Changes at North Carolina’s WDAV

DavidsonNews.net reports that WDAV-FM, the classical public radio station in Davidson, N.C., is laying off a host and hiring two staffers devoted to corporate support. The story divulges a few details that, in particular, piqued my interest.

The article says:

The staff cuts are part of an effort to “redeploy resources” to take advantage of growing internet readership and listenership, the station said in a press release Thursday. The station plans to create a new position of multimedia producer in 2009.

“WDAV’s online listenership has grown by 40 percent in the last four months, and online listeners go where they can get a full-featured multimedia experience. This shift in staffing resources lets us produce more rich content that will attract new online listeners to the classical music being made in the Carolinas,” WDAV general manager Benjamin K. Roe said in the press release.

I was surprised by the increase in online listenership. What explains that? Are other stations seeing similar increases? Also, the idea of hiring a multimedia producer strikes me as especially sharp. Do any other classical stations have similar positions? I’ll be curious to see what WDAV does with that. The station already has a modest video page on its website.

You can read the full DavidsonNews.net article here.

A final note: I’d feel remiss if we let this week pass without noting the loss of many talented people at National Public Radio, some of them on staff at the network for decades. Because NPR no longer produces any classical programming, I didn’t post anything about the news here. You can read the blog at Current.org if you need to get caught up. But the layoffs — along with cuts made last week at Chicago Public Radio, that city’s primary public station — serve as a sobering reminder of what might be tough times ahead for the rest of public radio. Let’s stay in touch and offer each other support when it’s needed.