NPR Cancels "Tell Me More"

NPR's attempt at a newsmagazine targeting Black listeners is about to be history. In 2008, during an earlier round of cut-backs, NPR cancelled "Day to Day" but opted to retain "Tell Me More." Last year NPR also cancelled "Talk of the Nation."

latimes.com said:

NPR to end 'Tell Me More' and cut 28 positions

The NPR news and talk show "Tell Me More," hosted by Michel Martin, will soon be no more.

In the face of a budget shortfall, NPR has decided to end production of the show Aug. 1, the nonprofit's senior vice president for news, Margaret Low Smith, said in a message to staff.

Washington, D.C.-based NPR will also eliminate 28 positions, eight of which are currently vacant, including jobs in its news division and library. All the employees who are being laid off have been notified, Smith said. ...

READ MORE
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-npr-tell-me-more-20140520-story.html

Click to expand...

They're still dealing with the financial cutbacks announced last year. Perhaps not enough people took the buy-outs. Plus, this opens the door for more decentralization, away from NPR DC and towards the stations, as they did with WBUR. Perhaps a new co-production with KPCC coming soon?

Here's NPR's version....

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/20/314256024/npr-to-end-tell-me-more-lay-off-28-people

The host and executive producer keep their jobs. NPR says it intends to continue it's race themed programming through Code Switch and the Race Card Project and to have Michel Martin do more reports on race in the news magazine shows. Both Code Switch and the Race Card Project have generated a backlash among a substantial segment of NPR listeners, who seem to regard these efforts as reverse racism and hate generating.

NPR had a schedule targeting upper socioeconomic status Whites. And they stuck a Black news magazine in the middle of it. That was the shows big problem. If they wanted to reach a Black audience, they should have offered the show to urban format stations (non-commercial or commercial). Seems like NPR has forgotten everything that's been learned about programming radio stations in the last 50 years. In larger markets, which is where most of the Black population resides, there are usually multiple NPR stations and thus an opportunity to create a specific station offering urban or minority-targeted programming without disrupting program and audience flow on NPR general population news and information stations.

KPCC is co-owned with APM, so I wonder how willing they would be to co-produce through NPR. With APM, PRI and PRX active in program distribution, and online distribution cheap and practical, how much does a station or producer who want to take a show national really need NPR (and its satellites)?

FredLeonard said:

Seems like NPR has forgotten everything that's been learned about programming radio stations in the last 50 years.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that NPR doesn't program radio stations. Think of them as a program syndicator. All they do is produce content, and leave it to the stations to decide what programs they want. Obviously they discovered not many stations wanted this show.

One thing that's changed since this show was launched is that several NPR stations that were jazz-formatted (such as WBFO Buffalo) flipped to all news. There are also fewer "minority targeted" non-commercial stations now than a few years ago. So fewer potential customers for a show like this.

The other possible change is funding. Quite often, NPR starts new initiatives because of the availability of grants that target certain types of shows. When those grants run out, and are not replaced, so does the life of the show.

FredLeonard said:

KPCC is co-owned with APM, so I wonder how willing they would be to co-produce through NPR.

Click to expand...

We'll leave that to their new CEO to figure out, since he has relationships with both. Perhaps he can arrange a big "kumbaya" moment in public radio.

FredLeonard said:

NPR had a schedule targeting upper socioeconomic status Whites. And they stuck a Black news magazine in the middle of it. That was the shows big problem. If they wanted to reach a Black audience, they should have offered the show to urban format stations (non-commercial or commercial). Seems like NPR has forgotten everything that's been learned about programming radio stations in the last 50 years. In larger markets, which is where most of the Black population resides, there are usually multiple NPR stations and thus an opportunity to create a specific station offering urban or minority-targeted programming without disrupting program and audience flow on NPR general population news and information stations.

Click to expand...

I did not know the program was designed to appeal primarily to "black" people and "other people of color" until the news of the plan to cancel it came about. I'm sure many of its other listeners did not know either.

I have kept that in mind. Stations carry the show and disrupt audience flow. Or they don't carry it and NPR doesn't get clearances (or revenue from stations). A lose - lose.

Kumbaya depends on the Kahuna in St. Paul. I'm not aware of any KPCC shows I'd consider "ready for prime time." And there are other stations with which NPR has a stronger working relationship and which does have candidates for national distribution (as WBUR did). I think you are right in thinking NPR might move to taking station shows (outside the two news magazines). I don't see KPCC as the place they'd want to turn first. Given their political correctness, they might look for another Black themed and targeted show from one of the stations and KPCC really doesn't have anything like that.

