WDUQ's ratings have fallen; explanations offered
Pittsburgh:It was expected that when the format for WDUQ-FM (90.5) changed on July 1, that ratings would drop as former fans tuned away. The first ratings period has, in fact, shown a decline in numbers. Although a fall to 1.4 in July from a 1.6 in June and a 2.1 in May might seem weak, it is not for this pubcaster. The audience is smaller and therefore even the slightest slip represents a large percentage of audience.
Essential Public Media isn't concerned... yet. "It takes awhile. Six weeks is not enough," Tammy Terwelp told the Post-Gazette. Terwelp is the director of content and programming for EPM. Terwelp expects things to "become a lot easier" as more people discover the other programming and not just the programs they've tuned into for years that are still available.
WYEP general manager, Lee Ferraro agrees. He told the City Paper's Chris Potter, "An audience number drop was fully anticipated." Ferraro continued that EPM expects the number of listeners to grow. "But more importantly, we think the amount of listening to the station willnearly double within a couple years."
Readers’ Forum
Yeah, and pigs are gonna fly out of my butt.
Seeing Eye - August 17, 2011 at 1:24 pm
I’m not in the least surprised by DUQ’s drop in the ratings. The public outrage over the format change before and after the sale should have been expected to bode negatively for anyone who did anything different than the status quo.
I’ve found that Pittsburghers in general (and yes I still count myself as one) really don’t like change… to us… change is bad. We’re used to having things go a certain way and when that pattern is disrupted we grumble and react perhaps even react loudly.
With new (and old) technology providing at least some options to the old ‘DUQ listeners who loved things as they were and after observing and studying Pittsburgh radio audience trends for nearly 40 years, I tend to agree with the stance of those at EPM. This drop was expected and it means absolutely nothing.
To be fair give it a year to establish its new presence. If after a year the ratings either continue to drop or remain stagnantly low… then perhaps I can see the other perspective.
Another thing to watch, that just as or even more important, as someone earlier observed, is to keep an eye on those pledges, those incoming dollars too should be continue to be down for a while, then the same thing as above applies there too.
If both ratings and pledges remain down for a year then it’ll be certainly true and very obvious that EPM indeed misread their market and really “screwed the pooch” when it came to their ideas for ‘DUQ.
Just my 2 cents.
Rick in DC - August 18, 2011 at 09:26 am
I, like many, watch this from a distance. Trying to listen online and follow the story as it unfolds. Like many Pittsburgh expats, ‘DUQ was “home.”
Why would EPM preemptively brag about expected audience growth one week then downplay a massive audience drop the next? It sounds like they really don’t know what they are doing. They don’t need a bigger audience, they need a more loyal and engaged audience to make the new station “home.”
So far, those involved with EPM have done very little to welcome anyone. Like Channel 13 before them, they have squandered a lot of love and good will.
This does not seem to be about jazz. Now it is about what Pittsburgh lost when yet another bit of urban renewal rolled in, orchestrated by people who know better than the rest of you. I guess Rick Sebak can do a QED show about it.
When will the new public board will be announced for EPM – who wants to put their name on this, today?
Steven - August 18, 2011 at 6:26 pm
I seem to recall one local blogger who wrote recently about how it seems “our betters” once again are dictating what we should want to listen to. The cartoon attached to it was a riot. I actually know people on both sides of the debate about ‘DUQ shucking jazz for public-style news/talk. I think there has been more of a “rounding the wagons” mentality on the South Side regarding all this, than a real effort to encourage people to try out the new format and judge it for themselves. I think the name “Essential Public Radio” was part of the problem. Is news-talk more essential than fine arts (WQED) or family-friendly programming (Saturday Light Brigade) or even alternative music (WYEP but also WRCT)? Still, I do enjoy the BBC late at night and NPR can be a good alternative when flipping around the car pre-sets in morning or afternoon drive. We shall see.
Pat Cloonan (URL) - August 21, 2011 at 11:32 am