CAB Public Forum - May 2024

Pillar

Comment / Observation

Key Takeaway

WNYC

There’s a tremendous demographic change in Springs (Suffolk County) area of past few years, due to COVID mainly, which has built up a sense of community. One of the factors that defines a community is the ability to debate common experiences. This seems to be the opportune for public radio to be unifying force because of these demographic changes. 

“Long Islanders” are otherwise intensely private people. What are the unifying connectors. Radio because of its relative anonymity. 

This was by far the most “neighborly” forum we’ve had this year, in that participants were very investing in listening to one another about what issues mattered to them most and how that impacts their listening experience. In some ways, this is an inversion of what we’ve seen in other parts of the listening area: where listeners want to see their communities reflected on the air. Here they do, but they also want the station reflected in their communities. How do you forge and deepend that kind of connection Only we can do it. 

WNYC

There are a lot of factors in Nassau County that many people don’t pay attention to: political motives, healthcare issue. So much hyperfocus on national elections. Clean water, open space, open development, no 55 and over communities, overburdened communities. Certain decisions of local government that people aren’t aware of and aren’t made accountable Bethpage Plume. Lots of groundwater contamination. Higher breast cancer rates. 

When this listener mentioned the Bethpage Plume, all other listeners nodded their heads in acknowledgement and even contributed their own experience of its impacts. The station has reported on the Plume in the past, but just like with Sandy Ground in Staten Island, there may be a larger story to tell here that impacts public health, poverty, local power, planning, and pollution. This is one of those topics that when we here it we think PODCASTS. 

WNYC

There is a little bit more disconnectedness because of the commute but also at the town level. 

Listeners feel a tremendous amount of disconnect from local politics because of the concentration of local power. What role does the station play here? 

WNYC

Everybody is busy giving each other raises. 

Id. 

WNYC

Problems with water and cancer go back decades in LI. 

See “Bethpage Plume” note

WNYC

Water contamination impacts health care costs; wealthy can afford filtration systems, everyone else cannot. 

Id. 

WNYC

Bethpage Plume is from Northrup Grumman

See WNYC reportage on this from 2022: https://www.wnyc.org/story/decades-deceit-extent-grummans-long-island-pollution/

WNYC

Immigration is a huge issue here. In Hicksville, at least half people moving in are Desi/South Asian and not everyone is welcoming. Even though this community has revitalized the town. Reactionary politics is definitely an undercurrent in Hicksville and the surrounding community. 

Immigration is one of the station’s most popular angles for Long Island coverage, but is there too much focus on local opposition and MS-13, and not the immigrant families who build community out here in the face of local hostility (and, of course, the persons who welcome and support them? )

WNYC

Public corruption goes underreported

See earlier point about giving each other raises. 

WNYC

Segregation is really marked. Listener who is former ESOL instructor has former students who had terrible time adjusting. There isn’t a lot of local coverage on WNYC

This listener was talking about segregation in the context of how young persons who migrated from central America experienced educational alienation because of patterns of segregation. Is there are larger story to be told here?  

WNYC

Local media that serve a number of communities: Great Neck News and the Port Washington Herald. 

Not a lot of our listeners on LI are Newsday readers or are particularly interested in other local radio. But there’s hyperlocal coverage that they still trust (see: George Santos, North Shore Leader.) What can we learn from these outlets? 

WNYC

Never liked Newsdays covered of education; teachers are all overpaid and underworked. 

Like SI, listeners to the station are divided or lukewarm about local legacy media (like the Newsday and the Advance.)

WNYC

Decent for local coverage: Nassau, Suffolk, and NYS

Id. 

WQXR

Seniors have a lot of specific problems: isolation and not feeling heard. 

Dog walking analogy: in walking the dog, I meet a lot of people; don’t talk, listen. 

Seniors rarely get listened to: something like a conversation, even if just three minutes of a show, to say here’s what I like about WQXR, here’s a piece that I like. They get heard, they get understood. 

This listener is a retired CTO and worked for a time for WGBH. He spoke very compellingly about coverage *about* seniors, as opposed to coverage that *attracts* seniors. We pointed out to him George Bodarky’s upcoming series on aging, which we responded to positively. But this is an incredible programming idea that we should really give some thought too. 

WNYC

Re: isolation of seniors. They need a senior segment where senior issues are discussed and brought up. Example: Insurance, healthcare, caregiving for partner with dementia, Parkinson’s. How to navigate government bureaucracy. And they listen to the radio A LOT. No reason why it can’t be one day a week: half an hour or an hour.  

Id. 

WNYC

Miles listens primarily to QXR in the morning, not Morning Edition. But All Things Considered is more appointment listening. 

Same listener as above. A lot of our older listeners on the island are primarily QXR listeners, but useful to consider how listening habits are embedded in the patterns of their day to day lives. 

WQXR

WQXR is effortless listening; but WNYC is better for a captive audience. 

Id. 

WSHU

I’ll listen to SHU if you have a fundraiser going on 

Much of Long Island is served by WSHU in Connecticut, but it’s signal isn’t as strong. Point taken re: fundraisers. 

WQXR

QXR’s reach isn’t as far in Suffolk; but NYC’s is stronger

QXR’s signal is part of its challenge, which is why streaming is so important. 

WQXR

LED lighting will interview with QXR 

If there is a connection here, it might have something to do with the smart speaker. 

WQXR

Likes that QXR has expanded the repertoire of composers to include women and people who have been ignored. Credit to QXR for expanding the knowledge of classical music. 

CORE Listeners of QXR respond very favorably to this. We’ve yet to hear anybody say they find QXR’s stable too diverse. 

WQXR

Not much of a podcast person; what would make you a podcast person? When you listen to a podcast it’s like listening to a performance that you go to; you’re entrenched. It’s less accompanying. If I really want to pay attention to something I go to Carnegie Hall; I go to Lincoln Center. 

It’s not secret that are reach audience for podcasts is different from out core audience for radio. But it’s always useful to here it couched in terms of the quality of connection you feel listening to the radio vs listening to a podcast. It tracks age cohort, but it does it track other areas as well? (like income, locale, commute.) 

Greene Space 

Have listened to live from the Greene Space, haven’t gone there; A lot of music comes off of the Greene Space live. 

There’s little expectation that listeners on Nassau and Suffolk come all the way into the city for a TGS even

Podcasts

For me radio is something live. 

See earlier point re: podcasts; a lot of this is generational. 

Greene Space

Tend to listen to live from the Greene Space because it happens to be on 

Our older listeners on LI are certainly aware of Live from the Greene Space. But it’s not yet appointment viewing. How do we change that? 

Gothamist

Items about new York politics, environment, open space, culture. Whenever Gothamist comes up on feed. But don’t go to it for anything local. 

We have a toehold of Long Island coverage, mostly through specific news stories on WNYC and community pieces George does. What is that coverage and how does the station build off of this? 

CAB

Heard it mentioned twice, both while doing dishes. 

This is for us: we’ve beefed up our social media, but understandably there are gaps. We hope to build a foothold in Long Island so we can better identity networks that drive up our visibility. Most folks came to this through on air or because they are candidates for the CAB and I invited them.