Lafayette IN Radio: WBAA Drops Show Over Pandora Deal

The fight between public radio stations and developing technology has spilled into the open again as non-com WBAA 920 AM 101.3 FM in Lafayette IN said it will stop carrying the program "This American Life" in August because Ira Glass has cut a deal with Pandora to provide exclusive on-demand streaming. Public Radio stations can still stream the shows live on their websites.

Mike Savage, the GM at the station and a member of NPR's Board of Directors, says the deal is inconsistent with the mission of Public Radio.

“I am all for improving the bottom line, however we as public radio leaders must keep the balance between mission and bottom line in the forefront,” he writes.

“If all we wanted to do was grow the audience, we could change our formats to country music and accomplish that objective. We must respect the mission. Does the ends justify the means? For a program that got its start on public radio and had some of the best on-air fundraising messages for listeners where Ira Glass says he is volunteering his time because he believes in the mission of public broadcasting, the move by This American Life to Pandora is disingenuous at best.”

The action appears to mirror the rationale for NPR’s decision to stop mentioning its podcasts on-air, because some stations worry that people will stop listening to terrestrial radio and listen to podcasts and streaming instead.

WBAA's decision is not sitting well with Ira Glass, the host of TAL, who said in a reply on Savage’s LinkedIn page that making money isn’t incompatible with public radio.

WBAA 101.3 FM (14 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

But Savage says he’s not against podcasting. He’s against Pandora, "Just go for a test drive in a new car and you will see their aggressive presentation is. In fact, I believe it’s one of Pandoras main goals to put traditional radio out of business."

WBAA-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.