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

NEPR increases news presence in New York and the Berkshires

The Berkshire Eagle reports that New England Public Radio is adding WNNU-FM to its group of stations.

New England all-news network will now be heard at night in South County

WNNU will broadcast NEPR's all news and information service currently airing in the same area on NEPR's WNNZ. WNNZ is required to reduce power at night limiting its coverage. It is hoped that the 270 watt FM will help fill-in some of the nighttime holes.

It will do more than that. Baby Boomers, the primary market for NPR news and information, prefers to listen FM signals. WNNZ is an AM station.

WAMC already broadcasts in that area which will set up competition for the NPR news audience in the Berkshires and a portion of New York State. NEPR's Executive Director of Broadcasting, Richard Malawista defended in an interview with the Berkshire Eagles. Malawista says his station's presence in the market by saying there's room for both in the Berkshires.

According to Census data this is what the two station will be sharing.

• The Berkshires has been losing population over the past decade...about 1%. 
• There are about 130,000 full-time residents.
• NPR's audience is highly educated. 30% of the population of the Berkshires has a college degree. That compares with about 39% for the rest of Massachusetts.
• About 12% of the population lives below the poverty level compared with 11% for the rest of Massachusetts.
• 19% of the population is over 65. That compares with 14% for the rest of the state.

Where people get their campaign news

INTERNET GAINS MOST AS CAMPAIGN NEWS SOURCE 

BUT CABLE TV STILL LEADS

Social Media Doubles, but Remains Limited

(Pew Research Center)

We in public radio like to think of ourselves as a reliable, dependable, informative and in-depth sources for campaign news. Our hope is that were the go-to source for information you can rely on. But, Public Radio is not where most Americans go to get their election news. NPR and Public Radio are ranked ninth. Public Radio is tied with Facebook.

According the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism Cable TV is still number one with 41% of respondents in the survey reporting they go to cable. Local TV News is second. The Internet is third. National TV news is fourth with 31%

NPR is ninth with 12%. It is tied with Facebook and Late Night Comedy Shows. Conservative Talk Radio gets 16%.

When it comes to believing which source is most helpful...NPR gets 4%. Talk radio gets 2%. Cable News is believed to be the most helpful with 24%.

Three Takeaways 

• Estimates of Public Radio's Audience used to be around 10% of the universe of radio users. NPR stations remain close to that benchmark despite declining audience for traditional media.
• 88% of the potential audience never listens to Public Radio.
• Only one-third of Public Radio's audience finds the service "most helpful."

Please click on the link above for more details.

NPR's Foreign Coverage Gets Support from CPB. Poynter.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting gives NPR $500,000 for foreign news coverage | Poynter.
For those of us who believe that events throughout the world are connected...that what happens in Jerusalem and Beijing affects what happens here...this is good news.  The grant will help fund coverage in some areas where it is difficult to do so.  The $500,000 grant to NPR supports continued foreign news reporting from some of the world’s most challenging regions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.


Audience research for public radio supports the idea that listeners come to the service to find international coverage. 


What are the reasons you use this service?

Jacobs Helps Bankroll KPBS Comeback

San Diego Reader | Jacobs Helps Bankroll KPBS Comeback

Major gifts top off a great fundraising year for KPBS. According to a report in the San Diego Reader, Irwin and Joan Jacobs of Qualcomm fame "wanted to do something that would enhance their ability to cover local news.”
http://www.scoopsandiego.com/mission_times_courier/community_news/newsroom-of-the-future-transforms-kpbs/article_26a7db06-3704-11e1-9c75-001a4bcf6878.html
It was in 2003 that the Kroc Foundation gave KPBS and NPR millions to support in-depth journalism.

http://www.current.org/npr/npr0309kroc.shtml

Jazz Moves off KXJZ to KXPR...and the web.

Capital Public Radio announced to donors this week that weekday jazz programming was being replaced by News and Information programming on KXJZ. The change was announced to donors this week in a letter.
There's more: Radio- Info.Com

Capital Public Radio's Karl Watanabe explains...Jazz in Sacramento remains on-air, it’s simply moving from our news station to our classical station, same hours 7-11pm. To quote radioinfo.com’s article:

“Capital favorite “Excellence in Jazz,” previously heard from 7-10 p.m., will move to Capital Public Radio's KXPR (88.9) in the market.”

