NPR Chief Rides the Airwaves

NPR CHIEF KEN STERNS RIDES AGAIN
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah McBride sarah.mcbride@wsj.com]
In an era when commercial radio seems to be floundering, National Public Radio is hitting its stride. Some 25.5 million people tune into its programming each week, up from 13 million a decade ago. It has more than 800 member stations, up from 635 a decade ago. In some places, like Seattle, its "Morning Edition" is consistently the most popular morning drive show on any radio station. It is expanding foreign coverage, winning more underwriting dollars, and forging into the digital age with online streams and podcasts. Much of this growth has occurred under Ken Stern, NPR's chief executive, who joined as executive vice president in 1999. But there are clouds on the horizon. The average listener is getting older each year. Member stations everywhere face more competition from all kinds of new media options that didn't exist a few years ago, like satellite radio.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119301180052966496.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
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