Boston Radio: Non-Coms WBUR, WGBH Facing Financial Challenges

For years, public radio — set up as a public service outside the fluctuations of the commercial market — seemed insulated from the storm the internet unleashed on the news industry. However, when the pandemic hit and office workers stopped tuning in to NPR on their commutes to work, that shift accelerated a worrisome trend: a downturn in radio listeners, which preceded a decline in advertiser dollars. Now, Boston’s two public radio stations are confronting rising costs and the fact that their traditional business models have transformed — and won’t ever be the same.

Boston Globe Graphic

The Boston Globe reports the shifts have forced WBUR and GBH to try to find new audiences and spurred questions about whether the market can still sustain two NPR news stations — a rarity even in the nation’s largest cities. Both have recently announced serious financial challenges and warned that staff layoffs may be coming, with WBUR last week also offering employee buyouts. And it’s unclear whether listeners can make up WBUR’s sponsorship shortfall with donations, which have not grown fast enough in recent years.

WBUR, a longtime news outlet, is still the top news station in Boston. Traditionally, GBH was known for easing into its day with bird songs and playing jazz and classical music. But it shifted to news in December 2009, prompting questions of whether Boston could support both GBH and WBUR. By 2017, the debate seemed settled, with GBH quickly building an audience and rocketing to 10th among the nation’s NPR news stations, behind WBUR at number six. Both stations now air NPR programming such as “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” each with their own local flair, along with original programming.

Victor Pickard, a University of Pennsylvania media policy professor, emphasizes the greater need for public broadcasting than ever before, especially as entire areas and sectors of our commercial news media system crumble before our eyes. Sustaining public media, with its mission to serve the public interest, remains vital for democracy.

The battle for listeners’ ears continues, and the future of public radio in Boston hangs in the balance.