Thus, the change impacts evening classical listeners, they’ll hear jazz during evening hours Sunday-Friday.

WOSU Moves Off AM Dial

A couple of inches in the Columbus Dispatch notes the end of WOSU broadcasting on the AM dial. 820 AM was sold to St Gabriel Radio. 820AM had been simulcasting WOSU's NPR News service with WOSU, 89.7 for about a year.

Public Radio's primary audience, Baby Boomers, moved to the FM dial in the 70's. The move to 89.7FM by WOSU may have been long overdue.

In fairness, the move was delayed by WOSU's long time members who loyally supported classical music. The change was made possible by the acquisition of WOSA. Classical music was moved to 101.1FM. That freed up 89.7FM to be used as an all news outlet.

Show & Tell: Entertainment News

More Turnover at NPR News

According to a report by the Associated Press, Dick Meyer is leaving NPR news for the BBC.
Ellen Weiss left in January.
There's more in the Washington Post.

SEO and Public Radio

I was doing a search on stories about the power outages in Connecticut. Around 800,000 power company customers were without power after the pre-Halloween storm. Many of those customers were still without power last night, the seventh night after the storm. Because of the slow response, CL & P (Connecticut Light & Power) has come under increasing criticism.  I was curious about how the public radio stations were covering the story. I went to Google and typed in CL & P and Connecticut Light & Power.

When I did a news search under CL & P, I scanned through 15 pages. When I searched under Connecticut Light & Power I scanned through 15 more pages. The primary NPR news stations serving Connecticut, WNPR, WSHU and New England Public Radio, did not appear.

A disclaimer or two - When it comes to website optimization, I'm a neophyte. I worked at WNPR for 21 years and at New England Public Radio for a month.

According to Wikipedia, Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. 


Despite the resources and efforts put in by these stations to cover the storm and the outages, finding a web presence through Google was futile. (I did notice a lot of links to Patch.com.) In order for potential listeners to find public radio on the web in Connecticut, I think it is going to take a better effort to use Search Engine Optimization. Perhaps, a concerted effort to use keywords when posting? Google says that would make a difference.

Changes Ahead For WRVO

Syracuse.com is reporting some changes ahead for WRVO. WRVO, Oswego is the primary NPR news and information station for the greater Syracuse area. Some staff are leaving but, in the end GM Michael Ameigh plans to increase regional coverage of greater Syracuse.


In a previous post about fundraising I commented that the blend of content from national and regional perspectives had drawn a large loyal "P1" audience for WNPR. Doing that well makes fundraising easier. The resources generated can then make more coverage possible. The key is the quality of the content. I think WRVO is hoping for the same success.


Syracuse.com

KCPW Could Default on Loan

Utah public radio stations see drop in donations

• KCPW could default on its loan.
• Membership dollars are off by over $200,000.
• KCPW goes head to head with KUER in Salt Lake City for the NPR News listener.
• KUER has also seen a drop in membership dollars.

Changes at KLCC

A declining audience and declining in listener sensitive income lead to some big changes in Eugene.

Music is not gone but, there's a lot more NPR news and information before noon. All Things Considered starts at 3pm.  Schedule

FINE TUNING | The area’s largest public radio station makes some big changes

Hawk n Dove Will Close in DC/NPR

Often what we talk about on the Real Life Survival Guide is the loss of local, family businesses. What replaces them is the paint by the numbers chain establishments. It's a theme that has come up more than once. In fact we talked about it again at today's recording session at Manjares in the Westville section of New Haven. The local establishments help give us a sense of place... a sense of community. I don't think we get that same sense from the national chains. I felt that loss when one of my favorite spots in Milwaukee closed down. Kalt's had been open for about 140 years when it closed. It's a place I kept going back to because of a sense of connection.  I still miss it.
Audie Cornish reports for NPR

Popular D.C. Bar To Close Doors | Minnesota Public Radio News

KUAZ-Arizona Public Media Increases Audience

KUAZ, Tuscon's NPR news station, is now ranked fifth in the market with 5.3 share. KUAZ is the market's top ranked news/talk format according the article posted on Inside Tucson Business. Their classical station, is ranked 11th with 3.2 share. The combined share for the two stations gives Arizona Public Media an 8.5 share.

