On Radio:
Haarsager wades into murky water
as interim chief at NPR


By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

Just because it's "noncommercial" doesn't mean public radio doesn't have the same concerns about how to attract and retain listeners, and how to use rather than be run over by new technology, as its commercial brethren.

And when there are disagreements about strategies to address those concerns, they can result in executive changes that are as public and messy as those on the commercial side of the business.

Such was the case last week when National Public Radio announced the departure of its chief executive officer, Ken Stern, "by mutual agreement."

The appearance of that phrase in a news release is rarely a sign of a happy parting.

What Stern's exit does mean is the appointment as CEO, on an interim basis, of a Northwesterner and someone who has worked for years on the affiliate side of the business -- Dennis Haarsager.

Until last week, Haarsager was associate vice president and general manager of educational and public media at Washington State University. In that capacity, he ran Northwest Public Radio, which operates two networks of NPR programming and classical music heard on stations and translators across the region.

Haarsager, who has been on NPR's board for 2 1/2 years and chairman since November, wasn't specific about the reasons for Stern's departure. The Washington Post, however, said the issue was unhappiness of affiliates over NPR's initiatives into new technologies and delivery channels.

Stern had been expanding the availability of NPR programming beyond the signals of its affiliate stations, including podcasts on its own Web site, content for mobile devices and a channel on satellite service Sirius.

Those moves, however, raised concerns among affiliates that NPR was, in effect, competing with them.

Noting that listening to public radio overall is flat or slightly down, KUOW-FM/94.9 programming director Jeff Hansen said, "You look at this fragmentation of the listening market, you've got to believe there's some effect."

What the local affiliates think matters a lot to NPR, if for no other reason than funding.

Hansen said his station pays close to $1 million a year to NPR.

What NPR does is also of huge importance to local stations. Between KUOW and KPLU-FM/88.5, NPR's "Morning Edition" likely has one of the largest audiences of any show in the critical morning-drive time slot.

"I think the concern would be greater on that score if they suddenly made 'All Things Considered' or 'Morning Edition' (available) in live stream directly from NPR," Hansen said.

Local affiliates have drawn the line on that.

Haarsager said he won't be a caretaker CEO. The board, he said, has "asked the company to move forward pretty much as it has been."

That means working on a new headquarters building, as well as dealing with whatever misunderstandings or conflicts there might be between NPR and the affiliates.

The issue of perceived competition is a tricky one. In the Internet world, in which stations can be heard around the world, many of them are competing with one another already, he said. KEXP-FM/90.3, he added, already has an international following, and recently announced that it will provide programming to a New York City-owned station; it also plans to hire someone there to drum up underwriting business.

"The old rules just don't apply any more," Haarsager said. "We may not like the new rules, but we have no choice."

Meanwhile, NPR will be conducting a national search for a permanent CEO.

"My guess is it'll stretch into late summer or early fall," he said.

Could that permanent CEO be Haarsager?

He said he is "not intending" to be a candidate for the CEO's job on a permanent basis, but won't rule out the possibility.

If it is not he, Haarsager has committed to serve as interim for up to a year. He has retired from WSU, so after NPR, he will retire for real, do some consulting or look for another job.

In other radio notes:


KNDD-FM/107.7 laid off two staff members and is making a style change in its midday show. Gone from the modern/alternative rock station are assistant program director Jim Keller and midday host DJ No Name.

The new midday show is "Radio Impulse," in which listeners are encouraged to use e-mails and phone text messages to request songs and get responses on whether and when that request will be played. The interactive show is an attempt "to come up with a midday show that speaks to our audience," said Jerry McKenna, Entercom's vice president and market manager.


The Metropolitan Opera performs Britten's "Peter Grimes" at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on KING-FM/98.1.


Don Riggs' guests on "Introspect Northwest" at 6 a.m. Sunday on KMPS-FM/94.1 and 9 a.m. Sunday on KPTK-AM/1090 include Howard Behar, author of a new book on Starbucks, "It's Not About the Coffee."


The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM/880, includes the first part of a new production of the Sherlock Holmes tale "The Hound of the Baskervilles."


Seattle P-I cartoonist David Horsey is the guest on "Weekday," 10 a.m. Monday on KUOW.


"Voices of Diversity" at 6 p.m. Wednesday on KBCS-FM/91.3 looks at the issue of racial disparity in cancer care.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/354744_radio13.html