GPB Up and Running in Atlanta

Public Media News/Talk Middays

Georgia Public Broadcasting began broadcasting in Atlanta today. Rickey Bevington sent this email last night.

Dear Friends:

Please join me in marking an important day in the history of our great city of Atlanta.

Until 5 o’clock this morning, Atlanta was the only Top 10 media market in the U.S. without a midday public radio news/talk service. Starting today, Georgia Public Broadcasting is now filling this vital market gap on 88.5 FM.

This comes thanks to a new partnership between GPB and Georgia State University. With this collaboration, Atlantans gain access to a rich variety of information programs during the work day while GSU students gain hands-on career experience working in a major television, radio, digital and educational organization. GSU students will also be programming one of GPB’s HD television stations and will continue to program 88.5 FM between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.  

Also starting today, I became the statewide local host during NPR’s All Things Considered program from 4 to 7 p.m., airing in Atlanta on 88.5 FM and across GPB’s additional 18 radio stations across Georgia. I hope you’ll join me each evening in your car, office or home to enjoy stories from across Georgia produced by our award-winning news team.

Sincerely,

Rickey    

Rickey BevingtonSenior Anchor/Correspondent
260 14th Street N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30318
Ph: 404-685-2694e-mail: rbevington@GPB.org
website: www.gpb.org

GPB Protest

Not Shocked

About 50 college radio stations are joining in a protest against a deal that is allowing Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB)  to air their programming during the day on WRAS in Atlanta. The protest is not surprising. Similar protests have been staged in other instances where Public Radio programming was allowed on college stations or when a larger public radio entity buys a college station.

Fighting for Air Time

The deal allows college DJ's to run their own programming between 7p and 5a. DJ's displaced by the deal can be heard on-line. The deal also allows GPB to reach the Atlanta market for the first time. Students will be allowed learning opportunities with GPB as part of the agreement.

The original start date was June Second. It is now June 29th.

http://hub.onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-06-26/college-stations-protest-georgia-public-radio-deal

WRVU Now Part of Nashville Public Radio.

Vanderbilt Station Sold for $3.35 Million

In a move that will satisfy classical music fans and the NPR news audience, Nashville Public Radio cemented the deal to buy WRVU. The deal was three years in the making. Approval came in March from the FCC, but was delayed until Vanderbilt Student Communications received the $3.35 million purchase price.

Not Everybody is Happy

College radio advocates have been trying to play defense, though not with much success. Fans of WRVU hired attorneys and petitioned the FCC.

Jennifer Waits, who founded the website “Radio Survivor,” says it’s really a matter of convincing schools they shouldn’t sell.

“It’s still good to stand up for what you believe in,” she says. “People can change their mind.”
Waits and others are now focusing attention on Atlanta, where just this month, Georgia Public Broadcasting announced a deal to partially take over a powerful signal owned by Georgia State.

The Cost Can Be too High

There was also resistance when the station owned by Rice University was sold to Houston Public Media for $9 million. There was a bold prediction, at the time, that the purchase of KRTU would result in a doubling of listener sensitive in for Houston Public Media. In 2013, Houston Public Media ended up laying off its classical music staff at the end of 2013 instead.

$4.6M journalism partnership launched.

Another partnership funded by the Knight Foundation aims to strengthen journalism in central Georgia and beyond. The partnership involves public broadcasting, a university and print media. Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Macon Telegraph and The Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University. The partnership will involve 50 to 100 journalism students over the next five years. Funds rae coming from the Knight Foundation.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/12/16/1826450/46m-journalism-partnership-launched.html#ixzz1gkTrz16u

Partnership in Georgia Results in Important Series

Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Southern Education Desk, and The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange are teaming up on a radio series about bullying. The four part series began airing today. There's more at the jjie website and at the GPB radio site.

What Is Your Station's Unique Value Proposition?

Public broadcasting: How viewers’ money is spent | ajc.com

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article yesterday that questions the compensation for executives at Georgia Public Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting Atlanta. They also question the need for two public broadcasting services. They do not offer 100% duplication in services, but there is some overlap. 


The issue of duplication of services is not limited to public television. It exists in many markets for public radio. The question is, "Can these stations be self-sustaining as tax support diminished?" The questions raised in this article can result challenges for station management, but can also result in unique services that merit community support.


The station I managed from 2002 to 2009 refocused it's programming. The need for change was made clear by member surveys created for us by Whole Station Solutions and Market Trends Research.  We found out from our membership there was not a lot they heard on our station was unique and valuable. The station carried the public radio hits. We also had a local talk show, local news and local music programming. The line-up duplicated two other public radio stations heard in our market. We needed to solve that issue if we wanted to become more self-sustaining. Despite some misgivings within our organization, the change to the region's first full-time public radio news and information service resulted in a better community service and increased community support.