WERS a "public" station?

[Improv]

I heard a promo/liner-whatever you want to call it-on WERS saying it was "Boston's progressive public radio station." Really? Can you even use the word "public" in that way?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I heard a promo/liner-whatever you want to call it-on WERS saying it was "Boston's progressive public radio station." Really? Can you even use the word "public" in that way?

I think they can, I don't think there's any law that states than only NPR affiliates can call themselves "public" stations. As far as I know, I think that any non-comm that is (at least partially) supported by the "public" can use the word if they want to.

 

[aaronread]

Sure. Anyone can call themselves a "public radio" station. They just can't put the word "national" in front of it, "international" after it, or "american" and "media" around it...lest they violate copyright by stating they are a NPR, PRI or APM (respectively) member station if they're not actually a dues-paying member station.

You don't even need to be a non-commercial station to call yourself a "public radio" station. You can brand yourself however you want, although if you're calling yourself a "public radio" station but your programming is not what "public radio" fans would expect, it's probably just going to backfire on you.

I imagine WERS is probably hoping to steal away audience from WUMB. I haven't seen Arbitrons or anything, but I would guess there's a fair amount of overlap in their audience demographics.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I imagine WERS is probably hoping to steal away audience from WUMB. I haven't seen Arbitrons or anything, but I would guess there's a fair amount of overlap in their audience demographics.

Perhaps, but the former is already blowing away the latter in the Arbs with about double their numbers. They don't really need to "steal" audience from them. More likely they want to brand as a "public" station to perhaps strike up an identification as a "public" musical alternative for the larger audiences of the NPR news/talk formats, for the times when those listeners may want to hear music instead of talk. 'UMB has already been trying to do that recently by calling themselves "Boston's NPR Music Station".

 

[uncamark]

Sure. Anyone can call themselves a "public radio" station. They just can't put the word "national" in front of it, "international" after it, or "american" and "media" around it...lest they violate copyright by stating they are a NPR, PRI or APM (respectively) member station if they're not actually a dues-paying member station.

You don't even need to be a non-commercial station to call yourself a "public radio" station. You can brand yourself however you want, although if you're calling yourself a "public radio" station but your programming is not what "public radio" fans would expect, it's probably just going to backfire on you.

In Kansas City, the "community" station KKFI brought in a GM from an NPR station who changed the station's branding to "Kansas City Public Radio." Even though the station's Pacifica-ish (with a stronger music emphasis) volunteer-driven program schedule remained as was with "Democracy Now!" the only long-form national strip, the staff was afraid the guy was going to go after NPR membership (strange, considering that KC already has two NPR members and the NPR station from Lawrence can be easily picked up) and, IIRC, pushed him out. They remain identified as a "community" station today, with "DN!" their only national long-form strip (they carry "Earth and Sky" and Jim Hightower, but they're short-form). They also don't have a GM and seemingly have not had one for several years (a committee of volunteers runs the station). And they had a severe money problem not that long ago.

 

[Improv]

If you listen to WERS, you have to be skeptical about the idea they want to pick up public radio listeners who need a break from news-or to draw people from WUMB's audience. A few specialty shows might do that-theatre, kids, a capella shows. Otherwise, rock, reggae, some world, dominate the schedule. If they take listeners from anyone, it's the Jam'n crowd at night with their hip hop programming. It's the only station that kids I have taught knew about on that side of the dial.