Looking to the Future, NPR Focuses on Diverse Audiences

NPR39s Chief Marketing Officer Michael Smith noted that 2020 is a quottipping pointquot because for the first time more than half of Americans 18 years old and younger are nonwhite As NPR looks to grow its audience Smith said the organization needs programming that speaks to these consumers and the issues that concern them However to date he said NPR has fallen short in attracting diverse audiencesquotWe39ve always been about great ideas and event coverage and culture to make people smarter and better citizens but have been underperforming at reaching nonwhite America We39ve been missing the markquot said Smith who is a Black American quotIf our goal is to serve the public we need to serve the whole publicquotMinority audiences are interested in NPR39s type of content Since the COVID19 crisis people of color are tuning in to more spoken word audio than ever According to a recent NPR and Edison Research study 61 percent of Hispanic Americans and 53 percent of African Americans said they are listening to more spoken word audio as a result of the pandemic In recent years that trend has been building Since 2014 spoken word audio listening is up 125 percent with African American listeners and 47 percent with Hispanics the report saidTo that end NPR is growing its podcasts that tackle relevant issues In October it debuted musicfocused podcast series Louder Than a Riot which traces the roots of hip hop and mass incarceration It is the first narrative multiepisode podcast from NPR Music and is hosted by two veteran NPR journalists Rodney Carmichael and Sidney MaddenquotThe idea for this podcast came out of their work and creativityquot Smith said of Carmichael and Madden The project has been in development for more than two years which Smith noted is indicative of NPR39s established commitment to expand diversityquotThis is a big step in our effort to reach younger and more diverse audiencesquot Smith saidLouder Than a Riot benefits from NPR Music39s established brand and growing digital footprint Fans already flock to its YouTube and Instagram channel as well as the popular Tiny Desk Contest video series In fact Tiny Desk39s YouTube channel reaches nearly 5 million users Louder Than a Riot is the next phase of NPR Music39s evolutionNPR promotes its diversityfocused podcasts across its owned platforms including its mobile app and popular podcasts including Up First While it is good exposure if minority consumers aren39t listening to NPR they won39t hear that promotion Smith saidquotThe majority of Americans of color are not aware of our brands so we have to go tell themquot he notedTo build awareness for this and other podcasts NPR is stepping up marketing Last spring it launched its first national ad campaigns for podcasts Code Switch and It39s Been A Minute with Sam Sanders Both feature minority hosts and address issues of race ethnicity and culture The marketing push boosted both shows39 listening significantly Smith said Then in May after the death of George Floyd sparked protests for racial equality and police reform nationwide additional listeners sampled the shows and many returned for more A third podcast Throughline which digs into the history behind current events also tackles topics that interest multicultural listeners and is growing quicklyNPR has also been buying ads on social media and outside podcasts It also works with top podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple to raise awareness Recently NPR has put its promotional muscle behind Louder Than A Riot It worked with podcast publishers including Apple Podcasts to help boost discovery The show appeared on several of Apple Podcast39s top 10 listsLouder Than A Riot is sponsored by Los Angelesbased multicultural agency Quantasy who is supportive of the program39s mission explained Scott Davis head of national sales for National Public Media NPR39s sponsorship armquotThey are interested in the content not just the transactional details of the buyquot he said quotThey were attracted to the show because of how it is covering a genre of music and a topic that was so importantquotOther podcast publishers might offer more multicultural listeners but Davis said NPR39s difference makers are its sterling brand and ambitious plans to reach more people of colorquotOur commitment to diversify the audience is unquestioned and we39re working on thatquot he noted quotThe biggest thing we can bring is the confidence of the element of trust that exists with NPRquotWhen listeners of color do tune in Smith said they like what they hear NPR data shows that its minority listeners have higher brand affinity than white listeners Along with its growing roster of podcasts that address diversity topics NPR has a deep bench of multicultural hosts including on its flagship news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered and hit podcasts Pop Culture Happy Hour and Consider ThisNPR is nurturing diverse talent in its ranks Throughline39s creators Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah started as young producers and developed their podcast pilot as a side project and now are cohosts and producersWhen NPR Science39s popular science podcast Invisibilia kicks off its fifth season next winter it will feature new hosts Yowei Shaw who is Taiwanese American and Kia Miakka Natisse who is a Black American Smith said they39ll bring fresh perspective to the show39s storytellingNow he said the challenge is to bring new multicultural listeners into the foldquotWe have diverse hosts and stories across of our content it is just we haven39t been aggressively telling that storyquot he said quotI39m excited for our future because as people learn more about NPR they like itquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Looking to the Future, NPR Focuses on Diverse Audiences

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Alli Romano

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