Things That Work / Lucy Nalpathanchil

 

WNPR’s Lucy Nalpathanchil named to new senior leadership position at Connecticut Public

Lucy is the second host of CT Public's Where We Live. The program was created in 2006, largely through the efforts of John Dankosky and his staff,  as the centerpiece of WNPR's efforts to create content focused on local and regional issues, and put those issues in the context of national and international trends and events. The success of Where We Live is central to the success of Connecticut Public Radio. 

Lucy's ability to connect community with larger issues is moving on up to the C-Suite at Connecticut Public. Nalpathanchil, in the statement, said “We’re a trusted source for news and information because the journalists here are top notch and are committed to their craft. I’m excited to expand the relationships we’ve developed to further connect Connecticut Public with different communities and groups, all working to make where we live a better, more equitable place.”

CT Public CEO Mark Contreras says, Connecticut Public’s Frankie Graziano and Walter Smith Randolph will step in Nov. 7 on an “interim basis to share host duties for Where We Live, as they identify a permanent host.”

More about the change is here.

Things That Work is an occasional series featured on this site. 

Covering Issues and Ideas

Transcending Geography

This article is not about local vs national coverage. It is about getting the most out of what stations can offer locally. Thinking about coverage from the perspective of the listener will help guide the focus of your content. It is an argument I made for years in music programming. It is an argument that often fell on deaf ears. That is, until we found ourselves creating barriers between our programming and the audience we were hoping to serve. Change came about slowly, but I like to think at WNPR we learned our lesson. It bears repeating.

Users of public media transcend local. Research I was a part of at Connecticut Public Broadcasting demonstrated clearly the world perspective public radio listeners have. This worldly view is not just a phenomenon in Connecticut. Broader research conducted for the public radio system through The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), The Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) and others demonstrated the preference of public media users to look at issues from a broader perspective. The Sense of Place Study clearly pointed out that local coverage for the sake of being local was not an effective use of the media's resources.

Covering Issues

At WNPR we decided in 2006 when looking at format change to look at the issues and ideas that defined where we live rather than geography. Part of reason was pragmatic. Connecticut is governed by over 160 town governments. The attitude in Connecticut is that the issues in Hamden have no relationship to the issues in Waterbury. Or, that's in Hartford...not here. The thinking in the system at the time was to center coverage on a region like Chicago, New York or the Twin Cities. Connecticut did not have a regional center. Focusing on one area would make WNPR local and irrelevant to much of the state.. We decided to look at issues and ideas from a much broader perspective.

Others are taking this approach. WAMU recently announced they would realign their news coverage to key issues rather than geography. The key areas of their coverage will be Transportation and Development, Education and Inequality, Race and Ethnicity, Power and Influence, and Arts and Culture.

WUWM in Milwaukee is also covering news from an issues perspective. The news drop down  menu on  their website reveals coverage in the Environment, Economy & Business, Politics & Government, Education, Health & Science, World, Arts & Culture, and Project Milwaukee. Station Manager Dave Edwards mentioned that this approach is working out well for his station.

A Lucrative Decision

The decision at WNPR to focus on issues and ideas proved beneficial to the audience and the station. Increases in audience and loyalty followed. The launch of Where We Live by a very talented staff highlighted and enhanced coverage engaging the stations audience, Opportunities to develop partnerships in the community followed and so do did funding opportunities.

A Collaborative Effort

CPB announced in February a collaboration they are funding for regional coverage among several stations in New England. The geographic coverage will focus on issues and ideas. According to a release from Vermont Public Radio, "The New England News Collaborative (NENC) will produce multimedia coverage focusing on the region's energy usage, climate, transportation infrastructure, and its people and immigration issues. This robust partnership will produce dynamic reporting projects for on-air broadcast, digital and web presentations, and a series of public Town Hall-style meetings centered on issues facing New England and its residents."

WNPR will run the collaboration which will depend on the talents of reporters and producers across the New England states. The stations involved in the project are Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, WBUR,Maine Public Broadcasting Network, New Hampshire Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio, New England Public Radio, Rhode Island Public Radio, and WSHU Public Radio.

Beyond Seed Money

The ability of the stations to keep the project going after the grant runs its course will depend on how willing they are to play nicely with each other. Certainly, the coverage will present opportunities for growth on all platforms. It will be up to the station to use the content to leverage partnerships and funding opportunities and put that revenue back into the partnership. It can work. 

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.

Focus on local

You know what I miss about the Real Life Survival Guide? It was its focus on local. We met in locally owned businesses with strong community roots. That focus of the program was important. It generated a sense of community among the guests and was demonstrated by the places we met. What brought this to mind was a program on WNPR's Where We Live about the preponderance of big box stores.

Some examples of the connections we made include:

• Da Legna, a new restaurant on State Street in New Haven
• Edge of the Woods Natural Market in New Haven
• Archie Moore’s in New Haven’s East Rock section
• The Rib House in East Haven Connecticut
• Lyric Hall in the Westville section of New Haven 
• Ashley’s Ice Cream in Branford Connecticut
• The Glenwood Drive In Hamden
• Richter's in New Haven (Now Closed)

There were 72 episodes. For the most part in locally owned establishments in and around New Haven.

The big box stores? I go there. I try to be pleasant to the staff. I'm guessing from their expressions, most people are not trying to engage them in a pleasant way. But, it is not the same as going to a place "where everybody knows your name." When I was growing up we had local businesses where we did business. There was a local TV repairman, local restaurants (a rotation of about five), a regular barber, a particular clothing store, an auto mechanic, a bike shop, a local grocer even a car dealership and many others we had relationships with. They knew us. They helped us based on our relationship and we trusted them. We don't have as many of those relationships anymore. I miss the sense of community.

Public Radio Should Tackle the Issues

Sometimes, when politicians get beyond their rehearsed remarks, they reveal themselves.

A Connecticut Congressional candidate Mark Greenberg revealed his bias in a careless remark about Islam on WNPR's Where We Live. He said in an interview on WNPR's Where we live that he found Islam to be objectionable. He questioned whether Islam was a religion of peace like Christianity and and Judaism. He said, "We have to be able to be real about the fact that some folks in that religion are out to kill us." Then Greenberg dug himself in deeper by calling Islam a cult. Greenberg later backed off his comments which were condemned by his Republican opponents. 


In his comments Greenberg revealed his feelings and his bias. The public needs to know where the candidates are coming from. In this case, public radio played an important role in that process. At times, people in development roles and senior management winced when we took on our role as journalist. They were concerned being button holed and with the bottom line. Serious journalism doesn't always make for smooth sailing. 


There are more reactions to Greenberg's comments in The Hartford Courant, The Waterbury Republican, The Torrington Register and The Huffington Post. Given the reaction and coverage given to the interview, could this story be considered impactful?


You can hear the entire interview on WNPR's Website.

Raising Awareness

In public radio circles we've often discussed raising awareness about what we have to offer. Getting outside the building and actually participating in the community is a great way to increase awareness. Just waiting for the audience to come to us can be painfully slow. The increased connections created by these events not only increases public awareness but can also enhance marketing opportunities.
Where I used to work, Where We Live goes on the road regularly. Bringing A Prairie Home Companion and Wait Wait to Connecticut greatly benefited the station, the programs and the audience.
Now Michael Barone and Pipedreams are doing the same. According to an article in the Miami Herald, "Michael Barone, the host of American Public Media's Pipedreams, is bringing the first ever Pipe Organ Weekend festival to Miami."