Pubcasting Cuts in Kansas

According to reports from the Associated Press and other sources, funding for Public Broadcasting in Kansas is going to be cut...not eliminated.  In 2011 Governor Sam Brownback proposed the elimination all funding.  This year's proposal is to fund $600,000 in operating grants. Brownback is proposing the same amount for the following year. The proposed figure represents a cut of 42% over the current funding level.

Some conservatives are offering resistance to the funding. According to the report from the AP, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican said he and other Republicans question if funding for public broadcasting is a high priority. They would like the funding eliminated entirely.
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Read more:  http://www2.wnct.com/news/2013/jan/17/kansas-funding-for-public-broadcasting-scrutinized-ar-2946568/

WNPR is looking for your story

So...here's what it's all about.

WNPR wants to hear your story. Well...within limits. WNPR recently announced its Voicemail Project. It's more than old technology. Social Media is in play. I got notice through Facebook.

WNPR is starting an experimental radio project and we want you to get involved. The idea is simple. We provide a theme, you call our hotline and tell a story.
Here's how to take part:Step One: Check out our theme (listed below).Step Two: Call 860-580-WNPR (860-580-9677). You'll hear a nice pre-recorded message from me or one of our producers.Step Three: Tell us your story. Take as long as you need, but the voicemail might cut you off after 3 minutes. So quicker is better! Be genuine. Tell us the story like you'd tell an old friend over coffee. (We're old friends, right?!) Step Four: Hang up your phone. Wait to hear your story online and in WNPR programming. (More on that later ...)THIS MONTH'S THEME:
"My First Kiss"

I can't remember my first kiss. There is photographic proof. I don't have a copy of the shot but, I've seen it. There I am. I'm about four years old. I'm planting a kiss on a neighbor. She looks to be about the same age. I remember where she lived but, I don't remember her name or the kiss.

Not much of a story. Suddenly I feel cheated.

If you have more questions about the project, contact Patrick Skahill at WNPR.

pskahill@wnpr.org.

Texas Public Radio in Sweetwater

Texas Public Radio (TPR) is expanding its coverage. The San Antonio based station added a signal in the Snyder and Sweetwater area. According to the release in the Sweetwater Reporter, the area was previously unserved by public radio. TPR is offering its news service originated from KTXI-FM, San Antonio.

The are covered is mostly rural. Snyder is in Scurry County with 18.7 persons per square mile. Sweetwater is in Nolan County with 16.7 persons per square mile. The average for Texas is 96.3 persons per square mile.

 You can find out more about the region served at the US Census Website.

Maine public radio cuts back its music.

Maine public radio cuts back its music for more talk | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

This is never easy for public radio stations. After all, we invite listeners to invest in the programs.

Major changes always result in heat and some defections in the short run. Having 4,000 members threaten defection made a lot of staff members sit up and notice when we changed formats.

My past experience with change has yielded surprises. Replacing the opera with coverage of the shuttle disaster resulted in dozens of heated complaints. Coverage of the Pope's death in place of the opera resulted in even more complaints. We temporarily changed programming to offer coverage of the 9/11 disaster. One listener was so incensed by the change he threatened to blow up the station. (We called the police.)

In one case statistics suggested almost no audience and poor loyalty for a stand-alone weekend program. It was easy to understand why. The program had nothing to do with the rest of the schedule. I took the program off the air. The response was really light. There were literally a handful of negative comments. In fact, there was hardly a ripple. Within a few weeks after leaving the station, the program was back on the air. One of the members of that small ripple was able to dangle a check from a foundation in front of senior management. They went for it.

Previously Published on KimGrehn Media Blog.

Reaching Out to Newtown

Right after the shootings in Newtown, people were looking for ways to help.

Two of the local CHR radio stations started collecting teddy bears in the local malls. I was riding in the car with my son listening to live updates coming from the malls. We both questioned the gesture. Certainly, it's not an awful thing to do but, what is Newtown going to do with all those teddy bears? Are teddy bears what they need? To us it seemed the grief would be overwhelming. Wouldn't it be better to make sure those affected by the shootings get the support they need. I come from a Methodist tradition. In times of grief we visited our neighbors, offered to be there if they needed us, and brought a covered dish. In times of disaster we sent money or helped in the clean-up.

I thought...maybe its just me. When you can't think of anything else, send a teddy bear.

Since then I've seen a few articles that suggest sending teddy bears may not be the best response. An article I saw today through LinkedIn suggests the same. The article by Ken Mueller in Inspiring Generosity, "Give Nonprofits What They Need (Not Teddy Bears)", makes the same point clearly.
Mueller suggests four things we can do in response.

1. Give Cash
2. Donate Goods (Find out what is needed first.)
3. In-Kind Donations
4. Volunteering

Teddy bears are a nice idea but they're sitting in a warehouse.

Boston's WTKK Ending Talk Format

The Boston Globe and other sources are reporting that WTKK-FM is changing formats. The all talk format will give way to a music format. Media analysts cited in the article say the station never developed a niche in a crowded market and, the rating reflected that.

Scott Fybush, editor of the trade journal NorthEast Radio Watch, told the Globe that the WTKK never developed a stationality. In other words, there did not seem to be a unified approach to the content that would promote listening to the station over the course of the day. When listeners tune in they should know what they are getting. A consistent format with programs that have a high affinity with each other promotes more time spent listening and a stronger share of the market.

These concepts are not unfamiliar to public radio. They were expanded on in the Audience 88 and 98 reports. The reports were published by David Giovannoni with the help of many others. They are available through ARANet.com

One of the stations mentioned in the Globe article, WBUR, embraced these concepts early-on. WGBH embraced them within the past few years.

AUDIENCE 88

Issues and Implications

AUDIENCE 98 Publications

New Year's Eve Memory

My son asked me about a scar on my chin today. It was about 42 years ago on New Year's Eve. I was setting up for a gig at the Holiday Inn. I played lead and rhythm with a group called Snack. The group included Glenn Hahn who also played rhythm and lead. Glenn was the lead singer. 

Anyway, we were putting the amps and speakers in place when one of them was being lifted when I though we were putting it down. It caught my chin. The speakers were heavy. The amp won. It was bleeding a lot. I taped the wound shut and hoped for the best. We went on about an hour later.(I had a Gibson ES 359 and a Sunn Amp.) 

I have the scar and the memories.