Click on the link below to see more.

KIIM back on top of radio ratings; NPR and K-Hit move up - Inside Tucson Business: Inside Media: "New radio ratings are out for the Tucson market and Citadel's
country station KIIM 99.5-FM is back up at the No. 1 position with
a lot of usua…"

WDUQ Hopes to Double Audience

There were similar issues in Connecticut when WNPR refocused programming to include more news and information. WNPR took a big hit from unhappy members. Looking back, the numbers turned around quickly. If you include underwriting and membership as Listener Sensitive Income, revenue increased in the first year. So did the audience. In the long run, the biggest benefit was increased community connections and community support.
Check out the article in Trib Live.

NHPR Partners with NashuaTelegraph.com

NHPR joins in fact-check project - NashuaTelegraph.com

New Hampshire Public Radio is joining with The Nashua Telegraph in a fact checking effort for the upcoming Presidential election.

"Reporters from NHPR and the newspapers are fact-checking the presidential candidates, political parties and other groups that make claims during the New Hampshire campaign."
Another partner in this effort is PolitiFact.  Launched in 2007 to fact-check the presidential campaign; in 2009, the site began fact-checking pundits and talk show hosts. If you get a chance check out their Obameter. It tracks President Obama’s 500-plus campaign promises. It has received numerous awards, including the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

AP Warns Reporters About Tweeting Opinions

The Associated Press is warning its reporters about offering opinions about news stories through social media. According to a report in Yahoo News, AP issued an internal memo that could reignite the debate over the blurry line between professional and personal use of social media. The AP is concerned that the opinions expressed may damage the AP's reputation as an unbiased news source. According to Yahoo News, reporters covering the gay marriage vote in New York and the Casey Anthony trial expressed personal opinions on Twitter.
The blurring of the lines between objective reporting, the role of the news analyst, and personal opinion heated up last fall when NPR fired Juan Williams.
It is also important to note that the AP has written guidelines about social media and personal opinion that their reporters are required to follow.

Maine governor proposes eliminating funding for public broadcasting :: The Republic

Maine governor proposes eliminating funding for public broadcasting :: The Republic

He's not the only Governor. The Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, used a line-item veto to override the objections of the State Legislators and to cut funding. There's more in the Roanoke Times. It has very little to do with balancing budgets. According to Dan Casey in the same newspaper, the cuts save each taxpayer in Virginia about 5.3 cents. It has more to do with a political  ideological agenda. 

The same tactics are being used to target Planned Parenthood at the state level.

There's more on that story from NPR News.

WBUR’s new ad campaign is a rarity for public radio - The Boston Globe

WBUR’s new ad campaign is a rarity for public radio - The Boston Globe

The competition for public radio's news audience continues in Boston. WBUR has a new billboard campaign. WGBH has the ability to cross promote with it's other radio stations and it's public TV station. So, how is it going? "Last month, WBUR drew a weekly audience of 455,400 listeners to its daytime programming, while WGBH attracted 258,900 listeners."


Billboard campaigns for public radio in the past have had mixed results. Certainly, they increase awareness. In my experience, there has been little evidence of audience growth as a result of the campaigns I've been involved with.

Check out the article by Johhny Diaz in the Boston Globe from December 11, 2010.

KUHF Looks to Double Audience

Chron.com is reporting that the University of Houston is seriously considering purchasing KTRU from Rice University. The Trustees at Rice have already approved the deal. The U of H governing board votes on the proposal, Tuesday, August 17.

KUHF is currently running a dual format station with both classical music and NPR news. The purchase of the KTRU will allow KUHF to program NPR news on  KUHF and classical music on KTRU which will become KUHC. KUHF is estimating that their total audience will grow from about 380,000 to 800,000 within three years. The increase in public service programming will benefit the station and the community it serves.

 KTRU currently airs an eclectic mix of music, but as a community service is grossly underachieving. The audience is too small to show up in the Abritron ratings service.

The price of the sale is reported to be $9.5 million.