IPR is a new non-profit organization representing the collaboration and consolidation of the three public radio stations licensed to Iowa's Regents universities in Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Falls. Click on About Us to find out more.

Iowa Public Radio was created to:

• Strengthen station program efforts and to expand the availability of those programs to listeners across the state
• Allocate a larger proportion of existing resources to programming and other public service activities through network-wide efficiencies
• Provide increased opportunity for the stations to increase their overall funding from a range of sources, enhancing long-term financial stability

Iowa Public Radio stations' signals cover most of Iowa. This includes the nation's largest non-commercial AM signal, WOI 640 AM; WOI 90.1 FM; WSUI 910 AM; KSUI 91.7 FM; KUNI 90.9 FM and KHKE 89.5 FM.

View all signals on one coverage map.

No. Each of the stations is a vibrant community organization and will remain firmly connected to the people it serves. With time, there may be an increased presence in Des Moines as well.

• Each station remains an important part of its respective university.
• Each station continues to be responsive to the community it serves.
• Each station continues to employ a talented group of staff.

Yes. Funds raised by each station will go into that station's account and will be used for that station's needs and service activities.

Iowa Public Radio's funds come from a range of sources:

Listeners 37%
Universities 28%
Federal Government 16%
Corporations 13%
Other 6%

Our long-term goal is to create three strong, distinct services: News and Information; Classical Music; and Alternative Music. Our first focus for unification was the News and Information Service, which launched in January, 2007. IPR's statewide Classical Service launched in  September, 2007, unifying the classical offerings of KSUI, KHKE, WOI-FM, KOWI, KTPR and KWOI.

• View any of our current schedules.
• See our Classical Service schedules.
• Check out our blog to learn how our new schedules came about and how to participate in a conversation about the new service.
• Contact us with your questions and comments about any of our services.

A key reason for the consolidation of the three stations is that the parent universities (who continue to "own" the stations) need to reallocate some of the funds once available to the stations to other core academic needs. This, combined with the fact that listeners increasingly have multiple options for receiving nationally distributed programming (pod-casts, streaming, satellite programming), made it clear that if these stations are to remain vital, vibrant community institutions, they will be in a much stronger position by working together, pooling their many talents and available resources to serve all of Iowa, rather than competing with one another.

What we hope listeners will appreciate is that we didn't wait until the stations were in real trouble, on the edge of financial disaster, to take this strategic step. We're looking ahead at all of the changes in the media environment, the evolving needs of our parent institutions, and making the tough decisions now, so that each of these stations remains strong and able to provide top quality public radio listening across the state.

By creating one statewide schedule of national news and information programming, we are able to free up and invest more of our talented staff and financial resources into local programming of all kinds. Iowans have told us that this is what really makes public radio stand out -- its local commitment -- and that local programming should be every bit as good and compelling as what listeners have come to appreciate from NPR and other national sources.

This does mean that listener choice is reduced. It's a simple fact and not one that we're trying to dodge. Again, we know that listeners have many ways of obtaining the national programs and they tell us they're using all of them, both to time shift the programs we air and to get programs that don't currently air on any of the IPR stations. The one thing they can't get from satellite radio or the internet is the content that we create right here in Iowa, for Iowans.  That's where we feel we need to invest for the future.

While we're focusing first on the news and information service, keep in mind that we will soon turn our attention to the creation of a statewide classical/cultural service, which just like the statewide news service, will build on what each of the stations does best. Finally, we hope to expand our commitment to alternative music in the not too distant future, building on KUNI's strength in that area. One way to look at all of this is that this is the first step in moving from a patchwork of different formats and programming to three statewide programming streams that will connect Iowans in a more powerful way than in the past.

That's the course we've plotted. As is the case in any retooling project, you sometimes have to take a step backwards so that you can take three steps forward. It's uncomfortable in the short term, but the payoff down the road could be tremendous for listeners across the state.

I hope that this additional background conveys that these changes have come about as a result of thoughtful consideration and that you will give us a chance to show you that many good things are still to come.

Cindy Browne
Executive Director

Iowa Public Radio provides a signal to nearly every part of the state through its many stations and translators, not to mention WOI-AM, which covers most of the state all by itself. However, our service is spotty in the extreme corners of the state and in areas where there are issues with terrain. We have added stations and translators in places like Carroll, Lamoni, and Dubuque in recent years. A new station is under construction in Ottumwa which should begin broadcasting next year. We will do all we can to continue to improve our coverage in the future.

Our ability to do so depends on a couple of things. The first factor is the availability of broadcast signals and funds to make those acquisitions. We have several applications at the FCC for new FM signals and are hopeful that they will be granted in the not too distant future. In some parts of the state, all of the FM frequencies have been allocated and so we must wait for existing stations to come on the market. Radio stations are in high demand and whenever one goes up for sale, there's a lot of competition between potential buyers. We'll do our best to make competitive bids in those areas of the state where IPR service needs to be improved. We hope listeners will understand that we may not always win the license.

