For over six decades, WAMU has been a mainstay of Washington, D.C.’s airwaves and been the No. 1 radio station in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area for the past three years. But it’s not just a regional titan; WAMU is the only public radio station to crack the national Top 50 list.

During a recent INMA Webinar, WAMU’s Erika Pulley-Hayes and Michael Tribble talked about how the station decided to transform itself into a “centre of audio excellence” and what it took for them to accomplish this.

Pulley-Hayes, the station’s general manager, emphasised the role WAMU has played in the community and its role in developing influential voices in broadcasting. The station has been home to notable figures such as Diane Rehm and Kojo Nnamdi, and it continues to produce acclaimed programs like the nationally syndicated show “1A,” hosted by Jen White.

“We don’t see ourselves as just a radio station or a journalism organisation,” Pulley-Hayes said. “We see ourselves as a civic institution and the significant cornerstone of our community.”

In recent years, WAMU embarked on a digital transformation, exploring various multimedia platforms. However, in early 2024, Pulley-Hayes said the station decided to refocus on its greatest strength: audio. This decision was driven by extensive audience research and a strategic planning process that identified the need to simplify operations and concentrate on areas where WAMU could excel.

“We decided to return to our centre of audio excellence because it … is a place that we’re currently winning and can expand upon,” she said. “So when we were going through our strategic planning process, we identified ways in which the organisation needed to change.”

The company identified four key areas for change:
1. Going from broadcast-only to a multi-model of storytelling.
2. Moving from highly produced content to content that where the production quality varies.
3. Going from a one-to-many broadcast-centric approach to content distribution to a more dialogic approach “where we can have conversations with the audience.”
4. Going from a place of minimal competition for share of ear to a place with a large and diverse competition for listeners. “This is due to the low barriers to entry for podcasting,” Pulley-Hayes explained. “Everybody wants to do a podcast, everyone seems to want to listen to a podcast. So there’s a lot of competition in this space.”

Creating a new strategy

During the past year, WAMU has conducted extensive audience research as it focused on its strength in audio. Tribble joined the company about 10 months ago as chief content officer and helped define the new content strategy.

As WAMU realised it couldn’t “be everything to everybody,” it started reexamining where it saw the most return on its investments. While politics is a core part of its coverage, WAMU added topics like traffic and wrote daily digital stories that didn’t see much traction.

“We really needed to simplify,” Tribble said. “So we decided that our first move was to stop the chase and … 85% of the work that we were doing was going to be around audio.”

WAMU decided to emphasise three core content areas: politics, arts and culture, and food. Then, Tribble said, “we really started leaning into this idea of asking the question, ‘What job does a story do for our audience?’”

From there, WAMU identified three ways that it ensures quality content, focusing on discovery, understanding, and enrichment.

“A big part of this was leaning directly into audio as our superpower, as something that we do better than anyone else in the market, which leads to a differentiation of what we can do versus what other people do,” Tribble said.

A format change

That led to an evolution of its format, and WAMU introduced franchise content: repeatable, regularly scheduled programs that encourage appointment listening. The approach includes traditional radio and digital podcasts, ensuring listeners can engage with WAMU’s content across multiple platforms.

“We’re [also] looking to dive into more special projects ... [and] take on something a little bit more significant in investment and development so that we can provide a bigger opportunity for us to kind of make waves in our community as well,” Tribble said.

That will include community-building events and experiences such as live broadcasts, public forums, live coverage of community events, and live panel discussions that touch on current events and topical issues.

As its evolution continues, WAMU is looking at how to engage influencers and create partnerships to marry live events with social media. It’s also developing an app that will let listeners engage with the station “without turning on their radio.”

At the end of the day, regardless of what form or format it takes, Tribble reminded INMA members that it is all about community: “I think there’s a connective tissue to that, and there’s an importance to how we can actually tell stories,” he said. “It’s relatable because we’re here, we’re living in the same areas as the people that we’re covering.

“This is really about growing our community and giving us an opportunity to be people that are helping lead the conversation.”

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