Posted in Jazz, NPR, PPM in the Media on 13. Jul, 2010 | 0 Comments
WDUQ is Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station and also a leading station for Jazz, nationwide.
WDUQ is also one of a dozen founding stations with NPR for NPR Music.
Just another reminder that the team behind WDUQ is the team Pittsburgh Public Media wants to move into the future with – the voice of NPR in Pittsburgh – and Pittsburgh’s voice on NPR!
WDUQ’s Shaunna Morrison Machosky has a nice, summery set selected at NPR Music for July 2010.
The recent East Coast heat wave has had us thinking about all things hot — and not much else. With all due respect to the resilient residents of the South and West, who are accustomed to such climes, 100-degree heat tends to sap people’s will to do much more than marinate in their own lethargy. No matter where you are, when the temperature is unrelentingly oppressive, sitting around (or lying face-down) with an iced beverage in hand and music in the background is as pleasant a way to pass the time as you can find. Beat the heat with these five songs.
(Click on the image to go to the NPR music site!)
WDUQ has relied on financial support from listeners to become the public media service it is today. Federal support has been important, too, helping create the criteria and standards not just for WDUQ, but for the public radio experience, nationwide.
The major granting agency for federal dollars is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB Community Service and Programming Grants are the largest single source of unrestricted funding for programming and community service. In addition to those grants, special project grant funding helped upgrade WDUQ for HD Radio and develop JazzWorks into the service that now reaches listeners across the country.
NTIA / PTFP
A program that predates CPB is the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) through the U.S. Department of Commerce. The primary focus of this program is to expand the reach of public radio and television, with an additional priority of refreshing the aging systems of stations already on the air.
PTFP funding helped replace the WDUQ’s antenna after a tower fire in 1994, replace the aged transmitter in 2004 and expand signals to Johnstown, Ligonier, Somerset and New Baltimore in 2006.
For the upcoming federal budget of 2011, the PTFP program was targeted for elimination by the Administration and some members of Congress. This is not good news for Pittsburgh Public Media, which hopes to continue the plans developed by WDUQ to expand HD Radio service (with a more powerful signal and even more programming options) and expand NPR and jazz programming to unserved or underserved parts of Pennsylvania such as Bedford and Indiana, PA.
WDUQ Current and Future Signals
As seen on WDUQ’s website, these new “construction permits” granted to WDUQ from the FCC dramatically expand the reach of public radio in the region. These signals (in red) reach a potential new population of 400,000 listeners who do not get a reliable public radio signal. This is among the largest areas of people “unserved” by public radio in all of Pennsylvania. Grants from PTFP could fund this expansion with up to a 75% match.
If the PTFP survives the current federal budget process.
Yesterday (June 29), the House appropriations subcommittee that funds PTFP recommended continuing the program for the coming fiscal year.
The plans of Pittsburgh Public Media include making WDUQ a successful, independent public radio station, but also finishing the goals of service for the region as envisioned by WDUQ management. The plans include these new stations to serve your neighbors.
Supporters of public radio can use this website to contact their members of congress. If you follow the links, you can contact your Senators and Representative directly. If you choose the “compose your own letter” option, you can voice your views about the future of WDUQ and Pittsburgh Public Media’s efforts toward the future of 90.5FM, too.
Save WDUQ – and Grow WDUQ
Successfully making the transition of the station to independence is critical, and your dollars, thoughts, letters, word-of-mouth and social media (twitter, facebook, emails and more) efforts have been very important for building the groundswell of support a community based, independent public radio must have to succeed.
Please don’t stop now!
Contribute to support PPM. Make a pledge “contingent on the sale” that we can show of your willingness to be a part of the future. Tell your friends, neighbors, associates about what 90.5 FM can be if we work, together. Spread the word!
If a “new” 90.5 FM survives as an independent, community based public radio station, Corporation for Public Broadcasting rules will require it to have a community based governing board and a community advisory board.
Pittsburgh Public Media will have a governing board and community advisory board that are open, transparent and broadly representative of our community and committed to filling important civic and cultural needs.
It makes sense to start from the basis of what is the most successful public radio station in Pittsburgh, working with the dedicated, talented and nationally respected team at WDUQ to make the transition from ownership by Duquesne University to a community based-station.
Save the station, first. Build even greater things for the future. But the most important “asset” of the WDUQ we know today is the community of listeners, donors, volunteers and broadcast professionals it has brought together with programming that has changed Pittsburgh for the better.
Trust the people. Trust the community that got ‘DUQ to the admirable place it is today. This is an opportunity to even greater things. Join in and have a place at the table for the future.
But, save the station, first.
Contribute to support PPM. Make a pledge “contingent on the sale” that we can show of your willingness to be a part of the future. Tell your friends, neighbors, associates about what 90.5 FM can be if we work, together.
What is Pittsburgh Public Media?
Duquesne University, the current owner of WDUQ, has put the station up for sale. WDUQ staff, management and community supporters formed Pittsburgh Public Media to acquire and run the station as an independent, community-based public radio station.
We represent listeners
Pittsburgh Public Media was created as an advocate for the listeners, staff and community that has built WDUQ into the most listened to public radio station in the Pittsburgh region.
PPM believes that the independence and integrity of the station is critical and must be maintained in the future. 15,000 donors and 180,000 listeners have invested their time, money and trust in the promise.
The programming and audience service success of WDUQ has not been based on just a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an NPR satellite feed and a transmitter. It is the honor, aspirations, expertise, hard work and commitment of the people of the station, its volunteers and the tens of thousands of supporters who have helped build WDUQ into something special and unique. Read the rest of this entry »
Several years ago, WDUQ General Manager Scott Hanley (at the time, also serving on the NPR Board) started blogging. One post, from four years ago, spoke about the challenges facing the future of journalism. This was FOUR years ago:
Media today – more outlets – fewer reporters
By sehanley / March 14, 2006
In public radio, stations and networks are trying to expand coverage and journalism work, but we have a long way to go. When you ponder the reductions at the Washington post, one must remember that the WP still has about as many news reporters as National Public Radio has employees. Yet, if you add in all of the reporters in public radio as a whole and the industry may actually have as many journalists working nation and world-wide to match or exceed the Post. Read the rest of this entry »
