The New and Improved Takeaway

[FredLeonard]

The competition for clearances between NPR and PRI (owned by "member station" WGBH, Boston) may be heating up.

"The Takeaway" started as a more informal, interactive alternative to Morning Edition (fed opposite Morning Edition in early AM drive). Instead, Morning Edition has become more informal and interactive - apparently to attract younger listeners - and PRI (along with WGBH and WNYC, which produces "The Takeaway") in response have started feeding the show at 9 am Eastern and positioning "The Takeaway" as a "midday show" (many stations do run the show late morning or early afternoon).

"The Takeaway" is a national midday news magazine that features unique conversations about topics of the day with both newsmakers and diverse voices. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH Radio Boston.

NPR recently announced it is cancelling "Talk of the Nation" and instead will be taking over distribution of "Here and Now" (which PRI has been distributing but which is produced by WGBH arch-rival WBUR, Boston).

Sounds like PRI is fighting back with a reformulated "Takeaway" designed to attract major market public radio stations.

‘The Takeaway’ Aims to Add Local Flavor to News Reports
By ELIZABETH JENSEN
Published: April 28, 2013

As public radio stations around the country search for more compelling midday programs and ways to be more local, the producers of “The Takeaway” are pushing to fill that void, with a reformulated show that includes more perspectives from reporters at local stations, instead of presenting a purely national perspective.

At the same time, officials at the New York public radio station WNYC, which produces “The Takeaway” with Public Radio International in Minneapolis, said they will make the show, and other programs WNYC owns rights to, available to stations to cut up piecemeal and use as they please. ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/business/media/media-decoder-adding-local-flavor-to-the-takeaway.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

The Times said nine public radio stations joined WNYC and WGBH in a "coalition" of 11 stations to produce and share local content for "The Takeaway." The arrangement sounds not unlike the old Group W PM/Evening Magazine. Apparently stations can take the national feed (with local stories from coalition members) or produce their own local shows using Takeaway material as they see fit. The story hints that PRI may intend to challenge NPR's version of "Here and Now" with their new version of "The Takeaway." "The Takeaway" was not successful up against "Morning Edition" and is now offered as an alternative to a "fifth hour" of Morning Edition (actually, the second repeat of the first hour) or BBC World Service News (previously distributed by PRI; now distributed by APM, owned by Minnesota Public Radio).

Let the games begin.

 

[FredLeonard]

It's interesting to note the stations not participating in the PRI "consortium, including some of the more active local news operations in public radio and producers of national public radio programming:

WHYY-FM, Philadelphia (home of Fresh Air)
WBUR, Boston (home of Here and Now, On Point, Car Talk)
WAMU, Washington (home of Diane Rehm)
WBEZ, Chicago (home of This American Life and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me)
KPCC, Pasadena (co-operated with APM)
KCRW, Santa Monica (home of Le Show, The Business, Left Right and Center)
WUOM, Ann Arbor (former home of Todd Mundt Show, frequent NPR News contributor)
Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul (parent of APM)
Wisconsin Public Radio (home of Whad' Ya Know, On Your Health)

 

[uncamark]

KCRW, Santa Monica (home of Le Show, The Business, Left Right and Center)

Perhaps soon to be former home of "Le Show." Since it's not on the on-air KCRW any more and Harry Shearer's pissed about it, I would imagine that if he can get a new LA home, he'll pull distribution rights away from KCRW. WWNO in his other home of New Orleans has already offered to be the presenting station and to be honest with you, I don't see KPCC picking up someone else who regularly complains about contemporary public radio when their parent business already has Garrison Kellior. I also don't see Shearer coming back to KPFK (where he did a show in the early 70s with his comedy group the Credibility Gap), because some of the nutcasey people there will consider him a traitor for taking Rupert Murdoch's money (even if "The Simpsons" more or less pays for "Le Show"). Perhaps Saul Levine will put him on KKJZ (which he manages for U of Cal/Long Beach) and risk the hardcore jazz fans complaining about Shearer's talking and perhaps some of the music he plays.