Lacking a buyer and short on funds, KUSP goes off the air

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://current.org/2016/08/lacking-a-buyer-and-short-on-funds-kusp-goes-off-the-air/

Previously this station aired NPR News/Talk format in the market but now no buyer.

Debt was also at play here.

 

[TheBigA]

This should be a lesson to people who think Triple A is a viable format. Yes the music has an audience, but no they're not willing to pay for it, and the format isn't attractive to foundations or other sources of funding. I bet the online operation has added to the debt, with no benefit for the operation.

 

[CTListener]

This should be a lesson to people who think Triple A is a viable format. Yes the music has an audience, but no they're not willing to pay for it, and the format isn't attractive to foundations or other sources of funding. I bet the online operation has added to the debt, with no benefit for the operation.

How, then, does WUMB (UMass-Boston) manage to survive with a AAA/Americana/folk hybrid -- not only survive but expand its coverage area with a growing number of FMs around the state and an AM on Cape Cod (not LPFMs, full signals)? Ratings are minuscule, and UMass doesn't operate a cash cow news/talk station to rake in the bucks, only little WMUA on the main campus at Amherst, which has a typical college format of ultra-obscure music on weekdays and bizarre specialty shows on weekends -- including two hours of polka! Either WUMB's few listeners are an ultra-wealthy, ultra-generous lot, or the station has a sugar daddy.

 

[TheBigA]

How, then, does WUMB (UMass-Boston) manage to survive with a AAA/Americana/folk hybrid -- not only survive but expand

Heritage, baby. All them baby boomers who went to college in the area are still living there, and have some money. Not the case in Santa Cruz.

One other thing: WUMB has made a lot of recent adjustments to its format, as regulars on the Boston board will attest. They're playing less traditional folk music, much to the anger of some older fans. Seems to me they still get some money from the University, which helps. Not many colleges are willing to kick in money for a radio station.

 

[Delete My Account]

This should be a lesson to people who think Triple A is a viable format. Yes the music has an audience, but no they're not willing to pay for it

KCRW
KEXP
KCMP
The Colorado Sound & OpenAir - Denver
KXT Dallas
KUTX Austin

WUMB Boston/MA
WERS Boston
WXPN Philadelphia
WFUV New York

You were saying?

 

[TheBigA]

You were saying?

I said the music has an audience, but they're not willing to pay for it. That's pretty true.

This station tried to be like KCRW and went $700K in debt.

None of the stations on your list are attracting a big audience. Thankfully, they have heritage and some very rich listeners who support them. Not so in Santa Cruz.

The other thing about that list is that most are university licensees. Once again, not so in Santa Cruz.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I said the music has an audience, but they're not willing to pay for it. That's pretty true.

This station tried to be like KCRW and went $700K in debt.

None of the stations on your list are attracting a big audience. Thankfully, they have heritage and some very rich listeners who support them. Not so in Santa Cruz.

But wait what about Minnesota Public radio AAA feed that's being subsidized by donors who split their check between MPR News/talk since in some cities and or state networks the Public media outlet split 50/50 between News/talk and Music. Example of a music station being subsidized by a News Talk station would be Capital Public radio Sacramento. KXJZ-FM Sacramento provides the news/talk format for Solano County and the Sacramento Valley and its one part Capital Public radio that gets the donors and ratings in the Sacramento area. But Capital Public Radio also owns KXPR the music station that airs Jazz and Classical music but that does not get the ratings but it gets donors in Solano county and Sacramento Valley whenever the News/Talk 90.9 announces a pledge drive. I'm wondering how many other AAA stations are co-owned by their NPR News/Talk stations besides Minnesota Public Radio?

 

[TheBigA]

I'm wondering how many other AAA stations are co-owned by their NPR News/Talk stations besides Minnesota Public Radio?

The problem with this particular station is they couldn't afford the NPR dues any more, so they dropped news from the station. They don't have any other source of revenue besides the music, and they were streaming too, which is incredibly expensive.

 

[CTListener]

A station I can pick up here, WPPB (88.3) Southampton, NY, is a mix of AAA and community talk programming, along with NPR's drive-time shows. It's not affiliated with a university (broke off from Long Island University quite a few years ago). Given the affluence of The Hamptons, it probably doesn't need too many generous supporters to make a go of it. But then, Santa Cruz isn't The Hamptons. Few places are.

 

[TheBigA]

A station I can pick up here, WPPB (88.3) Southampton, NY, is a mix of AAA and community talk programming, along with NPR's drive-time shows.

Looking at the schedule, the main format is obviously NPR talk and jazz, with some variety music in mid-day. But I suspect the majority of funding comes from the NPR news. Otherwise, they couldn't afford to run it. Very different from the Santa Cruz station, which was 100% AAA music.

http://peconicpublicbroadcasting.org/schedule

 

[b-turner]

The AAA format is typically a poor performer. The reason is the listener's perception of what the format should be. The word consensus has been used here often. By that, I mean, what songs in the format do all listeners of AAA like or at least almost everyone? That is a very small list that actually defeats the 'concept' of AAA in the first place, being on top of the music scene, introducing new artists, large playlists, etc. That is where the problem develops: when more is added to the 'safe' songs, it splinters the listener base. That is why the stations have trouble.

