If you’re a KNPR supporter, you’ve probably noticed some changes in the last year.
That includes a speedier website to changes in the State of Nevada format to more synergy between Desert Companion and State of Nevada.
Those changes came with the hiring of CEO and President Mark Vogelzang about a year ago. It's a new year, though, and if you’re wondering what more’s to come, he’s with us now.
If you have a question or comment for Mark, reach him at markv@knpr.org.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On last year’s collaboration with Vegas PBS
First of all, public radio stations [and] public television stations are licensed differently. They're licensed to two different organizations. I came to Nevada Public Radio about a year ago. And the organization I'd been with for the longest period of time was Maine Public Television and Radio. So we were together under one independent board of directors licensed as an independent nonprofit in Maine. And that Maine Public Television and Radio is a good model. But it's different here. Vegas, PBS is licensed to Clark County School [District] … but we hadn't been working together well before this. … We said we should work together on a big project and the natural project was our coverage of … elections. And there's more ahead.
On differences between Maine and Nevada
Anything's possible in Las Vegas. And in Nevada, there's a great spirit of exploration, and a spirit of willingness to try new things, which is great. It's also a state that is much different than what we would typically term New England, kind of liberal New England. So support, broad support for the organization, is a little bit harder to come by. People are a little bit like, ‘Well, prove to me that you're worth $1 or $2 to give to public radio.’ On the other hand, we have an immense state. There's wonderful industries that we didn't have as much of in Maine as we do here. I mean, think about the military impact in Nevada, think about the impact of the gaming industry and hospitality and what a booming city this is. And that's very different from many smaller towns in New England areas where growth is constrained.
On appealing to all of Nevada
Maybe it's the Libertarian sense of the West here, which I love, maybe it's the fact that there's so many opportunities for people to do things here. So the challenge is getting people's attention. Sometimes, I feel like with all the neon, and I'm using that kind of collectively as an image, it's hard to get people's attention for listening to a public radio station that's talking about serious issues. That's not a bad thing. It just means we've got to do our jobs smarter, better, faster, with more diversity.
On the audience of Desert Companion
One of the questions that we have internally is, what's the audience for Desert Companion? … So we're doing a reader survey that's coming out soon. And you'll see the results of that in Desert Companion and online at our website. But the question of which Las Vegas we serve is really a good one. Is it a downtown magazine? Is it something that focuses on the Strip? Is it something that focuses on where our listeners are, who may not be living downtown or on the Strip? And having the topics that work for those residents who feel like we're talking to you.
On returning to southwestern Utah
Southwest Utah is a very important place. We had our signal there for almost 15 years. During the financial crisis, back in 2018, just after that it was sold. … It's an area that has lots of growth because of the policies and folks in Utah, and because it's the gateway to Zion and Bryce, etc. So it's growing fast and we don't have a radio station there. Many people have come back to me and said, ‘Why can't you find a new frequency in St. George?’ And we do have a frequency now in St. George, but it's not on the air yet. We need to build it. We need to raise money for it, but it will be licensed. And we hoped it would be on the air either later this year or next year. So stay tuned. If you're interested or have connections in the greater St. George area, let me know; I'd love to talk to you.
Guest: Mark Vogelzang, president and CEO, Nevada Public Radio
