Managing Change….And living to tell the tale
Joan Siefert Rose
General Manager
North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC
The Question: Is WUNC As Good As It Can Be?
Station was successful
Many listeners, many contributors
Stable and dependable
But There Were Signs of Trouble…
Audience had not been growing
Costs of fundraising were starting to increase
Station was not attracting the most talented broadcasters
Time to Make a Choice
Should WUNC commit to its “dual format” – news and information during mornings and afternoon, classical music middays
Or should WUNC change format to include more NPR news/talk programming middays, nights and weekends?
Reasons to Stay the Course
Few complaints from long-time listeners
Classical music “deserves” a place on the radio
Less expensive Any big change is
likely to cause an uproar
Reasons to Change
Most popular WUNC shows are news and information
Radio increasingly becoming a “niche” market
Classical music available on 89.7 FM - WCPE
Step One: Gather Information
Review of institutional documents Strategic planning meeting with senior
management staff Analysis of marketplace Focus group research
The Audience Speaks
WUNC is valued primarily as the flagship station in the market for NPR programs, including weekend entertainment as well as daily news
Listeners know there are other NPR programs available in other markets not available here
Lots of enthusiasm for “Back Porch Music”
However…
Little enthusiasm for WUNC’s classical music programming – not personally important to most listeners
WCPE seen as the classical music station in the market
WUNC would benefit if listeners recognized a real gain in more NPR programs and local news, vs. an abstract loss of choice in classical music
Making The Case
To supervisor To staff To University
leadership To donors To corporate
supporters To hostile groups To media
The Best Laid Plans
Set the date – Labor Day 2001
Develop key talking points
Develop communications strategy
Develop internal logistics plan
Hope for the best!
Key Issues for Staff
“Will I still have a job?”
What will this change mean for me, personally?
What will be the same? What will be different?
What does this mean to everyone else here?
Key Issues for University
How will this help UNC with community outreach?
What are the potential short-term consequences?
What’s the long-term benefit?
Are you sure this is the right thing to do?
Key Issues for Donors and Corporate Supporters
For individual donors, it all depended on the personal importance of the programming
For corporate supporters, it represented an opportunity to attract a larger audience
Key Concerns About Hostile Groups
When was it appropriate to notify in advance of the change?
Would there be an organized campaign against WUNC?
Would our key supporters withstand the pressure?
Key Concerns About Media Coverage
How long could we keep our news quiet?
How would we break the story?
What should the key message points be?
When should we have our media kits ready?
Taking The Plunge
Story broke two weeks prior to the format change
Many were happy about the news…
But the ones who were unhappy were more likely to speak up
Fate Intervenes
Eight days after the format change, 9/11 occurs
NPR goes to 24-hour all-news coverage Listeners tune to WUNC in record
numbers Phone calls and letters complaining
about the format change drop sharply
Three Years Later
Station’s audience has grown 60% Annual fundraising has increased from
$3 million to $5.5 million Staff has expanded from 30 to 50 people Programming staff performing at much
higher level Culture has changed
If We Had To Do It All Over…
Format change probably should have taken place sooner
Station could have engaged volunteer leadership more effectively
Station management could have put better tools in place to measure goals and outcomes
Highly personal staff communication system might have been sustained
But, After All…
It was worth taking the risk!