Many of these stations are listener supported (almost all). Public radio support moves at a much slower pace than commercial radio. People tell me not to even try to have an on air fund drive for at least two years. Underwriting and grants tend to go to longer established stations over younger stations. In other words, if you can stick it out for several years you might make it.

Of the stations listed above in a post, few are showing any substantial quarter hour listeners and substantial time spent listening weekly. One has a respectable 17,700 a quarter hour and 3:15 per week time spent listening. KXT in Dallas/Fort Worth has made nice improvements. Some of the stations listed have under 2,500 per quarter hour with 800 being the lowest. Some have terrible time spent listening totals: 1:30 to 1:45. I'll note 2 had impressive TSLs at or over 3 hours. The time spent listening is really the deciding factor. And that's the issue. When you have listeners spending perhaps 10-20% of weekly radio listening at your station, they tend not to feel 'invested' in your station and feel the need to monetarily support it.

I've noticed when Minnesota Public Radio goes in a community, it is NPR News Talk first, then classical and finally The Current. While The Current beats the quarter hour listener totals versus the classical format, the time spent listening for their classical format is almost double what it is for The Current. That tells me: fewer classical listeners but they're more passionate about their station, spending 50% of their radio listening weekly with the station. For The Current, they solidly beat Classical in number of listeners but those listeners spend only about 25% of their weekly radio listening with the station. In other words, the ratio of donors versus listeners would be less than the classical format and likely the amount given per listener would be less. In The Current's defense their Time Spent Listening is not at all bad.

Public radio must have good quarter hour totals and long time spent listening totals. When listeners are expected to donate, the more listeners, the greater the donations. If listeners are not listening very long each week to the station, they feel less attachment and are less likely to donate. Likewise, underwriters, like commercials, are charged at a rate determined by number of listeners that hear the message. Grants tend to go to places with greatest impact. The greater impact comes from greater awareness and greater awareness comes by having a large number of listeners. The exceptions are when the format is a perfect fit for the underwriter or grant.

With all that said, a format may do well in certain select places and very poorly elsewhere. On a national average the format may perform terribly but in certain locales doing okay. In radio we tend to refer to those places as the exception to the rule. An example would be the beautiful music station or smooth jazz station that does well in one market or two but bombs everywhere else. Some stations, by being in the format for years, have developed a base that lets them survive and sometimes thrive in a crowded radio market. For other markets, the poor track record nationally and the long ramp up period to reach breakeven has groups making another easier format choice where there is less of a gamble.

 

[CTListener]

Looking at the schedule, the main format is obviously NPR talk and jazz, with some variety music in mid-day. But I suspect the majority of funding comes from the NPR news. Otherwise, they couldn't afford to run it. Very different from the Santa Cruz station, which was 100% AAA music.

http://peconicpublicbroadcasting.org/schedule

My mistake, then. I never listen outside of the morning/midday hours and my impression of the station musically is formed by what you call the "variety music" of shows like the Afternoon Ramble. I've heard Mark Knopfler, Los Lobos and other veteran acts on that show that caused me to label it as a variant of AAA in my own mind. But if the rest of the musical dayparts are jazz, then it's obviously not a AAA at all.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.kvmr.org/schedule/week

A lot of the times when some station when a non-profit station decides to air AAA format on radio its usually a group that promotes themselves as "Community Radio" in the case of KVMR in Tahoe City they have some AAA programming in their schedule but they reserve the 6pm and 7pm hours for News and Democracy Now.

Note I don't have the revenue records and ratings records at hand here since these stations have the tendency to not appear on the Nielsen ratings like Public Radio specifically News/Talk and some music stations that are Co-owned with the PBS stations and or NPR News talk affiliates.

 

[TheBigA]

What I notice about KVMR is it's all volunteer, which keeps the costs down. But every show is hosted by someone else, there's no consistency to what's being done. It's a community organization, more than a radio station. Most likely, all the volunteers have full time jobs elsewhere, and it's kind of like a community church, where members give a portion of their income to pay for the church. If you ever heard of a guy named Lorenzo Milam, he was the father of non-profit community radio. The original idea of LPFM was this kind of community-based radio. Instead it's been turned into a money machine for various churches and missions. But this is real community radio...probably a dying breed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Milam

 

[CTListener]

What I notice about KVMR is it's all volunteer, which keeps the costs down. But every show is hosted by someone else, there's no consistency to what's being done. It's a community organization, more than a radio station. Most likely, all the volunteers have full time jobs elsewhere, and it's kind of like a community church, where members give a portion of their income to pay for the church. If you ever heard of a guy named Lorenzo Milam, he was the father of non-profit community radio. The original idea of LPFM was this kind of community-based radio. Instead it's been turned into a money machine for various churches and missions. But this is real community radio...probably a dying breed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Milam

Kind of like WPKN Bridgeport, another former college station (Univ. of Bridgeport) that went the community route. Today's schedule:


11 PM (Monday): Sean Corvino (fill-in for Sonic Spectrum: Chris Ferrio)

2 AM: The Techno Takeover: Tyler Wenning

6 AM: Democracy Now! Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez

7 AM: Radio Base Camp: Steve di Costanzo

9 AM: Radio Nothing: Rod Richardson

11:55 AM: The WPKN White Rose Political Calendar

12 Noon: First Voices Radio: Tiokasin Ghosthorse

1 PM: Jazz And Standards: Malcolm C. Dankner

4 PM: Radio Something: Valerie Richardson

6:55 PM: WPKN Local News: for Connecticut and Long Island

7 PM: WPKN Evening News Report: National and International News

7:30 PM: This Way Out: The International LGBT Radio Magazine

8 PM: First Tuesday Rainy Day Radio: Richard Hill

8:30 PM — Jeff Fuller, New Haven-based master bassist, will be a guest in the studio, discussing his long, illustrious career and the release of his new CD, Shore Line Blues.

10:00 PM — Post-Bop and Beyond: an hour of cutting-edge contemporary and classic Jazz.

11 PM: Dan Correll (fill-in for For Rock Snobs Only: Paul Bercovici)

2 AM (Wednesday): Panda Melbourne Madness: Alex Panda

 

[TheBigA]

Kind of like WPKN Bridgeport, another former college station (Univ. of Bridgeport) that went the community route. Today's schedule:

Looks like another all-volunteer station. It's a club, not a radio station. My question is: Where does the money come from?

Could they handle a $700K debt?

 

[CTListener]

Looks like another all-volunteer station. It's a club, not a radio station. My question is: Where does the money come from?

Could they handle a $700K debt?

Would probably be dicey. As for the money they now get, this bit from the station's history page tells the story:

Starting in 2010, a decision was made to renovate and update the studios. Much of our broadcast equipment was 30-40 years old, and technology was fast going digital. The middle studio was cleared out to create a dedicated performance space, and the production room was modernized. Computerized systems are still being installed and connected, but the main broadcast studio has yet to be renovated.
WPKN primarily funded itself through its traditional on-air drives. Even though our listenership was loyal and generous, as economic conditions in the 2000’s became increasingly unstable and other local stations relied on professionals to raise funds, our station realized that other sources of income streams were needed. In 2011, after intensive debate, the WPKN constitution was amended to allow underwriting, within guidelines that maintain the integrity of our commitment to freedom of expression, diversity of programming, and the mission to serve and educate our community.

The underwriters are largely concert venues, municipal arts councils, craft stores, restaurants, etc., mainly from the very rich Gold Coast of Connecticut. (Bridgeport itself, of course, is impoverished.) Interestingly, the station is still on the university campus, even though it split with the school over its takeover by the Professors World Peace Academy, a front for Sun-Myung Moon's Unification Church.

 

[b-turner]

I had a volunteer late night show on a station Milan helped establish. They didn't last long before going under. Had some fun times there. It was a can of worms as far as programming went. For example, before my midnight show, there was a guy who read poetry by gay writers, many depicting sexual encounters (not what you'd call commonplace about 1975) followed by 2 hours of Big Band music, then 2 hours of Import Rock. I played mostly new music releases I got as an assistant manager at a local record store (a little newer jazz artists but mostly new rock album releases) and a reggae tune or two tossed in. After my shift it was Spanish language drinking music, then classical. I can't see that many really found the station to be their favorite.

They used to say it took $10 an hour to run the station (about 1975) but they never came close to that when I was there.

Keep in mind some of these volunteer stations have tiny budgets. I know one LPFM that gets by on $200 a month.

Radio Patrol linked KVMR. It seems their station with three translators reach a weekly cume of 40,000. Their Underwriting rates range from $25 in morning drive to $8 after 8 pm and $3 overnight. In fact, their media kit is quite well done.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

What I notice about KVMR is it's all volunteer, which keeps the costs down. But every show is hosted by someone else, there's no consistency to what's being done. It's a community organization, more than a radio station. Most likely, all the volunteers have full time jobs elsewhere, and it's kind of like a community church, where members give a portion of their income to pay for the church. If you ever heard of a guy named Lorenzo Milam, he was the father of non-profit community radio. The original idea of LPFM was this kind of community-based radio. Instead it's been turned into a money machine for various churches and missions. But this is real community radio...probably a dying breed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Milam

In some places the AAA format would be on student radio by the colleges. And that gets funded by certain fees that the students pay to the school.

 

[TheBigA]

In some places the AAA format would be on student radio by the colleges. And that gets funded by certain fees that the students pay to the school.

All that's great! Sandbox radio is fun when someone else is paying the bill. No problem...I did it myself for a while until I grew up.

But once again, we're talking about a station that has no revenue source other than listener contributions, and they tried a AAA format, and after 6 months, they're shutting the place down. This wasn't a college station, it wasn't a state network, it wasn't a multi-format station where the other format pays the expenses. This was a station that bet the farm on AAA, and lost.