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Programming Changes at Tri States Public Radio

This week’s guest on Emphasis is Jonathan Ahl, General Manager of Tri States Public Radio. He talks about programming changes that will begin July 1.

“We spent a lot of time listening to a lot of shows,” said Ahl, adding there are two reasons for the changes: NPR’s decision to end Talk of the Nation (it airs for the final time on June 28), and listener feedback.

The Story with Dick Gordon will air weekday afternoons at 1:00, Tell Me More with Michel Martin will be moved to 2:00 weekday afternoons, and The World will air at 3:00 pm weekdays.

“We thought the flow would be better if you go from The Story, which is kind of moving away from the news cycle a little bit into individual stories, then to Tell Me More, which is definitely news related but from a much different perspective, and then to The World, which is global news,” Ahl said.

The noon hour programs during weekdays will also change a bit. On The Media will remain on Mondays, The TED Radio Hour will continue on Tuesdays, Living on Earth returns to the weekday schedule on Wednesdays, Radiolab will air on Thursdays, and The Moth Radio Hour will be added to the schedule on Fridays.

51% will be moved to Saturday afternoon at 3:00, followed by State Week in Review. Emphasis and Performing Arts Gallery will be canceled.

“What we’re going to do with the content that was in those spots (Emphasis and Performing Arts Gallery) is push more of that into Afternoon Edition,” Ahl said. “We’re going to try to use Afternoon Edition to have more in-depth interviews, to have more arts-related things, and kind of consolidate that local content into Afternoon Edition.”

Ahl is also excited to add a new, locally produced program to the Sunday line-up, Music from the Tri States.

“(Music Director) Ken Zahnle will be the host of this program. Every Sunday morning from 11:00 to 12:30 we are going to broadcast music that is recorded in the tri states area and by tri states musical artists or people who are visiting the tri states,” Ahl said.

Music from the Tri States will include Celebration Concerts, local symphony orchestra concerts, performances on the WIU campus by faculty and visiting artists, and more from throughout the region. Ahl said it will be a “genre-defying hour-and-a-half program” that is devoted to local music.

Bob Edwards Weekend will remain on the schedule but begin an hour earlier at 9:00 am, and World of Opera will at 12:30 pm.

Other changes include:Concierto will air on Fridays at 10:00 pm, Riverwalk will return to the Saturday schedule at 7:00 pm, Song Travels will move to 6:00 am on Sundays, local musician Bill Harroun will take over as host of Folk Weekend on Sundays  at 7:00 pm, and Folk Alley will air on Sundays at 10:00 pm.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.
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