Rural Programming Initiative
Final Report, KHSU

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1. You set some programming-related goals for your station when we began this project.
Please describe which ones you have accomplished; which ones you are still working on and where you are in that process; which ones you have abandoned and why you abandoned them.

Goals: KHSU was interested in using the data obtained through this audience research project to identify our strengths and weaknesses, to help us to decide whether we needed to make programming changes and, if so, how those would occur. We are currently in the midst of an information gathering process whereby we will share the audience research results with other station constituents as we continue this discussion.

Although we have not yet completed this process, we believe that our constituent feedback, supported by the audience research and recent changes in our local radio-listening market, substantiate the need to adjust our current schedule. Specifically, we are looking at adding more news and information programs during our weekly day-parts. We are very grateful to have the NFCB audience research to assist us at this important juncture.

2. Has there been a financial impact-either directly or indirectly-as a result of your participation in this project? (For example, has membership increased or decreased; have you used the research to get new underwriters or raise your rates; have you used the research in seeking and getting grants). Please tell us the percentage increase or decrease in financial support since the summer of 2001 that can be tied to programming and/or the use of the research.

Financial Impact: KHSU has seen steady growth in both listeners and memberships since the project began. The final survey, which compares all four books that were completed, states that the percentage of those who listen on both weekdays and weekends has increased significantly. We believe this is related to our 4.8% membership increase in 2003 from 2002 and a whopping 24.5% increase in underwriting during the same time period.

KHSU did use the research to apply for the FY 2003 RLAIF Bonus Grant application to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, making the case that the data from the project show that there have been significant increases in audience service and community support. The grant was awarded and has now provides KHSU with an additional $18,425 in unrestricted monies for fiscal year 2003/04.

3. Please summarize what you have learned about programming and listening at your station as a result of your participation in this project.

Summary: We have learned that KHSU is enjoying steady growth and that an increasing number of listeners report that the station is providing them with a valuable community service. The research data show that we have experienced growth in our core audience numbers, our weekly and monthly cume numbers and in our percentage of regular listeners.

We have also identified some weak audience time periods, probably related to programming, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. In addition, the research shows that our audience share drops dramatically when we leave news for classical music at 8:00 a.m.

Given that we are in the midst of a decision-making process regarding programming, this is valuable information in terms of how it will affect all KHSU constituents, particularly our volunteer programmers and our underwriters. As we begin this discussion, we are grateful to have solid data to assist us through what will undoubtedly be an emotional process.

4. Can you generalize from anything you have learned about programming and listening at your station that would be useful for other rural public radio stations?

What was learned: One of the most valuable aspects to having audience research is that it provides data and information that enable station personnel to respond in an intelligent way to constituents who may have their own agenda about programming. Often, a vocal minority can claim to represent majority viewpoints about what should or should not be on the air - and this may be more true for rural audiences who have less programming choices and perhaps more of an entitlement mentality about what they do hear. The research provides a solid "reality check" for what is and isn't working.