On-Air Changes: August 2008
Our board of directors set a goal back in December to, “Increase listenership to better serve programming charter and increase membership with quality programs and improved scheduling while reflecting our core values.” These directives took on a new urgency as we saw Portland’s jazz, classical and NPR stations increase listenership while ours declined! This impacts budgeting, Corporation for Public Broadcasting eligibility, and—most importantly—service of KBOO’s mission. If you’re curious about the budget hit, we made our goal for the recent Spring Membership Drive, but we had to set the goal $40,000 lower than three years ago.
So what do real-life changes at KBOO look like? Possibilities that our Program Director has discussed include Democracy Now! airing at seven or eight in the morning which could involve moving talk radio, ending the KBOO morning news and/or extending the folk strip. We’re looking at more public affairs at 4pm or 7pm, or a new evening music mix from seven to midnight. Moving more Spanish-language programming to Sunday to make it easier for Spanish speakers to tune in is a possibility. Those are real-life examples, but we’ll have more options on the table. Longer term, we need to look at the mix or music, news and public affairs.
There’s been momentum building within the station though to improve our programming because we haven’t taken a serious look at it in the last decade even though the world had changed. This leads a lot of folks to ask how we can do better and provide a meaningful, local alternative to the Web, satellite radio and other local broadcasters. These can be difficult decisions because we’re a tight-knit group and because people don’t want to lose their radio shows, but there’s a greater good for both the station and our listeners.
Programming involves both scheduling (do I know when to turn on the radio and hear something I like) and quality (will I stay tuned because I hear consistently compelling radio). Both aspects are crucial. To inform these changes, our programming staff will continue surveys, community meetings, an assessment from the National Federation of Broadcasters, Arbitron and Membership Drive data, focus groups, and retreats with our volunteer Program Committee and staff.
Our programming staff is evaluating all the options beginning this month with a decision by July and the first round of changes in August. We’ll revisit for more changes in January 2009. We have great opportunities before us, and it’s exciting to be a part of positive changes at our station.
If you have any specific comments, I share feedback from listeners with our entire staff, so I’d love to hear from you!
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Comments
Indian World
Even though we are only 1% of the population, I do hope we get to keep the only American Indian music/news in Portland. I'm pretty sure I submitted a survey but I'm not seeing any survey results on the Indian World programming and am worried. It was bad enough after donating a large (to me) amount, that soon afterward, I tune in to find some other program in it's place. That's happened a few times, once was an entire day of fund raising with subject matter I don't remember because I was so upset that they took my 1 hour, 1 day a week in the entire FM radio world to do this - they could've done it on another day.
It would be great if the day or hour could be changed...maybe lunch so I, and maybe other working Indians, can listen while we eat...LOL...and because I keep getting interrupted by work! :)
Thank you,
Linda
Stop this Dada Fest madness
What is this 101-hour Dada Festival doing on KBOO? Where's the news and information shows that I paid for with my membership? KBOO is not the 10-watt closet radio art project of a tiny liberal-arts college. It's a major player in the radio marketplace of a major American metropolitan area.
How much money did the lunatics who hijacked KBOO's programming pay for this 101-hour block of rot?? Did they pay more than the THOUSANDS of subscribers and KBOO members did?
Let's do the math: ( the numbers may be way off, but the point made by them is focused)
20000 KBOO subscribers buying memberships at $50/yr each. $1,000,000
Number of radio hours in a year: 8760
Subscriber payments per radio hour: 1000000/8760 = $114
Number of hours in the dada fest=101
estimated cost of KBOO operation per month: $80,000
Radio hours per month: 730
Cost per hour of broadcast for KBOO: $109
KBOO cost of the dada fest: $11,000
Have the lunatics who are doing the dada fest paid KBOO $11,000+ in sponsorship? Can you prove this? Have they paid more money than we have for 101 hours of programming?
If not, then what the hell are they doing with a 101-hour block of valuable KBOO radio time?
I speak on behalf of the tens of thousands of pissed-off KBOO members.
you speak for everyone? give change a chance
I really worry when someone says no to a change that was an open dialog. I worry even more when that one voice claims to speak for tens of thousands. I worry even more when it is done as anonymous. I worry even more when their writing is hard to follow.
I don't worry about this change in the KBOO program. If it turns out to be a mistake the damage is not strong nor everlasting. Things can be changed back.
However, If it turns out that a huge flock of working folks now hear DN news at 7AM and join KBOO we will have the data. At the next pledge drive that should be a good point.
close your eyes and vision this:
"good morning Portland, it is 7AM and before we put on democracy now we want you to pledge to KBOO for $20 or more if you are someone who now listens more to KBOO and feels more informed call and pledge now. Why now? In Summer 2008 there were a lot of KBOO veterans who wanted DN news to stay inacessable at 11am. So if you want DN news to stay at 7AM then call up and prove you exist and this is an improved KBOO"
Schedule Changes
I now find I am listening more frequently to Democracy Now @ 7am. I miss KBOO morning news, but as much as I loved it, I was not willing to drag myself out of bed at 4am to help make it happen! That said, the KBOO evening news is doing a terrific job. The 10min hit of local "news" at 11am is too short to do much good and is too heavily colored with opinion to qualify as news. The act of choosing stories to cover locally is a powerful editorial statement in itself and Chris's "asides" and "comments" are self serving rather than illuminating.
Losing 30min of talk radio is plus. Ditto most hosts being better prepared, having informed guests, and lively topics. Special kudos to the hosting shift on "Positively Revolting"...I find the program much much stronger and more interesting with each host pursuing individual topics while maintaining the overall broad focus of the show.
