Rochester Radio: Com, Non-com Team For News Coverage

WXXI 1370 AM (5kw) and WDKX 103.9 FM (800w) in Rochester, N.Y., are very different stations serving very different audiences — and that’s a big reason that their unusual seven-year partnership continues to yield winning results for both broadcasters.

The public broadcaster, WXXI, first approached the commercial radio station, WDKX, in 2006 to team up on covering a mayoral race in the city. Since then, according to a story at current.org,  the two have continued to collaborate on examining race, politics, education and other community issues in a partnership that amplifies the voice of both stations and boosts their newsgathering capabilities.

At first glance, the two seem to be unlikely partners. WXXI operates both TV and radio stations; it airs news and public affairs on its AM signal for an audience that’s 81 percent white and 16 percent African-American. The locally owned WDKX airs mainly hip-hop and R&B for an audience that’s 60 percent African-American and younger than WXXI’s. It frequently is among the top-rated stations in the city.

But by partnering, WXXI has been able to get its news coverage and personalities in front of WDKX’s audience, who otherwise might not tune in for public radio fare. And WDKX has boosted the local news on its airwaves by drawing on the resources and connections of WXXI’s bigger news team.

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