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Manager's Minute |
| Steve Bell |
Remember, We’re WUGA!
A very happy new year! 2007 is a very special year for WUGA. On August 28, we will celebrate our twentieth anniversary. A lot has changed in twenty years, but the next two to five years may bring even bigger changes to the radio scene. It may also create a little bit of an identity problem for us that we hope you can help us with.
As I write, we are in the midst of an exciting transition period with the Public Radio Satellite System. By the end of the month, this transition should be complete and we will be using new technology to receive all programs that are delivered by satellite. The previous upgrade in our satellite technology, which occurred in 1993, brought about a dramatic change in our programming, enabling us to increase by more than a third the programs we bring you from other locations. It remains to be seen just what changes the latest upgrade will bring, but it will increase the capacity of the satellite system to deliver an even greater variety of programs to public radio stations.
Along with this change, within the next eighteen to twenty four months we expect to complete the switch to “HD”, a new system of digital broadcasting, which will give us the capacity to deliver multiple streams of programming to you, the WUGA listener. For example on our regular frequencies, 91.7 and 97.9, we’ll actually be able to provide you with four different programming “streams.” We’re planning to offer a new channel of all classical music and perhaps an all jazz channel. These would be in addition to our regular programming schedule you enjoy now. As an aside, once we convert to this new form of broadcasting, you’ll need a new digital radio to receive these additional channels but you’ll still be able to receive WUGA on your current radio receiver. We’re still in the planning stages for what we will offer but suffice it to say we hope to overwhelm you with new listening opportunities. With so much change in progress, maybe this is a good time to remind you of who we are and to let you know some of the details about where our programming that you enjoy comes from. We are WUGA, a local public radio station operated by the University of Georgia and serving the area around Athens.
We are a National Public Radio (NPR) network affiliate. WUGA however isn’t completely NPR. Located in Washington, DC, National Public Radio is a network of public radio stations and a producer of public radio programs. But many of the programs you hear on this and other public radio stations have nothing at all to do with NPR. Not quite 29% of all the programs broadcast on WUGA come from NPR, mainly the morning and afternoon news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The vast majority of programs on WUGA have nothing to do with NPR; they are locally-produced or come from other national or international sources.
WUGA is also a network affiliate or Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). GPB is a state authority operating public radio and television stations around Georgia from its headquarters in Atlanta. By state regulation WUGA’s license is held by the Georgia Telecommunications Commission, which has authorized the University to operate the radio station. Not quite 7% of WUGA’s programs originate at GPB; an additional 49% are purchased by GPB for WUGA as a member of the GPB radio network. WUGA bears the full expense of all other programs it broadcasts. Over the past two years we’ve dramatically increased the number of locally produced programs aired here at WUGA and we hope you have noticed the changes.
Do you enjoy Mountain Stage? How about To The Best of Our Knowledge? Living on Earth? Sound and Spirit? Please remember you’re hearing them on WUGA not NPR. These programs come to us from Public Radio International (PRI), a network based in Minneapolis. These programs are not heard on other GPB stations. In all, we purchase nearly 29% of our programs from PRI, which is just as much as we buy from NPR.
Do you like A Praire Home Companion? Marketplace? or maybe St. Paul Sunday? These aren’t NPR programs, either. They are distributed by American Public Media (APM), a new network based in St. Paul. Until recently, most APM programs were distributed by PRI. By the end of this month, about 12% of WUGA’s programs will come from APM.
In fact, American Public Media’s presence on WUGA is doubling this month. NPR is dropping Performance Today (like WUGA, celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year) and Symphonycast, but APM is picking them up. We expect these valuable cultural resources to continue to be available to WUGA listeners, thanks to APM. Unfortunately, APM has found it necessary to discontinue its own concert series from the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
We sometimes hear from people who wonder why we encourage our listeners to support WUGA financially. “You got all that money from Joan Kroc,” they might say. “Why do you need ours?” It’s true that the widow of the McDonald’s founder left a very large bequest to National Public Radio, and that gift has enabled NPR to develop new programs. But none of that money has gone to local public radio stations.
Along the same lines, listeners often tell us they support WUGA during GPB’s semi-annual fundraising campaigns. This is certainly a valid option, and we appreciate it, as it does help GPB. Many people don’t realize that those funds all go directly to GPB and not WUGA.
Well, if you’ve made it this far in reading this explanation you’re doing well and we appreciate it. Today there is MUCH more to WUGA than meets the eye or ear (couldn’t resist). What we hope you’ll remember WUGA is YOUR public radio source in Athens and Northeast Georgia. We hope when you talk with friends about interesting and informative programming you hear on our station that you’ll say, “I heard it on WUGA!”
As always, thanks for listening,
Steve |
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