One area where KBOO could provide more local information would be coverage of city, county, and metro meetings and hearings. I do not and never plan to have cable TV, so I cannot follow these meetings which I understand are sometimes aired on the public access channel. I'd also love to hear some of the terrific debates and presentations at City Club, which covers important issues in far greater depth than we customarily hear. OPB rebroadcasts City Club (I don't have their schedule and hear it only by chance) so access by KBOO remote should be possible.
This kind of coverage of public events requires even more volunteer hours than KBOO currently uses, so yep, I'm willing to learn how to do some of this stuff. I talked with some one a while back about learning this but it fell through the cracks....I'll try again.
good job, NB
Why did change take so long? Glad it is here.
The great thing about a change, is that it can change again if it needs adjustment. Thank god that a whole new set of car drivers and humans who work 9-5 can now hear democracy now. KBOO membership has been falling in the last decade, yet Portland is more progressive?
I give the AM news staff huge thanks. But let's fact it, the AM news was most often not local nor independent. But we now have the rare opportunity to re-invent a KBOO news show to be truly local, truly independent, and truly not in control of a few KBOO staff or volunteers. There are hundreds of skilled Portland writers who would submit news stories if they knew their work would not be tossed on the editing floor.
Feedback about changes
I especially liked the Tuesday morning news show with Abe and Joe. I don't know that I will listen to Amy Goodman. I really don't need the show from my radio, as there is a podcast for Democracy Now.
There is something that you do, during fund drives. On the last day of the fund drive you dedicate the day to many excellent political lectures. If you have to change the station, I would like to see you move it in that direction. That is what this country needs from the media.
I also like to hear local content. The stuff that KBOO can deliver which cannot be found anywhere else. The morning news is a part of that.
I always hope to be able to tune in on Wednesday nights and listen to Brandon's "Drinking from Puddles" show. Maybe someday he will change the name back to "Love City" (hint).
-ED
Ed said what is best for him. What is best for KBOO
I volunteered to randomly phone both KBOO listeners ( Like Ed ) and non KBOO listeners.
The reason I thought the surveys were poorly written is that they missed the main point. They asked Ed what was best for him. The point is what is best for World Peace and how can KBOO deliver news that brings the world closer to peace.
Ed wanted no change because he can view Democracy Now on the internet. No doubt there. But Ed should know that a very large number of folks live like him, and those folks have limited access to the great independent news produced by Democracy Now.
As left wing folks we have to admit our patterns harm us. We have to transition from preaching to the choir to reaching out and retaining the people outside the clique. These program changes move democracy now to the masses.
Peace, joe
Please Do Not End the Morning News on KBOO
Change is great! Adding things and moving things around is super cool! However, ending a program that is unique and informative? Ooh. Very uncool. I love KBOO, and I am extremely disappointed to learn that the KBOO morning news program might be dismantled. I can listen to Democracy Now on any number of radio stations at a wide variety of times. I can also go to the Democracy Now Web site and listen to the shows online. Democracy Now is a fine program, and I do enjoy listening to it. However, much like the wares at the Portland Saturday Market, KBOO morning news is unique, locally grown, and not available via mass outlets.
Rather than ending the morning news program--which seems like a very jarring, extreme move amidst other more organic changes and efforts to grow--why not keep the morning news, make a more moderate adjustment, and shift Democracy Now to 7:30 a.m. or 8:00 a.m.? This would make folks happy who would like the show to be on earlier, and it would help maintain KBOO's unique qualities.
I view KBOO as one of Portland's greatest strengths, and this year I donated as much money as I could to help the station meet its fund-raising goals. I also voted on the online survey, and gee, I sure hope my vote counts this time--not like the time I voted in 2000. Hey! I'm a grantwriter. Do you want me to try to help you raise money? I'm in my busy season now writing grants to the government, but I'll be glad to volunteer time to compose need statements later in August if that would be of service. Just let me know. And, please don't end the morning news. Keep the KBOO morning news--shop local.
Don't Lose the Morning News
The KBOO Morning News is the best source of local news going. Please do not discontinue it. The evening news I could take or leave, but starting the day as an informed citizen of Portland is hugely important. KBOO has always been a champion of independent and local news, why throw that away in favor of a syndicated program (which is good, and worth listening to, but does nothing as far as local news). Without putting the local first, KBOO is no better than all the other wire service-fed radio stations in town. KBOO is Portland's voice. Please don't muzzle it.
I remember the controversy a few years back when Democracy Now was first aired on KBOO, people were sad to lose local voices. Now the current board wishes to silence those who keep us informed about events that directly effect us as Oregonians such as LNG? How often is Amy Goodman going to talk about that?
Please keep the morning news on the air. We are better citizens for it.
Interesting. Listenership is
Interesting. Listenership is in decline for years, along with donations. Yet, you still have the same paid programming staff making decisions. Maybe the programming staff needs change to allow for other changes?
Democracy Now
I hardly ever get to listen to Democracy Now 'coz I have to leave for work. I would love it if it were earlier!
re: democracy now
If you have feedback regarding democracy now, you still have a little time to fill out our survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=LMvCpn_2fhGdKsLXqsGLNJ7w_3d_3d
Programming changes
Will the results from the Survey for Change be made public?
While I very much appreciate the opportunity to give input and feedback to the station's programming, I'm also curious what other folks' responses were.....
Signed:
A concerned KBOO member