KPFT’s New Program Schedule: Behind the Scenes
Duane and I unveiled the proposed new program schedule on Open Journal Monday. Catch the audio here if you missed the program, and review the new grid here.
And now that you’re hopped up, I wanted to share a little more detail with listeners.
The new proposed schedule is the product of much research and feedback. Pacifica has nudged all its station managers to improve its weekday schedules, and Duane and I are seeking your input and ideas to make it better. If you’re keeping score, this unveiling is unprecedented for KPFT and Pacifica. Rather than just negotiating a bunch of deals/who-goes-where and announcing a launch date, as we may have done in the past, KPFT has posted a grid online, tossed it out to Facebook fans, dropped it on Twitter, emailed programmers and board members and essentially open sourced the process. KPFT loves its listeners. Your smarts help us make our program schedule better.
So, if you have already looked at the grid and are scouring for more details, you came to the right place. Pass the word that I’ll do my best to post more teasers, address rumors and break news as it comes, and reply directly to your comments, right here. That grid on the KPFT website is great, but permit me to share more with you, dedicated listener. Here we go!
| 5-6 a.m. | Morning Kick-off. Listed on the KPFT grid as “morning public affairs,” the early hour is expected to be an exciting 1-2 of BBC morning news for the first half (giving those of you craving an update a solid BBC offering for your alarm clock) and a daily Pacifica Radio Archives presentation for the second half (after you’ve hit Snooze and want something rich and textured). The Archives is one of KPFT’s most popular items, and we listerally have years of speeches, performances and interviews featuring some of history’s cultural leaders and newsmakers. We even expect to get an assist from PRA in Los Angeles for this. |
| 6-7 a.m. | Morning Public Affairs. KPFT expects to feature some of your favorite local talk shows for your mornings as you prepare for work. Count on hearing some of the best shows you now hear 10-noon. The original vision is to feature mostly guest-based programs, because morning radio is a more consumptive experience — people are headed to their jobs and want to hear something informative. |
| 7-8 a.m. | BBC News. KPFT will actually feature Newshour half the year and World Briefing half the year in this slot, because BBC’s news service changes programming during the calendar period. However, it remains one of the best news programs on the radio, and it’s now available earlier. |
| 8-9 a.m. | Democracy Now! KPFT’s most popular weekday program moves with BBC into the the heart of drivetime. |
| 9-10 a.m. | Open Journal. KPFT’s beloved community-access program will undergo some rennovations to be announced. However, in the proposed schedule, it stays part of the schedule and moves up even earlier. |
| 10 a.m.-Noon | Morning Music. Duane and I often speak of building on what listeners support and continue to ask more of, as well as how people use radio. We hear you! The morning music program is aimed at giving you music to hear at work, and it will very likely be based on our most popular genres: roots, blues, folk, singer-songwriter, Americana and alt/neo-country tossed in. Duane and I also hear your requests for more consistency, and we’re working on that too. Expect an on-the-mic surprise or two as well. |
| Noon-1 p.m. | Lunchtime Music. Speaking of surprises, KPFT expects to have a noon music offering. Again, going for the consistency we keep hearing about. More soon. |
| 1-3 p.m. | Afternoon Music. KPFT is hoping to provide a boost with our entertaining but eclectic local music mix, featuring some of the best stuff from around the schedule. KPFT wants to have a fun, upbeat, youth-oriented segueway into your afternoons. |
| 3-4 p.m. | Afternoon Public Affairs. For radio, 3 p.m. is the start of drivetime, with news and talk dominating the airwaves. KPFT will give you a good compliment to those programs with its own stellar lineup, featuring (yes) Connect the Dots, the New Capital Show and much more to be announced. The aim of this block is to highlight KPFT’s strongest call-ins, personalities and topical programs, and I expect we will provide you programs I am sure you will love. |
| 4-5 p.m. | News Programming. At 4 p.m., under this proposed schedule, it will be Free Speech Radio News, followed by KPFT Local News at 4:30. This may change though. |
| 5-6 p.m. | Democracy Now! KPFT’s most popular afternoon program moves into the middle to drivetime. Great for those of you working 8-5. |
| 6-7 p.m. | And Wrapping Up the Drive Home. Never fear, 9-6ers! KPFT has one amazing lineup for your commute, featuring This American Life, Explorations with Dr. Michio Kaku, Uprising with Sonali Kolhatkar, Alternative Radio with David Barsamnian and If You Love This Planet with Dr. Helen Caldicott. |
To further address stuff that came up on Open Journal, as well as other questions:
- This is an open process, and things may change as listener input and other needs shape the schedule. Get your thoughts in now.
- Lots of listeners have asked about the bare-bones grid posted. Have no fear — local program information will be added as it becomes available! KPFT is shifting its approach somewhat in the sense we’re seeking to build a new schedule in deference to how radio is used today. Our current schedule is, as Duane and I put kindly during pledge drives, a patchwork of programs. As some have less charitably observed, the current schedule is harder to listen to, so KPFT is aiming to build the schedule to be more interesting.
- A caller asked Duane and I about bringing back the David Dye-hosted World Cafe. Given how often we still get World Cafe requests, Duane and I are considering this one. Of course, bringing back the program is contingent on a host of factors, from schedule availability to finances (World Cafe is a syndicated program with associated fees to carry it), but we’ll do all we can to make listeners happy.
- New training for programmers and helping structure shows will also be part of the schedule change. The sound for morning and afternoon drivetime programs will be tweaked for the listener experience — periodic breaks for traffic, local weather, etc.
- I have gotten a lot of comments about Saturday and Sunday programming, but these changes mostly won’t impact weekends. Our biggest audience and fundraising struggles are happening on weekdays, thus the changes. Our beloved blues and Saturdays are largely staying where you like them.
- A few comments about Democracy Now! airing at 8 and 5. Duane and I believe this change serves lots of listeners, including 9-5 schedules, 10-6ers, 8-5ers and 7-4 workdays. For those working schedules where you will hear DN! twice in the day, KPFT is exploring editing the later show of older headlines to offer fresh content, but we’re still intaking listener feedback.
More soon as things develop!
The only problem is most people have jobs where radio listening is not allowed during work hours. I get enough news after work and before I get in the car. I would rather hear music. There is no other place to hear your brand of music. Makes me sad.
laurie
7 July 2009 at 1:00 pm
Thanks for returning the KPFT I initially developed an appreciation for…The Sound of Texas.
It’s been too long.
GTE
Greg Egan
2 August 2009 at 7:42 pm