The People's Radio

Although commercial radio in Southwest Florida is a dynamic and thriving business, public radio maintains a significant share of the listening market in Southwest Florida. Locally, there are two public stations, under the same management, with nearly identical programming: WGCU-FM and WMKO-FM. In essence, one is the mirror of the other, and, for ratings purposes they are grouped together.

Public stations' use of Arbitron ratings at a reduced cost prevents them from comparing themselves directly with other commercial stations in the market, but WGCU and WMKO reach more than 90,000 people daily. While public radio reaches just a sliver of many local markets, those numbers put WGCU/WMKO among the top five stations in Southwest Florida. And public-radio listeners are usually the highest earners and best-educated people in the market.

Public radio in Southwest Florida has a completely different mission from commercial radio. Public stations are not in business to make a profit. "We work to create meaningful and quality programming that addresses local needs," says WGCU's director of underwriting, Terry Brennen. That sounds idealistic in light of the bottom-line mentality of commercial stations. And it is. But lofty programming does not come without a fee.

How does public radio pay the bills? Many people believe-incorrectly-that public radio stations get a majority of their money through grants from federal and state governments. But public radio is not like public school.

Government and community service grants only account for 21.4 percent of WGCU's operating income, while membership and underwriting pay for a whopping 66.1 percent of the bill.

For a great deal of its programming-especially popular, high-quality and often nationally syndicated program material-public radio needs underwriters for financial support. Great programming costs money. For their gifts, underwriters are allowed small "thank-you" messages either before or after an underwritten program. Not-for-profit underwriters, like foundations, can have a 30-second message. For-profit organizations can only have a 15-second message. These messages are regulated by the FCC and cannot include any call to action or other typical sales message. These messages have limits, but they also have tremendous value, reaching a broad audience.

No matter what part of the country you visit, you will find public radio stations carrying local news and talk, classical music and performances as well as well-known NPR network programming fixtures like Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. In the world of media, these programs are not only unique in their format but also in their relaxed but well-researched, well-written and non-sensationalized content. Although critics may argue that public radio has a hidden liberal agenda, Brennen says, "We work to show both sides of every story. We want to be balanced, and we don't have any kind of agenda except to inform."