You are no doubt aware of the research we have been conducting, both online and through focus groups, over the past several months. Two significant events – the upcoming celebration of our 30th year of service to this great community and the retirement of Steve Tortorici, our voice for the arts and classical music for 25 of those years - give us cause to reflect upon our direction from this point forward.

Here are some highlights of the research findings:

• More than half of survey respondents consider the news (both national and local) on WUWF to be our most important programming service and 38% would like more news programs; the focus groups clearly indicated news as the dominant format
   
• While about a quarter of respondents listen to both news and classical music programming about equally, only 7% claim to listen predominantly to classical music; although they consider our music service as less important than news, the focus groups indicated an emotional value in keeping music in the programming mix
   
• Listeners highly value WUWF’s sense of community through its locally produced programs and outreach activities; the researcher indicated that WUWF received one of the strongest positive reactions to these efforts that he has ever experienced

Our Arbitron audience data reinforces these findings. Loyalty, a term used to indicate the extent to which our listeners stay tuned to us rather switching to other stations, is an excellent indicator of the strength of our programming. The audience data shows a drop in listener loyalty immediately after the transition from Morning Edition to classical music. When the news programming resumes at 1 PM, loyalty begins to climb until it reaches above average levels during All Things Considered. This is not a recent development, but rather a trend that has persisted for years.

Listener loyalty is also a way to measure the effectiveness of our public service. No matter how excellent our programming may be, if listeners are not using that service, we are not doing our best to serve the public. Clearly we need to improve our listener loyalty. The best opportunity to do this is the time period when the loyalty of WUWF’s audience is low, yet its use of radio is high. Currently this is weekdays from 9AM-1PM. Strengthening the programming during this time period will draw the most listening from our competition and yield the highest return on our investment. Simply put, we need to give our listeners no reason to look elsewhere for programming that meets their needs.

Building loyalty has an economic benefit as well. Time spent listening to a public radio station is directly related to the propensity to support the station, and increasing the base of support for programs is critical. You are obviously a loyal listener – your generous level of support is testament to that. Good stewardship of your support and that of others requires that we create a program service that best serves the needs of the greatest number of people.

When we considered program modifications in the past, the greatest obstacle was always time. There are only 24 hours in a day, and making changes was a zero-sum game. More news meant less music.

Recent advances in digital technology have changed all that. WUWF now has two digital broadcast channels (WUWF-1 and WUWF-2), effectively doubling our opportunities for program offerings. WUWF-1 is both a digital and an analog channel, capable of being received on both traditional FM radios and digital receivers. WUWF-2 is a pure digital channel – you must have a digital receiver to hear it. Both channels can also be heard online at wuwf.org.

After analyzing the research data and carefully considering the views and opinions of the many listeners who participated in focus groups, we are developing a new approach to our program service. Beginning on January 31st, weekdays between midnight and 7PM the programming on WUWF-1 will consist of the best news and information from National Public Radio and Public Radio International, as well as other respected news sources, including expanded coverage from our own WUWF news team. We are excited to be adding several programs that have been requested by listeners for years: The Diane Rehm Show, Here and Now, Talk of the Nation, and Marketplace.

What will become of classical music? We remain committed to the presentation of the fine and performing arts as a significant part of our service to the community. Accordingly, we are devoting the entire broadcast schedule of WUWF-2 to classical music. Thanks to digital technology, you will now have the opportunity to enjoy the classics 24/7. Or you can catch up on the news on WUWF-1 and switch over to WUWF-2 for the music. It’s your choice. Remember, you will need a digital receiver – one of the HD radios that are becoming more prevalent and also more economically priced – in order to listen to WUWF-2. You can also listen online either through your computer or with an Internet Radio, also very affordable. I would be happy to discuss the technology with you and help you decide which device would work best for you.

The evening schedule on WUWF-1 (7PM – midnight) will still include jazz, blues, acoustic, and world music. The weekend schedule will remain essentially the same as it is now. Although classical music will no longer be featured on WUWF-1, regular features about the performing arts will be a part of our news and information coverage. Performances by the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, the Pensacola Opera, and other arts organizations will be promoted through these expanded arts features.

I am certain that I have overwhelmed you with information, and if you would like to discuss these plans with me please feel free to call me at (850) 474-2426 or send me your thoughts at pat@wuwf.org I look forward to hearing from you.

All my best,

Pat Crawford
Executive Director