors. That seems pretty exciting...right?

Not really.

A lot of hard work went into garnering pledges from less than 1% of their audience over a nearly two week span. If you look at the success of this drive based on the core audience...the response came from about 2% of the core audience. I think it is safe to assume the drives are grinding up and chasing away the audience.

It was noted in the research that came out of Audience '98 that on air drives were akin to trimming your toenails with a shotgun. I've always thought how much better life would be for the staff and the audience if all those calls would come during a five day span...or less.  

Looking for a Better Way

A look at audience trends, programming and the impact of the programming can help plan and forecast the effectiveness of fundraising efforts. If all is okay with the audience...A lot more leverage...please.

Valuing Civil Discourse

Core Values

Have you noticed how politics has devolved? There seems to be very little that is rationally discussed. Discussions on cable news have become filled with vitriol, shouting and hate. The anger and vitriol of cable news is parroted by millions. Any rational debate is lost in the name calling. As a result politics is all about personal attack. According to Pew Research, political polarization is affecting daily life, and the results are negative. Antipathy is causing gridlock in Washington and in many states. People from both parties view the other party as a threat to the nation's well-being. 27% of Democrats see the Republicans as a threat to the nation's well-being. 36% of Republicans see Democrats as a threat to the nation's well-being. The appetite for bipartisan solutions is diminished.

Most Americans are not uniformly conservative or liberal. They believe their representatives should meet halfway to resolve contentious issues. Yet, the majority in the middle remains on the edges of the political playing field. But, as Pew points out, those joining the political extremes are growing in numbers.

This antipathy does not apply to Public Radio's core audience.
Public Radio did some research to discover its Core Values of Public Radio. Those values were published by the Public Radio Program Directors Association. The goal was to find the values that made the top programs on public radio so appealing to its audience. The ultimate goal was to apply those values to local programming. They are: 

Qualities of the Mind and Intellect

Love of lifelong learning

Substance

Curiosity

Credibility

Accuracy

Honesty

Respect for the listener

Purpose

Qualities of the Heart and Spirit

Humor

Idealism

Inspired about public life and culture

Belief in civility and civil discourse

Generosity

Qualities of Craft

A uniquely human voice

Pacing that's appropriate to the substance of the content

Attention to the smallest details of music, sound, language

Since I share many of those values, I take them to heart. Civil Discourse is one of the most important values when it comes to making decisions during elections. Without it, people are focusing on all the wrong issues. You don't believe me? Just watch.

Hilary Stops at Chipotle

It is revealing when the journalist in the middle tries to insert some real analysis into the discussion, the other members of the panel seem stunned...just for a second...then go back to their snide comments. I come from a public broadcasting background. We focussed our efforts on the Core Values of Public Radio in our reporting and local programming. Something we learned is it may not be impossible to be completely objective as a reporter. It is not impossible to be fair. Public Radio is held to a higher standard by its audience. Local programming needs mirror national programming by reflecting those values.

News Coverage - Going Deeper

Looking For Depth

There are stories that lend themselves to in depth coverage. In depth coverage is something public radio listeners expect. They want to look beyond the headlines. These stories also lend themselves to continuing coverage.

After the crash of 2008, listeners looked to public radio and television to give a broader perspective to the great recession. Because of the slow recovery and other issues, this story is still with us.

Disappointing Numbers

Lower than expected job numbers came out last Friday. The number of new jobs was about half of what was expected. NPR reports that 126,000 new jobs were created. Experts were thinking the economy would add 245,000 new jobs in March.

March Employment Report Shows Growth — But Disappointing Numbers

For U.S. Workers, The March Of Progress Slows Down

Contributing Factors

Some are saying the weather had a lot to do with the disappointing numbers. Because of the series of storms that rolled through in February and March...the construction industry took a hit. So did oil drilling.