The second factor is technology. In years to come, we expect that IPR listeners will access our programming using devices other than their radios. Already, many Iowans stream our broadcast signals on their computers. We'll always be primarily a radio service, but we will also make sure our programming is available to listeners through the many distribution channels provided by new media technologies.

Cindy Browne
Executive Director

We're very happy to say that all of our producers and announcers will still be busily engaged in various areas of program creation and development as we move into the new schedule. I daresay you'll be hearing their voices often—or hearing production credits for those who've chosen to work behind the scenes. Feel free to go to our station websites and communicate directly with the people you'd like to check up on. You can find contact information for the stations here.

WOI-AM provides a powerful signal across much of Iowa during the daylight hours. However, before sunrise and after sunset, the station is allowed to operate with only a tiny fraction of its daytime power. Throughout the fall and winter months, this prevents thousands of listeners from hearing "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered" and "Marketplace," including in the Des Moines area. Even during the daytime, many listeners report difficulty receiving WOI-AM because of electrical interference and other problems. So WOI-FM offers the morning and afternoon news programs, but devotes the rest of the day to music. We continue to look for alternatives to this arrangement so we can offer a full-time music service in central Iowa. In the meantime, you can listen to our 24 hour classical service online: KHKE or KSUI.

The hallmark musical programming that so defined KUNI is still very much a part of the IPR. The daytime schedule for the news and information service, as you know, is unified, but that changes at 7:00 p.m. when KUNI and a number of stations in the news network turn to music. On those stations, you will hear many of your favorites--"Live from Studio One," "Backtracks," "World Cafe," "Night Music," etc. Do check out the full schedule to see just where and when the alternative music programming can be found. Please also be aware that we are hoping to introduce a comprehensive Alternative Music stream. We wish we could have launched all programming streams at once, but please be patient....we're working hard to bring them to you soon! Please also be aware that all of our big FM signals will soon be broadcasting digital signals and that will allow for multi-casting (sending more than one program stream out over one frequency). The digital revolution will allow for the dissemination of all kinds of programming that we don't have room for on our current analog signals.

Many listeners have noted the loss of folk music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on KUNI. I have written to some of you personally, but I want to offer a few thoughts on folk music, and its future on Iowa Public Radio. And it does have a future with Iowa Public Radio.

Commercial broadcasters generally avoid the news and music formats we offer because they know they'll never deliver a large enough audience to advertisers to make it lucrative. Public broadcasters don't face that equation. Our schedules are filled with programs that don’t have enough mass appeal for commercial broadcasters -- in-depth news, talk shows that offer more than one viewpoint, classical music, alternative music, folk, etc. If any of these shows commanded a large audience, somebody else would be doing them. And no one is.

But within our public radio stations, we also have difficult choices to make. A certain percentage of our audience loves everything we do. But many of our listeners identify strongly with one format -- in-depth news, classical music, alternative music, jazz, folk, talk shows.

As we began joining forces to create Iowa Public Radio, we knew we had the expertise to do three things very well: News/Talk, Classical Music and Jazz, and another subset of music that includes alternative music (like "World Café" and "Night Music"), folk, blues, and roots music. When we talked to about 2,000 Iowans during our Listening Project last fall, they agreed these are important facets of Iowa Public Radio.

In 2007, we'll be creating three services – one focused on in-depth news and public affairs; the next, on classical music and cultural programs and the arts; the third will be a 24-hour service built on the strengths of KUNI's music services, including "Night Music," folk music, roots, blues, and a collection of national programs devoted to these genres. (I call this the Alternative or Triple A service.)

The difficulty we face is getting from here to there. The news service is launching first, and in order for that service to have as strong a footing as possible, a number of programs are going away. Some of them will return with the launch of the music services, but there is still the pain of loss now. This pain is something our folk listeners feel keenly.

Going forward, folk music will have two homes - a home on the Classical/Cultural service, and a home on the Triple A service. We're also taking a couple steps to bridge the gap between now and the near future. Karen Impola's folk program launches in January on Saturday nights on WOI-FM and on KUNI overnights, and in February on KHKE 89.5, Saturdays at noon. This schedule will continue until her program can take a permanent place on our unified Classical/Cultural service in July.

None of these decisions is easy, but we've made them taking all of our listeners into consideration, not just a single group of listeners. It means that no one is perfectly pleased with the final schedule, but we try to be as thoughtful and consistent as we can, and we'll listen to every comment we receive and adjusting the schedule when doing so means we'll serve our audience better.

As Iowa Public Radio blossoms and grows over the coming year, as we're able to launch new services and create new programs, I think you’ll find it still continues to offer a valuable service.  In any case, we hope we’ll continue to hear from you.

