THE PREMIER OF AZ ILLUSTRATED, GREAT RATINGS & FUNDRAISING NEWS

posted by Laura McKee

Thanks to the outstanding support of people like you, Arizona Public Media completed a successful calendar year-end campaign, exceeding our $145,000 goal. Your member dollars are an investment that makes possible the enriching local and national news and entertainment programs that we broadcast throughout the year. Thank you.

Fall radio and television ratings were just released and the good news continues for AZPM. For the fall 2012 ratings period, NPR 89.1 set new records as the top-ranked news/talk station in the Tucson Market increasing by 9.8% from a year ago in metro cumulative listeners.(1) For Classical 90.5, the average number of persons tuned in at any moment rose 18.5% from a year ago.(2)

We hope you will join us in welcoming From The Top with host Christopher O’Riley for a live taping of this hit NPR radio program showcasing America’s best young classical musicians. The live show will feature two young Tucson musicians on Sunday, February 17th at Centennial Hall, presented by our colleagues at UApresents. Visit azpm.org for more information. From The Top airs at Noon on Sundays on Classical 90.5.

For the Fall television ratings period, total weekly ratings for PBS 6 went up 12%.(3) The top rated programs were no surprise: Parts One and Two of Ken Burns’ “The Dust Bowl” were the highest ranked programs, followed very closely by AZPM’s original companion production “Arizona’s Dustbowl: Lessons Lost” produced by AZPM’s Tom Kleespie. Hollywood at Home films “The Searchers” and “Walk in the Clouds” on Saturday nights proved to be ratings winners along with the immensely popular Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey on Sundays.(4)

Arizona Illustrated, Southern Arizona’s weeknight news magazine series for over 30 years, and the flagship local TV production for Arizona Public Media (AZPM,) has undergone a makeover. The new AZ Illustrated (pronounced A-Z-Illustrated) debuts in its regular weeknight time slot at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2013. The new AZ Illustrated features different hosts and topics each night of the week – Metro, Science, Nature, Arts and Politics – offering insight and discussion relevant to Southern Arizona audiences. Tapping into the wealth of talent and experience of AZPM’s award-winning producers, reporters, and production team, while introducing new specialists from the community, the series will feature new voices, new stories and a new focus.

Metro Mondays, with host Maria Parham, covers education, business, government, and the policies that affect our daily lives. Science on Tuesdays explores issues and advances in health, science, and technology with host Jane Poynter. On Wednesdays, Nature host Georgia Davis presents the environmental news and issues unique to our desert landscape, and on Thursdays, embrace the vibrant cultural community that is distinctly Southern Arizona with Arts host Elizabeth Burden. Jim Nintzel, host of Politics on Friday, provides in-depth analysis of the week’s political news. For more AZ Illustrated information, visit here.

Other programming highlights in February include an extensive lineup of special programming in observance of Black History Month on PBS 6, World and NPR 89.1. Highlights include “Black Kungfu Experience” on February 11th, Independent Lens: “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights,” and American Masters: “Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock and Roll.” For a complete list of programs and airdates, visit here.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership and continued support. Our efforts for the benefit of Southern Arizona would not be possible without you.

Sincerely,

Jack Gibson

(1) Metro Cume audience persons, age 12+, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, ©Arbitron, Inc. ©Radio Research Consortium, Inc.

(2) Metro Average Quarter Hour share, age 12+, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, ©Arbitron, Inc. ©Radio Research Consortium, Inc.

(3) Nielsen Company, Tucson (Sierra Vista), AZ, November 2012 compared to previous Fall survey, November 2011.

(4) Trac Media Services.