NPR Reassessing Jazz, Classical Music Programs
National Public Radio has begun an extensive review of its musical programming, and is considering overhauling or eliminating some of its venerable jazz and classical offerings.
A strategy paper written by NPR’s top programming executive says some of the network’s live performance and recorded music shows “may disappear,” although officials stress that nothing is final.
The paper by Jay Kernis, NPR’s senior vice president of programming, is generally critical of the opera, jazz and classical programs that the Washington-based organization produces and distributes to its 680 affiliated stations. Commercial broadcasters in many cities have abandoned these formats because of low ratings, leaving public stations as the only outlets offering them.
“Many [public] stations, including major markets, use NPR cultural programming to fill holes in their program schedules, not as featured shows,” Kernis wrote in a paper distributed internally last month. “Within NPR, this has created some dissatisfaction with cultural programming and raised questions about the division’s value to [NPR-affiliated] stations.”
Kernis, in the paper and an interview, didn’t identify the programs NPR is considering dropping, saying such decisions are at least six months away.
But his report said station managers, in a survey, ascribed “the lowest value” to NPR’s national jazz programs, such as “Billy Taylor’s Jazz at the Kennedy Center” and “Jazz From Lincoln Center.” They assigned the highest value to NPR’s newsmagazines (“All Things Considered,” “Morning Edition,” etc.) and general entertainment shows (“A Prairie Home Companion” and “Car Talk”).
These preferences mirror trends in commercial radio. Public stations have gradually moved toward news and talk formats because they draw higher ratings, and thus bigger donations during pledge drives.
Kernis’ report, which was obtained by the Washington Post, has fueled concerns among NPR’s 40-person cultural staff that the organization is moving away from one of its basic programming missions.
“The talk here is that at the end of this [review] we’ll end up abrogating NPR’s mandate to serve stations and listeners that aren’t being served by commercial radio,” said one programming employee who requested anonymity. “This is going to result in huge changes.”
But Kernis and Ken Stern, NPR’s executive vice president, said in interviews that a reorganization could result in more cultural programming, not less.
NPR is considering offering an all-day “stream” of classical music, comprising recorded and live performances, plus interviews and features, they said. Stations would broadcast any part of this stream they desired.
They also want to improve NPR’s news coverage of cultural events and artists, which Kernis’ report said “too often takes a ‘this is good for you’ approach, rather than ‘this is really interesting’ to listeners.”
The paper suggests NPR’s news staff examine popular culture more closely: “We cannot sell out to popular culture,” the report says, “but we must recognize that something has become popular and embraced by millions.”
Both men said the programming review was prompted by a desire to produce high-quality programs within NPR’s traditionally limited budgets, not by financial and ratings pressures alone. “This is about service to our stations,” Kernis said this week.
But in his report, Kernis stressed his desire to make NPR’s programs more popular, which would help local stations attract more pledge dollars.
“NPR will develop streams of radio services that concentrate on fewer, more valuable programs designed to deliver audience and warrant placement at prime times in the larger markets,” the programming executive wrote, adding that “NPR’s music programming has generally not been successful in terms of audience and financial performance.”