Read all about our plan for the Classical Network.

View the new schedules beginning September 10, 2007.

• KSUI-KHKE
• WOI-FM 90.1
• KOWI, KTPR, KWOI

Our hosts choose the music for broadcast during our local music segments, consulting our music policy, our music director and our record librarians. The host choose music that meets our guidelines of providing an enjoyable, entertaining and relaxing mix of music... a mix that is sometimes challenging, too. They careful schedule the music to ensure that there's variety, and that musical works flow well together. Within the policy guidelines, hosts have wide latitude to choose the music they'd like to play. We like this arrangement because it allows the personality and interests of the hosts to shine through.

Here is a list of our programs that will be moving on September 10:

Here is a list of programs that will no longer be heard on Iowa Public Radio. We have included the rationale for discontinuing each program and if and where each is available for listening on line. We invite your comments and value your input.

Program	Listen Online	Comments
Concertgebouw Orchestra	(Link in German)	We've discontinued these programs on Iowa Public Radio. However, we're still committed to offering concerts by great orchestras - including the Chicago Symphony, as well as the SymphonyCast series. We'll consider the New York Philharmonic for broadcast in the future, and will monitor listener reaction to the change.
New York Philharmonic	Streaming
The World	Streaming	We've discontinued these programs on Iowa Public Radio. However, we will consider each of them for broadcast in the future, and will monitor listener reaction to the change. Please note that The World will be considered for inclusion in the News and Information Service and not the Classical Service.
Classical Guitar Alive!	Webcast station list Downloads
Harmonia	Streaming Audio Archives
The Record Shelf	None available
Collector's Corner	None available
The Romantic Hours	Station List
Schickele Mix	None available
The Thistle & Shamrock
Tech Nation	Streaming Audio Archives	We're discontinuing these programs on our classical service so we can offer more music in the early morning hours.
A World of Possibilities	Streaming
It's Your World	Audio Archives
Humankind	Streaming
The Commonwealth Club	Audio Archives
NPR World of Opera	Streaming	We've discontinued the World of Opera series, but opera broadcasts continue to be a part of the weekly schedule - Saturday afternoons.
Adventures in Good Music	None available	WCLV in Cleveland, the long-time producer and distributor of the Adventures in Good Music series, is no longer offering it to stations. The series, long a part of the KSUI schedule, ended in June 2007. We're sorry to see it go!
The Vocal Scene	None available	George Jellinek, the long-time host of the Vocal Scene, made a personal decision in 2004 to permanently retire the program at the end of that year. His decision, and the program's legacy, was the subject of a piece by Janet Malcolm in The New Yorker's November 29, 2004 issue. We're saddened by his decision, but we celebrate the program's 36 year run.
Classical 24	Please check on PublicRadioFan.com for stations that stream this program.	We've been pleased to offer you this national service, based in St. Paul, MN, on 89.5 FM, but as our new Classical Service launches, we're able to greatly increase the number of hours a week of locally-hosted music that we broadcast. We think our service will be more home-grown and more engaged with Iowa's musical events and ensembles as we increase our "Iowa sound."
As Night Falls	None available	We've discontinued the program after a few years, and we've moved our jazz programming to Friday nights. This allows us to increase the number of hours we devote to classical music on Sunday nights, and it allows us to expand our musical offerings on Saturday to include the singer/songwriter genre, which, traditionally, has been a strong element of Iowa's musical culture. We feel our cultural service needs to reflect this tradition for a few short hours a week. We will continue to listen to your comments about jazz programming on Iowa Public Radio - whether you want more jazz or less jazz, and we'll respond to those wishes. We greatly appreciate the dedication of John Rapson, Dan Moore and Craig Kessler and we hope to utilize their talents in our jazz programming going forward.

We are happy to report that Hollis Monroe will host "By Request" Monday through Thursday 8 PM - 10 PM on our Classical Service.

We're sorry that some of the concert series have gone away. Chicago Symphony remains on the radio here, and SymphonyCast offers concerts from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra and other ensembles. We recognize the value of bringing some broadcast concerts into homes, but we think there's a greater value in offering music that's carefully selected and programmed with evening radio listening in mind. We want to devote as much time as we can in the evenings to music that's relaxing and soothing - the accompaniment to quiet evenings that so many listeners have told us they appreciate. We'll continue to evaluate concert series and consider them for broadcast, but we'll continue to devote most of our evening schedule to studio recordings of classical music.

Even though our primary commitment is to classical music (about 135 hours a week on the 24-hour service, 100 hours a week on 90.1 FM), we want our classical service to represent the contributions of other styles of music to our culture. This includes roots, ragtime, gospel, and soul, and its influence on rock, pop, folk, and even classical music. Nick Spitzer provides a weekly excursion into America's musical history, and we're proud to offer this exceptional series on our cultural service.

