SPRINGFIELD — New England Public Media will use its main radio signals to present news programming, moving daytime classical music shows to other stations.
The switch, beginning Monday, follows a trend by public radio stations across the country to elevate news in response to audience demand.
“In a way, we are late to this party,” NEPM President Matt Abramovitz said in an interview before Wednesday’s announcement.
The nonprofit’s flagship stations — 88.5 FM WFCR and 640 AM WNNZ — will present news and talk programs. Classical music will move to the organization’s NEPM News Network, a family of broadcast frequencies around the region.
Classical music programming will be broadcast on 91.9 FM in Hampden County, 91.7 FM in Franklin County, 89.5 FM in southern Berkshire County, 98.9 FM in northern Berkshire County and 89.3 FM in Hampshire County, as well as online and, soon, an app.
“We are lucky we had this news network of stations we could use,” Abramovitz said. “What’s been in our focus the whole time has been the needs of the audience in Western Massachusetts. … We’re really excited about the change happening this week.”
New England Public Media, at 44 Hampden St. in Springfield, will switch its main stations to a news and talk format as of Monday. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)
Classical music hosts John Nowacki, Steve Petke and Jon Solins will continue their work, Abramovitz said. “Classical NEPM” will also broadcast from Tanglewood and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Abramovitz said he hopes to find local partners to add more home-grown classical features, including concert broadcasts.
- Read More: Why public TV pioneer Channel 57 lost its place within a revamped New England Public Media
On the news side, 88.5 FM and AM 640 will broadcast nationally distributed public radio programs including “Morning Edition,” ”All Things Considered,” “1A,” “On Point” and “Fresh Air” on the daytime schedule. “Fresh Air” is moving from evenings.
The news-talk stations will retain the 3 p.m. broadcast of the locally produced “The Fabulous 413″ with Christopher “Monte” Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, which premiered in March.
Matt Abramovitz is the president of New England Public Media. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)
“We’re very proud of what they’ve been doing on ‘The Fabulous 413,′” Abramovitz said. The stations will rebroadcast what’s deemed to be the best “The Fabulous 413″ episode of the week on Saturdays.
Weekends will have a more entertainment focus overall, with the NPR news quiz show “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “Alt.Latino” and “All Songs Considered” and a Sunday afternoon call-in show from New York City, “Notes from America.”
Overnights, 88.5 FM will broadcast the BBC World Service.
At noon on weekdays, the stations will present a 2.5-minute local news segment coupled with the NPR national newscast.
In early 2024, NEPM will bring back its weekly news-in-review roundtable panel show, reprising “The Shortlist,” which ended in 2021.
Some music will remain on 88.5 FM and 640 AM. NEPM’s “Jazz à la Mode” will remain on 88.5 FM in the evenings. NEPM’s “Jazz Safari with Kari Njiiri” and”Tertulia with Raquel Obregon will remain on those stations on weekend evenings, according to the station.
The radio signal on 88.5 FM reaches from Brattleboro, Vermont, south to Hartford, Connecticut, and from Worcester to Albany. The stations that will carry classical music have a smaller coverage area. But Abramovitz is confident most listeners won’t have difficulty; they will also be able to access the online broadcast and the app.
Elizabeth Román, managing editor of news at New England Public Media, works at her desk Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 29, 2023. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)
Financial issues
In March, New England Public Media — formed in the 2019 merger of WFCR public radio and WGBY television Channel 57 — laid off 17 workers, about 20% of its full- and part-time staff. Radio news wasn’t impacted, but there were cuts to the television side and the TV program “Connecting Point” was canceled.
The reasons were financial. According to tax documents on file with the IRS, NEPM reported a $4.6 million loss for the fiscal year that ended in June 2022.
In that fiscal year, NEPM reported $1.62 million in income from underwriting and $3.9 million in support from viewers and listeners. Altogether, it had $7.9 million in revenue. But operating expenses were $12.6 million, including $6.2 million in wages.
In 2022, $3.4 million was transferred from the WGBH Educational Foundation to NEPM’s own balance sheet. The year before, NEPM reported an operating loss of $3.8 million after an income of $7.5 million and operating expenses of $11.3 million.
There is not a more recent filing. Abramovitz said NEPM ended the most recent fiscal year better than expected and is on a three-year plan to become financially sustainable.
“In year one, I’m feeling really good and on track to that plan,” he said.
He said there has been recent hiring.
While none of the changes announced Wednesday are for television, Abramovitz said some of the new projects on radio will make their way to TV.
In May, NEPM sold its former radio studios and offices at 1525 Main St. for $850,000. It completed $9 million in renovations and upgrades to its television studios at 44 Hampden St. and moved the radio station staff into that former Channel 57 space in April.
Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, co-hosts of The Fabulous 413 radio show at New England Public Media, interview Max Page, president of Massachusetts Teacher Association, during a live broadcast Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 29, 2023. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)
