Just for the record, a number of Ivy League universities own commercial FM stations. That includes WBRU, Brown University, Providence, as well as WHRB Harvard and WPRB Princeton. The commercials run on the latter two are minimal but WBRU does run mostly like a commercial alternative station. Some DJs are students but many are pros. WBRU runs community programming on Sundays including music directed at the Providence African-American community. But the rest of the schedule is like a typical alternative station.
And we know Howard University, the nation's top traditionally black college, owns one of DC's top FM stations, WHUR, which I believe has only professionals on its air staff.
And getting back to the original post, NPR stations are clearly improving their ratings in many markets. WUSF may have scored the highest rating for an NPR outlet in a large Florida market. But looking at other NPR operations such as KQED San Francisco, WAMU Washington, KUT Austin and WUNC Raleigh, we see them doing great, in some case being the top station in morning drive, middays and weekends.