Our classical service devotes the vast majority of time to classical music (135 hours a week in Iowa City and Cedar Falls; 100 hours a week in Des Moines/Ames) but as Iowa's classical service, we want to reflect some of Iowa's other musical traditions, and one of those traditions is folk music and the singer/songwriter tradition. We've chosen to devote up to 4 hours a week to this musical genre to recognize its impact on Iowa's cultural life.

Thanks for telling us how much you love Katherine and her work on "Talk of Iowa." While her program will move away from the FM news and information network, you will be able to hear her and her guests daily, Monday through Friday, on the huge AM signal originating at WOI in Ames. She will be on AM 640 from 11-1 each day, first with "Talk of Iowa" and, in the second hour, with "Midday."

We've created a weekend schedule that has many of the programs that our listeners tell us they enjoy most, and a handful of the programs play more than once. Some of these repeats occur for a very specific reason – for instance, our listeners around Iowa (and around the country) are very responsive to the option to hear "A Prairie Home Companion" on Sundays as well as Saturday. Programs like "This American Life" and "Car Talk" have a very large number of listeners in Iowa, and we know not everyone can listen at one time. Naturally, we don't want to air the same thing five times, but offering another play can make it more convenient for listeners to hear the shows they enjoy.

That accounts for much of our decision-making. But there's also another element: because this schedule is so new, we're not exactly sure just what programs will work at which times, so we're doing some experimenting. Over the next few months, we think it will become clear to us what times work better, as we get new statistical data, and as we get comments, we expect to adjust accordingly.

I fully expect that over the next six months or so, the number of repeats will thin out a bit as things shift in response to comments.

No schedule is set in stone – they all shift over time – so this "snapshot" you see now will look a little different in six months, a year, 18 months, etc.

Garrison Keillor's daily poetry and prose feature will air at 9:05 am Monday-Friday on  Iowa Public Radio Classical beginning Monday, September 10, 2007.

We know Iowans want to be updated regularly with weather information, and we're trying to find a balance that keeps you informed while letting us focus on our most important service to you. Our current plan is to offer weather information at regular intervals throughout the day - more frequently in the early morning hours when you're planning your day's activities, and less frequently at other times of the day, unless the weather forecast changes or there is severe weather. Listener feedback will be key to determining how this is working and we'll evaluate and adjust as we go.

Iowa Public Radio is unable to provide specific school closing information because of the wide reach of its coverage area: the Classical service covers more than 50 counties, and the News network covers more than 80 counties.

We encourage listeners to consult school web sites, TV stations and their web sites, as well as other radio stations for information about school closings in their local communities.

We've made a considerable investment in NPR News, spending close to $700,000 this year to acquire NPR newscasts and programs. The additional cost to air the BBC News on our classical stations isn't considerable, but we feel that offering NPR News is a way to gain additional "return" on the significant contribution we make each year to NPR.

Volunteers have long played a key roll at each of the IPR stations and we're grateful for their continued support and dedication. While we've shifted taking pledge calls from volunteer phone banks to a call center, we're engaging station volunteers in other ways, including making calls to new members to welcome them to the public radio family.

When we unified the three station drives into one statewide fund drive, it quickly became clear that we need one call center in one location reached by one 800-number. At peak times (morning and afternoon drive times and weekends), we need up to 80 volunteers on hand or risk having calls go unanswered. We also want phones to be answered 24 hours a day over the eight-day drive, something we can not ask of station staff and volunteers.

We determined that we did not have the room at any one of the three stations to set up an 80-station call center. The volunteer phone room at WSUI/KSUI can accommodate six people at most. Renting space twice per year for eight days didn't seem very practical, nor did investing in telephone equipment and supporting software for usage sixteen days each year.

In addition, none of the stations are able to supply 80 volunteers from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later for eight days running. That left us with the option of hiring contract staff, training them for an eight-day job and then doing it again the following drive. And, we would have to pay them for the entire time they were on duty, not just when they were answering IPR donor calls. Again, this didn't seem very practical or cost efficient.

Taking all these factors into account, it became clear that we needed to contract with a company that takes phone calls as their primary business. In that way, we pay only for what we need, when we need it, and we pay only a portion of their overhead costs for space, hardware and software, which are spread across all their clients. The call center only takes information and passes it back to our membership department for processing. All money is handled by Iowa Public Radio in Iowa.

We used the State of Iowa (Iowa State University) purchasing system and put the call center contract out for bid. We encouraged two Iowa-based call center firms to submit bids. One did not take incoming calls and the other said our needs were too small for them to consider taking us on as a client. TeleDirect was selected because their proposal best matched our criteria. We feel our decision was correct and in the best interest of our listeners and Iowa Public Radio.


Robin Fraser
Director of Development