FredLeonard said:

Stations carry the show and disrupt audience flow. Or they don't carry it and NPR doesn't get clearances (or revenue from stations). A lose - lose.

Click to expand...

Or they air it at a time other than when it's fed. That's fairly common in the system.

TheBigA said:

Or they air it at a time other than when it's fed. That's fairly common in the system.

Click to expand...

Put it on late in the evening when nobody listens anyway, so it doesn't disrupt the flow. A ringing endorsement.
You forgot: Stick it on HD2.

FredLeonard said:

You forgot: Stick it on HD2.

Click to expand...

Some may have. In any case, if a station uses a show, they get charged for it. From what I understand, this was a show that didn't get a lot of clearances, regardless of airtime.

TheBigA said:

Some may have. In any case, if a station uses a show, they get charged for it. From what I understand, this was a show that didn't get a lot of clearances, regardless of airtime.

Click to expand...

That's what I understand, too. So, why are arguing? The show did not fit in any general audience public radio news and information schedule. Beyond that, even in markets with a substantial Black population, the show was generally shunted to fringe times and only a token presence. But powers that be at NPR seem to feel this need to attract Black listeners (and listeners from other minorities) and expect majority listeners to hold still for programming clearly not aimed at them, with content sometimes hostile to them. So to make up for cancelling this show, NPR feels obliged to expand Code Switch and The Race Card Project, regardless of what listeners think.

PS: It's official. The Times has weighed in...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/b...nd-eliminate-28-jobs.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

NPR Ending A Program With Focus On Diversity

...was meant to attract African-Americans and other listeners of color...“Tell Me More,” which reaches a weekly audience of just over a million listeners on 136 stations, needed to be carried on 300 to 400 stations to be sustainable as a stand-alone program, Mr. Wilson said. “If we were inventing it today we would not do it in the same way,” he said, noting that two newer NPR initiatives focused on race and ethnicity, The Race Card Project and Code Switch, produced content both for NPR’s on-air newsmagazines and its digital outlets...NPR will make diversity “a much more central part of what we do” ...

Click to expand...

So, even more race-based stories and tales of victimization on ME and ATC. Listeners be damned.

FredLeonard said:

But powers that be at NPR seem to feel this need to attract Black listeners (and listeners from other minorities) and expect majority listeners to hold still for programming clearly not aimed at them, with content sometimes hostile to them.

Click to expand...

I don't know if they "feel this need." If you expand the view beyond NPR, you see that the federal government has numerous programs designed for minorities. The FCC, for example, has a long-standing agenda, going back through several administrations, to improve minority ownership of broadcasting. The military has a program to attract minority recruits. Congress and numerous federal agencies have programs to improve diversity in terms of hiring, training, and education. So it's not strictly an NPR thing. They're just another non-profit looking to help the disadvantaged. Plus, as I said earlier, there's lots of funding available for this kind of programming both from the government and various non-profits. So why not take the money and fulfill the mission set forth in the Declaration of Independence?

Speaking as a middle class white male, I actually found most of segments on tell me more interesting. Not all, but most. I began listening when Mississippi Public Broadcasting picked up the show during the 2008 scheduling reformat. And listening again when I moved back to Houston in 2011(when I could my work/sleep schedule doesn't always permit me to listen to KUHF prime).

I also find the code switch and race card segments thought provoking for the most part.

In my opinion the only people who would be offended by the programming are those who are predisposed to taking offense to anything having to do with minority views being aired and represented.

So, what is everyone hearing on their local NPR stations in the absence of Tell Me More? Here in Cleveland, WCPN is playing re-runs of the afternoon's "Sound of Applause" (mostly local events/talk) for now. What are you all getting in place?

KUHF reformatted their entire evening. In addition to Tell Me More, they dropped PRI's The World. In its place they're airing a repeat of their midday talkshow Houston Matters (7pm) and a second airing of Fresh Air (9pm) the 8pm hour continues to vary by day

chrocket87 said:

So, what is everyone hearing on their local NPR stations in the absence of Tell Me More? Here in Cleveland, WCPN is playing re-runs of the afternoon's "Sound of Applause" (mostly local events/talk) for now. What are you all getting in place?

Click to expand...

Here is a link to an article about how Mississippi Public Broadcasting's radio programming would change after their broadcast of the final edition of "Tell Me More".

From what I can see, the default option for those (few) stations that carried "Tell Me More" - usually in the evening when the audience is small - is to repeat a local program, if any, or a program already carried during the day. As with commercial radio, fringe times don't make money. Repeating a daytime show is the cheapest option.