Taking the Long View

There might be something deeper according to Doug Handler, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. The economy has been expanding for six years. The thought is this might be a cooling in the economy after a period of sustained growth. Looking further at the longer trend, unemployment over the past year has improved from 6.6% to 5.5% in one year. March may have been a blip...or it may be the tip of the iceberg. Either way, the story lends itself to coverage that goes beyond the headlines. It can go beyond the two in depth stories linked to above.

Something Bigger

As I look through the story ideas below, it occurs to me I'm defining APM's Marketplace's Sustainability Desk. or Marketplace itself. I'm also thinking in terms of using station resources to create something that will have a lasting impact on the listeners we serve. There needs to be a place where overarching stories come to live. A program where these big issues can be discussed. A destination program where we can go deeper. You might be thinking, "No way. We don't have the resources." Think again, You don't have to go it alone. There are partnerships and alliances that can be created to find the resources.

Depth

There are other issues that are effected and effect the employment figures including:

• Unemployment in your region
• The real jobless rate.
• Have people given up?
• Underemployment/Temporary employment.
• The working poor.
• Discrimination. (Estimates of the cost of racism reach as high as two trillion dollars a year.) 
• Unemployment and race 
• Sexism.    
• Ageism.
• Faithism.
• Low wage jobs.
• Job training.
• SNAP benefits.
• Unemployment and social services.
• Unemployment benefits.

These are just some of the issues that could be explored, but I think you get the idea. Jobs matter to our listeners. The economy matters to our listeners. I think we owe it to them to cover this with more than the headlines or just one three-and-a-half minute feature.

What are the top of mind issues for your audience?

Eye Off The Ball?

Issues like Right to Work, Hilary Clinton's Email and Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) generate a lot of heat, but they may be beside the point. The South Central Federation of Labor in Wisconsin polled a wide variety of Wisconsinites including middle class, working class, small business owners, people with jobs and the unemployed. They wanted to measure the importance of the "Right to Work Bill" to Wisconsinites.

Right to Work did not make the cut. What Did?

• Raising wages
• Maintaining quality schools
• Basic community improvements
• Job training opportunities
• More affordable education
• Good housing

What would have more impact in news coverage? What would make for positive outcomes? What coverage would engage the community? The six points above would have a meaningful effect on the community. Or, do we let others set the agenda? 

RFRA, Hilary's email and Right to Work certainly merit coverage, but balance is needed. I think it is important to cover the issues that resonate with the community. It is important to cover what really matters. Reporting on the issues resonate with the news consumer's values will have a lasting effect. And, think about how issues like "Right to Work" can be seen through a much broader and impactful lens like good jobs, job training, increasing incomes, etc. Talk with people in other parts of the country about what has worked and what has not worked after "Right to Work" laws have been enacted in other parts of the country.

When we launched "Where We Live" at WNPR we asked ourselves, What are the key issues that define Connecticut? We came up with a list of six. The issues have been redefined and refined since the launch in 2006, but talking about issues that resonate with the audience is key to the success of the program and the station.

BBC Social Media Rules

Something Really Stands Out

The BBC has updated its social media rules for the News Division. Basically, it says don't do anything stupid.   (I think we could all learn from that.)

Latest update to social media guidance for BBC News Group staff.

New Stuff

• The guidelines cover interaction with user generated material.
• There are safety implications about sharing location data.

                           and 

• Cautions about sharing unconfirmed rumors.

Old Stuff

What really stands out for me is the section on impartiality.   It says, "Other fundamentals remain as before, including not saying anything that may compromise our impartiality, not sounding off about things "in an openly partisan way", and not revealing confidential BBC information." 

Isn't this the same standard that NPR was applying Juan Williams? Isn't this the standard that Williams ignored while offering his opinion on Fox News? 

Incidentally, Williams admitted in 2012 that he misses working at NPR. He is appreciative of the informed and influential audience that listens to NPR. Of course, there is not much of a chance he'll be back. He burned his bridges with his book calling NPR an "all-white organization" that exhibited the "worst of white condescension."

Juan Williams Says He Misses Working For NPR 'Big Time'