IN Radio: WBAA Backs Down On 'This American Life"

A day after news went wide that WBAA, Purdue University’s public radio station, planned to pull “This American Life” from its lineup over a dispute over the show’s use of the commercial streaming service Pandora, WBAA posted a programming note that the show of essays and memoirs would continue on the West Lafayette station.

In a note to listeners, posted Thursday at wbaa.org, the station said that after “considerable listener feedback,” WBAA officials had decided to keep the program.

Last week, Mike Savage, WBAA general manager, announced on social media site LinkedIn that the station would drop “This American Life” after host Ira Glass started putting the show out on Pandora as well as through 500 public radio stations and podcasts. Savage’s argument: Distributing the show via a commercial site undercut the mission of public radio.

Mike Savage

Glass disagreed in a series of responses in the LinkedIn conversation, telling Savage that the deal with Pandora meant more resources for the show and more listeners for public radio fare. Glass said he hoped the station manager would reconsider.

The LinkedIn post became a hot topic among public radio and media insiders, who debated WBAA's stand.

Savage's decision, though, was met with objections on social media over the past few days from Greater Lafayette fans of "This American Life," who threatened to hold back donations to WBAA.

WBAA 920 AM is the longest continuously-operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922.  WBAA-FM began broadcasting in 1993. It is one of the few NPR stations located on a commercial frequency.

WBAA-FM, simulcasts its AM sister station in the morning and late afternoon to broadcast popular NPR talk programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Marketplace. Classical music can be heard at other times.