Dear Colleagues,

It’s time to announce APM’s FY17 program rates. Thank you for all of your support last year and we’re excited about the year to come.

First, we recognize that the predictability of our rates is important to you. You’ve told us that budgeting for programs is difficult and that you’d like greater stability year over year. We’ve heard you and have made some changes that I’m eager to tell you about.

Beginning in FY17, we are removing all Total Station Revenue (TSR)-based calculations from our fees, and will move to straight year-over-year percentage increases. That means that your rates will no longer be affected by your station revenue from two years prior. Your new Affiliation and Marketplace fees have been calculated as modest percentage increases of last year’s rates. From this point on, you’ll have much more predictability – and much less vulnerability – to fee fluctuations.

There’s a lot of program news that we’re excited about, too, and we’re working hard to provide new opportunities to engage and build your audiences. As you know from recent announcements, we’ve got a lot cooking! Here’s just a taste:

• As we celebrate the end of an era with iconic host Garrison Keillor, we are excited about A Prairie Home Companion®‘s bright future with new host Chris Thile. Look for the latest details in next week’s FAQ email. We can’t wait to talk with you about our plans and are thrilled by the feedback we’ve received from many of you so far.

• Marketplace® has never been more vital to our nation’s most important conversations. Marketplace‘s new Economic Anxiety Index, developed with Edison Research, is an important indicator of how the overall economic mood is changing. The tool will be vital in the upcoming election when explaining how economic concerns are motivating voter behavior. And their recent partnership with PBS NewsHour and Frontline is yet another way Marketplace is engaging audiences nationwide.

• We just announced some big changes with BBC World Service that will be important to many of you. Beginning July 11, 2016, the 8:00am ET Newshour feed will move to 10:00am ET. The new feed will offer even more opportunities for stations to air a program that has become essential on public radio schedules. At the same time, we’ll also be expanding Topline, the 90-second morning summary of the day’s most important international stories. The feeds will increase from two to four. Now, each hour from 7:30-10:30am ET, you’ll have access to the most up-to-date international news stories.

• On the classical front, we are looking forward to an exciting year of celebrating Performance Today®‘s 30th anniversary. We’ll keep you posted as our plans evolve.

• Finally, we’re significantly expanding our holiday and special program offerings. What was formerly called the Holiday Package is now APM Celebrates. Next year you’ll find a full lineup of programs focused on the year’s biggest events, celebrations and holidays. We will offer amazing content for all stations and formats that we know you’ll love.

As of today, updated rate cards outlining program fees can be reviewed on the APM Stations website. Within the next few weeks your Station Relations Representative will send you an email outlining your station’s pricing and will reach out to you directly to answer any questions you might have. We ask that you carefully review your rates and approve them by email, no later than June 1, 2016. Your FY17 pricing will take effect on July 1, 2016.

Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have questions or need more information. Thanks again for a great year!

Shona Koester
Director, National Distribution