We are excited about our new Saturday programming lineup, which started January 9.
The Reveal program, heard at 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month for close to a year now, went weekly in January. This program takes up the mantle of investigative journalism, fast disappearing from other media outlets.
And it does it well, with compelling stories, strong reporting with heavily fact-checked information, and a great host, Al Letson. The program has had a tremendously positive response from WLRN listeners in its monthly airings.
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a brand new offering, airing at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, starting January 9.
We know that many, if not most, public radio listeners are huge fans of the New Yorker magazine. Far from being an audio version of the print stories in this venerable periodical, though, the New Yorker Radio Hour, hosted by New Yorker Editor David Remnick, is an original hour of radio that both delights and informs.
The New Yorker Radio Hour features a mix of profiles, storytelling, and insightful conversations about the issues that matter ― plus an occasional blast of comic genius from the magazine’s legendary Shouts and Murmurs page.
The other Saturday programming change is a swap of program time slots: The Moth Radio Hour now airs at noon on Saturdays, changing places with Radiolab, which moves to the 4 p.m. slot.
We know that changes in the radio program schedule can, for listeners, be disorienting at best and disconcerting at worst. Here is how these upcoming changes were decided upon:
My primary job as Director of Radio Programming is to analyze listener data to determine if we are best serving our overall audience. When I find a program that is underperforming (i.e. serving fewer listeners than programs which surround it), It is my responsibility to correct that situation.
Then, when new programs become available which demonstrate the potential to appeal strongly to our audience, it becomes a sort of “no-brainer” to make some changes. This was the case with a few programs in our Saturday afternoon lineup.
It would be easy for me just to remain with the status quo and not engender any discontent (or outright anger!) from listeners. But then I would be letting you down, by not seeking out the best and most attractive programs for all of our audience.
While programming decisions are based largely on science, there is a bit of art and intuition involved as well, especially when airing a new program. I truly hope you will find our new schedule appealing.
If that is not the case, or if you have further questions (or even praise!) about these changes, please contact me directly, by phone at 305-995-2228 or via email at peterj@wlrn.org.
Thank you for listening!
Best regards,
Peter J. Maerz
Director of Radio Programming
